I first met Mike in the mid-1960s. Although his family lived on Laurel Drive (6605 or 6607 if you want to find it on Google Maps) only a dozen blocks from our house, he attended a Catholic high school and I was in the public system, so our paths didnt cross much. But, we knew each other existed when we were 15. Fate put us in the same dormitory at the University of Maryland in 1966, and he has been a close and valued friend from then forward. From the Universitys perspective, we probably spent far too much time camping, canoeing, spelunking, rock climbing, trail skiing and snow shoeing, plus late nights of discussing Beowulf, listening to Gregorian chant and John Cage, and debating the problems of the world. No doubt that we spent far too little time studying text books from the Universitys perspective. In retrospect, though, I have never regretted the choices I made. So, knowing Mike for 55 years, here are some especially vivid reminiscences: -Our first hike and camping was most likely on Old Rag Mountain in Virginia in the fall of 1966. We both had joined the U. Maryland Trail Club and that was their traditional first outing of the school year. It was my first experience with serious rock climbing and rappelling, and Mike taught me well. I didnt fall. -In 1968, he and I loaded a canoe on his van and headed to Assateague Island for a week of camping and bonfires on the beach, fishing and surfing the canoe in the ocean. That was before it was a national seashore, so camping and fires were still allowed. -Avoiding studying for our organic chemistry final exam (it was hopeless for both of us), we decided instead to go canoeing on the Potomac River. There, we discovered a beautiful large island with mature trees and sandy glades. We set up a semi-permanent camp site, including a few tree platforms to escape the mosquitoes. It became our occasional refuge for a few years after that. Reflecting on our attitude about the exam, Mike decided to call it I Give A Grit Island (the memorial posting wouldnt allow the word intended here that starts with S and rhymes with grit Mike would be arguing about the absurdity of that right now!). That became simply IGAS Island, which still makes me smile whenever I think about it. I also have some of his first stitched bags and they are still in use all these decades later. -In 1968 or 9, Mike got a draft notice from the Selective Service that he was to be inducted into the Army. At the height of the Vietnam war, this was not a good time to be in uniform. A large group of friends (20? --at least) got together the weekend before his departure for a feast and a goodbye celebration in the Universitys Student Union ballroom. This was nothing official, of course, so the party started after the building had closed for the night. Its always good to have a friend with keys. Hours of eating, testimonials and story-telling. Afterwards, we cleaned up the room and left about 4 in the morning and Mike went off to catch a bus. A day later he was back! From what I remember, it seems he told me that he had rheumatic fever when young and that was sufficient to fail the induction physical. The next weekend, we had a welcome back party in the same place. -The two of us plus puppy Bortai (Mikes first dog) drove in my Land Rover up to the Mont-Tremblant National Park north of Montreal to go campingin January. We arrived at the entrance of the park just as the sun was setting and the park guard told us in a heavy French-Canadian accent, Camping? The park closes to all camping in October. We open again in June. Come back then. Oh well, who would have guessed? We spent the night in the cramped car in the parks parking lot, freezing, with Bortai keeping our feet warm. The next day we drove down to Mt. Washington in New Hampshire and found a firebreak road that led to a picnic area. Probing around, we discovered a picnic table under a few feet of snow, dug down, and camped under the table -- very cozy. I remember clearly that it got down to minus 13 that night. Snowshoeing the next day, Bortai was 50 feet ahead of us when he stopped dead, put his head down, and started a low growl, teeth bared. Bortai was not a dog that knew fear, but every hair on his back stood on end. He started backing up. I looked at Mike, Mike looked at me, and we both knew that whatever it was on the trail ahead was something to be cautious about. We inched forward and sawin the middle of the trail, someone had built a snowman, complete with carrot nose and hat. -A half dozen of us drove to Newfoundland sometime in the early 1970s. A glorious summer adventure up the west coast of the island to Gros Morne National Park. A magnificent trip interrupted when Bortai decided to play with a porcupine. I helped to hold down the dog down while Mike pulled quills from his nose and face with pliers. Mike rented a house with a few others in College Park, Maryland, and it quickly became the place to go at any hour to enjoy good company and sample some amazing cooking, especially on Friday nights. I spent quite a few nights there sleeping on the floor by the fireplace. That was about the time when he got a job working for a new outdoor camping supply store in Gaithersburg, Maryland, Hudson Bay Outfitters. The company had legal problems with the name (a threat of a suit from THE Hudson Bay Company), so it became Hudson Trail Outfitters. I remember many afternoons hanging around the store with Mike, advising customers and reassuring them that Bortai was a gentle pup and not to be feared. Im not sure when Mike moved to Orono. Maybe 1974 or 75? I visited him there a few times, including when he was living in an enormous wall tent, perhaps 12 feet square with a high ceiling, wood stove, floors covered with carpets, and plenty of book shelves. I think it was Orono where he opened Skittikuk Outfitters, selling his packs and other trail equipment. I moved to Hawaii in 1980 and, except for 5 years back in the D.C. area, spent 30 years there. Mike visited us a few times and we spent days hiking around the Big Island. I remember us climbing to the summit of Mauna Kea (13,803) and enjoyed the snow up there, then hiked down to Pohakuloa to stay with Fern and Renate Duvall and their kids, Kai and Anna. We were warned about brown recluse spiders and centipedes. I think that night was Mikes first centipede bite. You dont forget those! A few days later we hiked downslope from the Halemaumau Crater across the old lava beds to the coast. A long and very hot day that destroyed our boots, but amazing lunar scenery. On another visit (maybe 1989), Mike helped me to clear a path around our wooded lot on Oahu so I could put in a fence to keep out the feral pigs, dogs and cattle. I misjudged the trajectory of my machete swing and Mike was there to drive me to the ER in Kailua. A few stitches and we were back home cooking dinner. Seems that whenever we were together, food was involved. After we moved from Hawaii to Falls Church, Va., the three of us, Joan, daughter Anu and I, drove up to Maine to visit Mike at the Common Ground Fair. That was likely September 1993. A horribly wet weekend, and the fair was a sea of mud. But again, great food, including Moodys blueberry pies! A year or two later (1994 or 5), Mike, Ellie, and Anna came down to Falls Church to visit us. That was the last time I saw Mike, and its hard to believe that another two decades have passed. But we kept in touch by phone a few times each year and stayed close. There are so many more thoughts that will come to mind over the coming months and years. They will keep me smiling and keep Mike in my heart. I went through my old 35mm slide collection and, amazingly, found photos of most of the events Ive described. I sent them off to be digitized, so Ill be able to link photos to the stories in a few weeks. If any of you reading these remembrances know me, Id love to hear from you. Williamkramer1@gmail.com William R. Kramer Frederick, Maryland