[KarenP]

As you can all imagine, the past few days have been extremely difficult for those who knew and loved Karen. I am devastated by the loss of a friend, hiking partner, fellow photographer and terrific writer. It is still hard to believe she is gone and that I won't be hiking with her next week. Just so you all know, a public memorial service is being planned and details will be posted once known. Also, more information about the circumstances of Karen's passing will become known once official reports are released. Please refrain from speculation until then. If you want to do something now in Karen's honor, please make a contribution to Search and Rescue in her name. Thank you.

[DestinationUp]

I was in the Teanaway this weekend, and this was the main topic of trail conversation. A couple I met this morning shared the news. We talked a bit, and then said, "What would Karen have us do?" And we both said, "Hike on." May her memory be eternal.

[silly_traveler]

I've used her Seattle PI articles while researching trails and trips, and glad to have had the privilege of hiking with her once back in 2008. My heart hurts and my most sincere condolences to her family and friends. RIP, Karen, and thank you.

[JimK]

This is really hard to stomach. I met Harvey Manning once. I met Ira Spring once. I knew Karen. I was not one of her close friends. I was one of her very many on the trail and of the trail friends. Here are a few of my thoughts. When I began hiking regularly in the 1980s there was no Internet. New hikers picked up the 100 Hikes books for trail info. Many joined the Mountaineers to learn and to make hiking friends. We were a pretty solitary lot. Signpost and later Pack and Paddle magazines were the main ways to find out "current" information. Current might mean a month between submission and printing. I used to contribute trip reports. Karen was one of a handful of prolific trip reporters. I new of her long before I met her. I first saw her at a presentation she gave on the "West Side Trail" at the Mountaineers clubhouse. A chance to hear her passion for hiking and put a face to the name. After I took the Mountaineers scrambling class in 1992 I began to do a lot of scrambles. I quickly found a handful of leaders whose trips I most enjoyed. Karen was at the top of the list. It did not take long to get to know her. She had a great sense of humor, a wealth of hiking knowledge, and we shared a real passion for hiking. If I had not seen her in months we picked right up in conversation on the next trip. As a trip leader she was always in charge but never so "by the book" as to take the fun out of a trip. I know I was one of a very large group of people who considered themselves her friends even without constant get togethers. With the advent of the Internet I found new folks to hike with and did less Mountaineer trips. We were on just a few trips the last half dozen years. At a hiking social or on several chance meetings on the trail we always stopped to talk. Her archived columns and books will live on. I will miss not seeing her again. I will miss not reading her stories. The stories she put her life into. As I said, I am not one of her close friends. I wish them well as they grieve. Even so, I will feel her absence so much. Here are a few photos:

Chance Meeting On The Trail

Karen With Mosstache

Spring Scrambling

Standup Ridge Of Earl Peak

Near Johnson Mt. Summit

[dmcbride]

So sorry for the loss of such a vibrant member of the hiking community. May she rest in peace.

[Jason Hummel]

I was up at Mt. Rainier for a few days enjoying its quiet, captivating aurora and I was thinking about Karen, wishing...hoping for the best. Now I hear that wasn't to be. I never knew her, like many, but I did read her reports and occasionally cross paths when it came to photography, trip reports on nwhikers, etc. While the measure of a persons life isn't tangible, I find that it is by the outpouring of support here, from those that were moved by her. May she rest in peace.

[Bloated Chipmunk]

Yikes. I just turned the computer on after a few days away so hadn't heard about her being missing. The first thing I saw was the Yahoo! headline & saw the photo of Mt. Rainier, then saw Karen's name attached to it & instantly recognized it from her posts here on nwhikers & from my copy of her Hidden Hikes book. Very sad news. While I didn't know her personally, I'd read some of her posts & had found her book very useful since I tend to gravitate toward lesser-known/obscure hikes. My thoughts go out to her friends & family during this difficult time. She will be greatly missed by many in the hiking community.

[BirdDog]

My deepest condolences to Karen's daughter, friends, and to all who knew her. Rest very peacefully Karen.

[grannyhiker]

I only knew of Karen from her posts here (down here in Oregon we don't see much Seattle media). She will be missed! May she rest in peace, and may God comfort her grieving family and friends.

[Stymee]

First of all, condolences to all the wonderful acquaintances , friends and family members of Karen. I don't come around here too often anymore, but when I heard Karen Sykes had died, I just had to stop by and offer up my RiP.. She will be missed dearly, I can't even count how many hikes Karen encouraged me to go on. Heck, one of the main reasons I bought the newspaper was for her column. My last personal email with her was way back in April 2012... Coincidentally, we were trading private emails on how to remain safe on solo/edgy hikes. These are the last words she ever wrote to me ". My rules: never park at the end of a logging road for a hike if hiking solo - there are often "blue tarp" people that camp at the end of logging roads. They may just be homeless but you never know. I don't hike where there is mining going on or where there are a lot of ATVs unless I'm with friends. I don't think ATV/motorcycle people are thugs but the noise they make makes me edgy. Last but not least: trust your intuition - you have nothing to lose. My guy and I often hike in edgy areas (looking for historical artifacts) and he will carry a gun when we do. Better to be a little thin-skinned with a healthy startle response (I am but it's kept me alive so far!) than dead. Karen"

[Rainie Too!]

So very sad, but I will feel her presence on every trail she walked and in every view she captured.

[Tom_Sjolseth]

Very sad news. Condolences to Karen's family and many friends.

[Foist]

This is incredibly sad. I thought of her a lot when I did one of my favorite hikes today. I had read many of her newspaper columns and online posts. She seemed like a terrific and sensible lady with a wonderful spirit. My condolences to her family and to all the people she hiked with and inspired.

[bobk3]

Seattle Times: Karen Sykes, RIP

[gb]

I'm having more trouble wrapping my head around this than with most accidents partly because Karen died as a hiker, not in a sport where risks are generally higher. But more than that as she was closer to my age it reminds me of my own mortality. Her family and friends can take some solace in knowing she lived her life the way she wanted to and died doing what she loved. Condolences to her family and friends, may she rest in peace.