In loving memory of Bob Gross and Cornelia Remy

 Bob Gross

Bob Gross -- inveterate hiker, hike leader, trail builder, and long-time IATC member, also a sailor and all-around nice guy -- passed away on November 17th at age 96. 
 
Bob loved to hike, and to lead hikes, and was generally available to fill any vacancies in the hike schedule. He was leading hikes until he could no longer keep up with his charges, but even then continued to build and maintain trails, including one from behind his condo up to AA Falls. For a while he and John Johnson also did much of the maintenance (and a reroute) on the Little Si trail, and, with Jackie Hughes, rebuilt much of the Cedar Butte trail. Along with John he also did some trail work beyond the Issaquah Alps on Kachess Ridge. 

Bob typified the energy and spirit of the core doers and shakers that envisioned and created an amazing trail and park system consisting of thousands of acres of private, city, state and federal lands entitled the Issaquah Alps. 

 John Johnson has provided additional information about the life and times of Bob Gross. Email davidkappler@hotmail.com if you would like him to send you more about Bob’s life in and beyond the Issaquah Alps. 

Cornelia Remy

We are also saddened to note the passing of another hard working, wonderful to work with leader and doer that helped to create the amazing collection of trails, parks, open spaces which we still continue to call with a mostly straight face the “Issaquah Alps.” 

Cornelia Remy served several years as our very careful and thorough treasurer, but her main interest was in the planning, building and maintaining trail systems in and beyond the Issaquah Alps.  She was the second person in the history of the Washington Trails Association to be given their award for serving 500 days on a WTA trail crew.  And she certainly did not stop at 500  and worked on Issaquah Alps trail work parties as well. 

My best memory of working with Cornelia was on the initial scouting of what became the Margaret’s Way trail on western Squak.  At the time the county acquired the 220 acres the trail now traverses staffing for county trail crews was pretty minimal.  A small crew was given little time to flag a trail from the parking lot to Debbie’s View.  I had spent months working on getting the county to purchase the land and years working with Margaret who had tragically died of a rare form of cancer.  The land and Margaret deserved a much more carefully planned trail.  With literally days spent on the land several of us along with Cornelia came up with a route close to the present routing.  We brought out the trail planning lead for WTA and with minimal modifications he agreed that the grade, topography, actual trail building and long term maintenance on the route we had proposed was the best.  On your next hike over Margaret’s Way think of both Margaret and Cornelia and their “WAYS” in the making of what the Issaquah Alps is today. 

If you are interested in attending a celebration of life for Cornelia, to be held at a later date, please send an email with your name to: Denice Carnahan at denicecar@yahoo.com.