Of all the beautiful places he visited around the world, one of Stewart Green's favorite places was the porch of his Colorado Springs home. He called it his "outdoor office." A prolific author, photographer, rock climber and historian of his native city and of the sport he pioneered, Green would sit there at the porch typing out his next project.
He'd glance up now and then at Pikes Peak through the greenery of maple trees, pausing to appreciate the chorus of bugs and birds in the morning, the rising sun illuminating the dew. "It's a good morning," he said there on the porch as the sun rose on the last day of May. Days later, Green would die suddenly of a suspected heart attack.
He was 71. "If I knew he was gonna go this quick, I would've asked him another 1,000 questions," said Green's son, Ian, who knew his dad as an overflowing fountain of knowledge. "It's a severe loss for our family, for friends, the outdoor industry, the travel industry and the literature world.
" Green's Facebook page had been something of a repository over the years; he would post his pictures and eloquent words on nature and fellow climbers of a golden age, along with reflections on his beloved Colorado Springs of past and present. Following Green's death late Thursday, the Facebook page became an outpouring of remembrance. "A great friend, photographer, climbing icon, Springs icon and just plain wonderful soul," read one post.
"A mentor, teacher and father figure," read another. And another: "Thank y.