On Saturday, July 22, 2023, Capt. Charles S. Smith (Tierra Linda Ranch 2002-2007, son of early TLR residents Capt. Billy and Kathryn Smith) was instantly killed in a fall while doing high elevation off-trail backpacking in the Maroon Bells - Snowmass Wilderness near Aspen, Colorado. Charles was doing what he loved, and in reading his climbing partner's account, the trip was perfect, right up until the last minute!

Charles was a graduate of the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York and Tulane University Law School, New Orleans, Louisiana. He had several careers -- ship's deck officer culminating in Captain (mainly sailing oil tankers in and out of Valdez, Alaska), attorney admitted to the State Bars of New York and New Jersey, commercial maritime operator, and director of post fixture operations for Andeavor Corporation, which transitioned directly to manager of demurrage for Marathon Petroleum Corporation. He was able to comfortably retire from active professional life in October 2020.

Charles lived a magnificent life, traveling extensively from an early age as part of his father's career in maritime transportation for Gulf Oil Corporation, and later during his own diverse careers. Spending four formative years in Naples, Italy, and traveling extensively throughout the Mediterranean and Western Europe sparked a keen sense for adventure from an early age. He had a gifted intelligence, was a voracious reader, and by his own description, was an idiot-savant with maps. As such, he was able to absorb and retain the most arcane facts about far-flung peoples and places. Also, he was a phenomenal natural athlete. All this enhanced his ability to plan, organize, and guide challenging and exciting wilderness adventures.

Charles' absolute passion was every aspect of alpinism -- getting up into the hills. In the 1980s, he moved to Bellingham, Washington just to take every course available from the American Alpine Institute. Shortly thereafter, he became a fixture in the local rock climbing, mountaineering, and paragliding community, and scaled, summited, or flew from most of the big walls and peaks in northwest Washington and southwest British Columbia. During this time, Charles traveled to New Zealand to further hone his alpine skills. Also around this time, Charles was ranked fourth in the North American paragliding championships, and professionally guided paragliding students while not sailing oil tankers. Charles, along with one of his climbing partners, dreamed up and did the first paragliding expedition of Mount St. Elias (18008'), the second highest mountain in both the United States and Canada. Even well into his fifties, Charles free-climbed and summited the Devils Tower in Wyoming (867' from base to summit, Yosemite Decimal System 5.7 - 5.13).

When not pushing his own limits, Charles enjoyed taking friends and relatives into the wilderness and exposing them to breathtaking natural scenery and extreme physical challenges. Some of his favorite expeditions to guide were McKittrick Canyon to McKittrick Ridge in the Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas and Lincoln National Forest, New Mexico (high desert off-trail backpacking), Santa Barbara Loop, New Mexico (high elevation backpacking between 8820' - 12060'), and Four Pass Loop in the Maroon Bells (high elevation backpacking between 9571' - 12454'), as well as Sloan Peak, Washington (7835', The Matterhorn of the Cascades) and Mount Shasta, California (14179').

Both in the kitchen and in the wilderness, Charles was a gourmet chef. His holiday presentations at Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving were gastronomic adventures. His mesquite grilled lamb, marinated in rosemary, olive oil, and red wine was an eagerly anticipated highlight of every Easter feast. His Salad Nicoise was a much-loved myriad of diverse, savory flavors. Charles' weekend favorite, extra-large mesquite grilled hamburgers with grilled poblano peppers and Swiss cheese, delighted the palates of many visitors to our home. In the wilderness, Charles usually treated his companions to filet mignon grilled over a wood fire, baked potatoes, grilled onions, and red wine. He was most definitely a gourmet of epic proportions.

Charles is survived by his brother, Dr. Robert Smith of Kerrville, Texas, and his longtime companion, Caitlin Mottai of Bethesda, Maryland, as well as numerous cousins and friends in the climbing, shipping, and legal communities.

We will have a Celebration of Life on October 28, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. at Trinity Baptist Church in Kerrville, Texas. For those who cannot attend, the service will be live-streamed, and the link will become available 1-3 days in advance. While flowers are always appreciated, donations in Charles' memory may be made to either Mountain Rescue Aspen or the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Alumni Association and Foundation, Inc.

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