Kelly Tjaden could be -- in a word -- hilarious.
We had many a belly laugh from our free-wheeling repartee as we huddled around the council
fire at the Owl Farm. He was funny, and his incisive wit took him places very few
dare to venture. We would also role-play, and he could assume characters easily, like his French boss,
Waldo (pronounced Vahl-do), on the zip line construction caper.
As Kelly was stationed in Germany in the Army, and I studied German in college, two of our favorite
characters can only be described as whiny, high-pitched Germans -- Nazi stereotypes from “The Eiger Sanction,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Kelly’s Heroes."
We assumed other roles on occasion, such as “Blackie” and “Brownie,” two down-on-their-luck bookies from “Where The Buffalo Roam” featuring Bill Murray as Hunter S. Thompson, and Martian Princess Marcuzon (Marilyn Hanold, a 1959 Playmate of the Month) and her right-hand man Dr. Nadir, who
travel to earth to kidnap women for new breeding stock, from “Frankenstein Meets The Space Monster.” Why? Warum nicht?
Born
on November 22, 1952, Keldon Jon Tjaden, who came to be known as "Kelly," grew up in Dickinson, a town in the
western part of the North Dakota that's about as close to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan as
it is to Billings, Montana.
A late surprise to a family of four, Kelly joined
three older sisters and a brother. His father managed the parts department of
the local Chevrolet and Cadillac dealership.
As a
youth, he won a reading contest at school and it developed into a lifestyle,
becoming an avid reader and excellent writer along the way. In high school, he was a state champion in archery and he continued hunting into his later years. As soon as he could leave Dickinson, he did -- joining the U.S. Army
and serving in Germany.
Upon
his return to the U.S., he moved to the State of Washington, enrolling in
Central Washington University in Ellensburg and exploring the North Cascades
for the first time. A year later, Kelly transferred to Western Washington
University and enrolled in the Huxley College of the Environment, the oldest
environmental college in the U.S.
Named
after Thomas Henry Huxley, an English biologist, the school focuses on environmental-related industries including
habitat biology, renewable energy, toxic waste mitigation, environmental
education and more. Huxley, a contemporary of Charles Darwin, was the grandfather of Aldous Huxley, who
penned “Brave New World.”
As
Kelly sought his degree in environmental studies and urban planning, he labored for the U.S. Forest Service and in the burgeoning industry of kayaking to
support his educational pursuits. Once we parted ways, he to Bellingham and
Seattle, and me to Eugene, we saw each other more infrequently, but regularly,
through the 90s.
The
most remarkable aspect of Kelly’s personality was his enthusiasm and zeal for
all things outdoors. Ancient dinosaurs had nothing on Kelly; this fellow
stomped on the terra. His energy was magic. We shared many
memorable trips in the wilds and on the water, as he did with many other
friends. He always took it to the limit.
Whether ski mountaineering, Nordic marathon skate skiing, distance cycling,
ocean kayaking, mountain and rock climbing, backpacking, floating and paddling
wild rivers or sailing the ocean blue, outdoor adventure was his focus,
providing him with meaning and spirit and accomplishment, and he attracted many
like-minded friends.
In
1989, he kayaked the Bering Strait with a team of adventurers from the U.S.,
Great Britain and the Soviet Union, a goodwill expedition hatched in a time of
“glastnost” that almost ended in disaster. His description of surviving high
seas and inclement weather was nothing short of harrowing, nay death-defying.
His
professional career was as varied as his outdoor pursuits: wilderness ranger,
kayak designer and entrepreneur, backcountry and sea kayak expedition leader,
ship painter, maintenance foreman, and project manager on a fire station, zip
line installations and a variety of environmental mitigation efforts.
His
legacy, however, will be his many friends, all unique solar systems in a galaxy
of companions, in Washington, Alaska and other locales throughout the West, and
indeed, the world. Loved by many, they will all remember his incendiary energy,
engaging personality, wild spirit, keen intelligence and loving kindness.
