Oct 2nd, 1970 - A day of remembrance

[_kai_]

Bless all those who lost their lives and the friends and families who survived them.

I wanted to make you all aware that there is a Memorial Scholarship Fund at the Foundation that you can donate to. Go to https://foundation.wichita.edu/give and then the first option in the drop down menu at the bottom should be for the 1970 Football Memorial.

You can also call 316-978-5093.

Here is a great article from the Eagle about the crash http://www.kansas.com/sports/college...e37204563.html

[pogo]

Nice turnout for the service. Beautiful weather and a very nice ceremony. Nice to see old friends and re live some earlier times. After the crash we had a private memorial service at our Fraternity for lost brothers and their team mates. As I recall the weather was just as nice that day which was incongruent with the ceremony being held.

[SPEShockAlum]

I was very close to the site this past spring and wish I could've made the trek up the mountain. With the family in tow, particularly two youngsters, it wasn't going to happen. I pulled up Google maps and found the crash site using the satellite image. It appears satellite imagery picked up a person walking the site, but I can't be certain because the zoom function didn't go any farther.

[Husker4Shockers]

I'd just gotten to town to attend my first year of grad school; still remember being in the art annex under the old stadium when we got the news. A sad, sad day.

[BostonWu]

Not sure if this has been shared before but here is a great read with very detailed hiking instructions including pictures from an experienced Colorado hiker.

http://www.mountainouswords.com/mountain-air/wichita-state-plane-wreck-mount-bethel-dry-gulch/

Now that I'm living in Colorado this is by far #1 on my bucket list.

RIP to all of our lost brothers and sisters.

[WuShock16]

Timewise, how long does the hike take? I have an idea how long it would take to drive to the site from Denver but am curious how much time should be allowed for the hike (plus crash site time).

[_kai_]

[ShockTalk]

Would be nice to combine @Remember'70:'s thread with this one.

[Rocky Mountain Shock]

Timewise, how long does the hike take? I have an idea how long it would take to drive to the site from Denver but am curious how much time should be allowed for the hike (plus crash site time).

The hike is very, very steep, so it depends on your level of fitness. I think the average person not completely acclimated to high altitude could probably make it from the trailhead to the site in about an hour so. There is still a great deal of debris at the site, so there's plenty to look at. Plan to spend maybe another hour or so at the site and another 45 minutes getting down the trail.

[ShockTalk]

Timewise, how long does the hike take? I have an idea how long it would take to drive to the site from Denver but am curious how much time should be allowed for the hike (plus crash site time).

The hike is very, very steep, so it depends on your level of fitness. I think the average person not completely acclimated to high altitude could probably make it from the trailhead to the site in about an hour so. There is still a great deal of debris at the site, so there's plenty to look at. Plan to spend maybe another hour or so at the site and another 45 minutes getting down the trail.

Don't forget the memorial which is next to I-70, but not where you will park or start the hike.

[Aargh]

In the fall, I always went home and worked on the farm on weekends. I was driving tractor and listening to the radio on the tractor when I heard the news. I had A LOT of friends on those planes. I was friends of family of some of the players.

The field I was working in is still in the family. I could go to the exact spot I was at and point out the direction I was going when I heard the news.

We have a memorial for those who didn't survive. The ones who did survive, but were horribly disfigured in the resulting fire aren't remembered so much. A couple of my good friends lost everything but their lives. Loss of the use of hands and virtually total loss of the use of legs hit some of the survivors. The plane had just loaded up with fuel for the flight.

The incident occurred because the pilot wanted to give the players a good look at the scenery. Unfortunately, the pilot didn't check out the altitude he was trying to climb over and the climb rate of the plane. The pilot flew into a box canyon. The mountain at the end of the canyon was above what the plane could reach at its maximum climb rate from where it took off.

[kcshocker11]

RIP

[ShockerEngr]

The hike is very, very steep, so it depends on your level of fitness. I think the average person not completely acclimated to high altitude could probably make it from the trailhead to the site in about an hour so. There is still a great deal of debris at the site, so there's plenty to look at. Plan to spend maybe another hour or so at the site and another 45 minutes getting down the trail.

Seconded - it's not very long, but it is straight up the mountain on the path the bulldozer took - so it's a climb the whole way. Be sure to bring water and good shoes / boots. It's definitely worth it though - due to the location everything is well preserved and looks no more than a couple years old. Make sure to check the weather before going - certain times of the year storms like to roll through and it's not fun coming back down in sleet.

[kochHead]

Garry would be 52 years old now...anyone know Garry?