Posted by Jim DeWitt on October 17, 2009 at 1:36 AM
Alaska - and especially Denali National Park - wolves lost a friend and champion when wildlife biologist Gordon Haber was killed in a plane crash in Denali National Park Thursday. Details are still sketchy, but the plane crashed and burned about seven miles downstream from the East Fork Bridge. The pilot survived the crash, walking about 20 miles for help, and is in Seattle for treatment of extensive burns.
Haber was certainly controversial. He never met a wolf he didn't like or a wolf trapper he didn't loath. He was passionate and uncompromising in his defense of wolves. His research was the basis for many challenges to State of Alaska wolf hunting policies. His [url=http://alaskawolves.org/Alaska%20Wolves.html]website[/html] has more information on Haber's wolf research. I'll post more information on the crash as it becomes available.
Sad times. No matter which side of the issue they fell on, lots of folks respected him. His work will continue to be cited for a long, long time I think.
Posted by Carl Donohue on October 17, 2009 at 4:27 PM
Hey Jim
Agreed, total bummer. Gordon was a great guy, and worked so hard for what he believed.
Did it happen on Thursday? I don't know what the weather was that day, but we were actually in the park on Wednesday afternoon. We were driving to Fairbanks, and just drove up to Savage River and did some glassing.
It was bright and sunny back up in the park, but there was an incredible wave of clouds pushing down from the north, oozing through the passes really fast. The wind was really howling in the pass. There were some unusual conditions that day(Wednesday). It was foggy all the way up to about Hurricane Gulch, and then it was crystal clear until we hit that wall of fog and clouds coming through the pass. In fact, we were in the fog right at the park entrance, and then driving into the park, we got out of it just up about the visitor center. As we came back out and headed north, it was solid fog, and really windy, going through the village and on towards Healy.
When we came back on Friday, it was still windy in the pass, and the clouds were back to their normal covering up of most of the mountains. From the south side, though, we could still that effect of clouds oozing through the passes south and west of the park entrance. Of course, it's almost always windy in that area...... it wasn't back when we were in the park in September, though. It was completely calm.
To echo others, a real bummer about Gordon Haber.
Posted by Carl Donohue on October 17, 2009 at 9:16 PM
I've hiked some of that country, and I have to say I'm a little awed by the walk the pilot managed. Injured too. Tough going when perfectly fit and well equipped. Reading the press accounts, Haber went the way he wanted to go, according to what he said in one interview.
Posted by Carl Donohue on October 18, 2009 at 2:42 PM
Hey Hank,
Yes, that's a long walk on a good day .. pretty impressive walk after having crashed a plane at 90mph.
Cheers
Carl
Posted by Jim DeWitt on October 20, 2009 at 12:43 PM
I was down in that canyon in 2008 photographing rocks for a geologist buddy to use in his class (there are some terrific milk quartz veins and deformed strata down there). That's a long, long walk in the dark, with nothing to think about but the crash, your dead friend and how bad you hurt.
Posted by Carl Donohue on October 20, 2009 at 3:25 PM
Hey Jim,
I believe he walked out the following morning, not in the dark .. arriving at Igloo as night fell.
That said - yeah, the geology down there is way cool - unfortunately I don't know enough about geology to really grasp much of it. One of my first backpacking trips in Denali involved heading up Tattler Ck to the back of Sable Mtn, down to the East Fork, over the back of Polychrome to the Toklat and up by the back of Mt Galen to Moose Ck. The area in the lower East Fork and Toklat Rivers is very cool.
I sent you a PM, if you didn't get it yet.
Cheers
Carl
Posted by Ron Niebrugge on October 21, 2009 at 9:50 PM
That is really sad news. I always looked forward to seeing his green pickup along the the Park road, usually late in the evening - I knew I could count on a fascinating discussion over the current conditions of the Denali wolf packs. He was certainly controversial but no one could question his enthusiasm and passion for wild wolves.
Posted by Tom Piwetz on October 22, 2009 at 11:52 PM
What a tragic loss. In 1973 I had the unique pleasure of working in Mt.McKinley Nat.Park(Denali now) as a seasonal ranger. At that time, probably the same now, everyone working there practically knew everyone else. I first met Gordy as he was just beginning to work on his phd. I will never forget how envious I was since he had just gotten all the big Nikon lenses from National Geographic.
He was a real character to be around and his love of Wolves even then was obvious. I have kept up with his work over the years. The wolves and we have lost a true friend.
Posted by Larry Fischer on November 14, 2009 at 11:55 AM
I did know Gordon.
I will only look at one of AK's forum memer's byline about "fanatic" and wonder.
It sounds like the deceased my have tended that way.
We ALL need to use our minds rather than our passions. Tough job. There is usually a middle ground.
Maybe there are wolves in heaven and Gordon will have achieved his dream???
Discussion
11 repliesHaber was certainly controversial. He never met a wolf he didn't like or a wolf trapper he didn't loath. He was passionate and uncompromising in his defense of wolves. His research was the basis for many challenges to State of Alaska wolf hunting policies. His [url=http://alaskawolves.org/Alaska%20Wolves.html]website[/html] has more information on Haber's wolf research. I'll post more information on the crash as it becomes available.
R.I.P. Gordon Haber, 1942-2009.
Agreed, total bummer. Gordon was a great guy, and worked so hard for what he believed.
Cheers
Carl
It was bright and sunny back up in the park, but there was an incredible wave of clouds pushing down from the north, oozing through the passes really fast. The wind was really howling in the pass. There were some unusual conditions that day(Wednesday). It was foggy all the way up to about Hurricane Gulch, and then it was crystal clear until we hit that wall of fog and clouds coming through the pass. In fact, we were in the fog right at the park entrance, and then driving into the park, we got out of it just up about the visitor center. As we came back out and headed north, it was solid fog, and really windy, going through the village and on towards Healy.
When we came back on Friday, it was still windy in the pass, and the clouds were back to their normal covering up of most of the mountains. From the south side, though, we could still that effect of clouds oozing through the passes south and west of the park entrance. Of course, it's almost always windy in that area...... it wasn't back when we were in the park in September, though. It was completely calm.
To echo others, a real bummer about Gordon Haber.
The crash happened on wednesday.
Cheers
Carl
Yes, that's a long walk on a good day .. pretty impressive walk after having crashed a plane at 90mph.
Cheers
Carl
I believe he walked out the following morning, not in the dark .. arriving at Igloo as night fell.
That said - yeah, the geology down there is way cool - unfortunately I don't know enough about geology to really grasp much of it. One of my first backpacking trips in Denali involved heading up Tattler Ck to the back of Sable Mtn, down to the East Fork, over the back of Polychrome to the Toklat and up by the back of Mt Galen to Moose Ck. The area in the lower East Fork and Toklat Rivers is very cool.
I sent you a PM, if you didn't get it yet.
Cheers
Carl
He was a real character to be around and his love of Wolves even then was obvious. I have kept up with his work over the years. The wolves and we have lost a true friend.
I will only look at one of AK's forum memer's byline about "fanatic" and wonder.
It sounds like the deceased my have tended that way.
We ALL need to use our minds rather than our passions. Tough job. There is usually a middle ground.
Maybe there are wolves in heaven and Gordon will have achieved his dream???
the fisch