I moved out to Boulder CO for graduate school in June of 2017. I had mentioned to Marco (who I met ice climbing in the Catskills) that I would be out there and looking to climb. It almost felt as he had followed me, because two days later Marco was at my door step and ready to climb the classics.

I have never climbed with someone as positive as Marco, I could have told him that we had another 8 miles on the approach and he would still have been jazzed to be climbing. We started in Eldorado Canyon and then moved to Lumpy Ridge when things got too hot in Boulder. Once Marco saw RMNP, he was hooked on going into the alpine. We then planned to do the Sharkstooth as a "warm-up" (despite it being extremely cold!) I remember Marco and I at the bivy where Marco was entranced by the beauty of this glacier we were sleeping on. Marco was always able to appreciate an area for the beauty more than anyone else I have ever climbed with. After alpine climbing with Marco, we made impromptu plans to climb at Cirque of the Towers in WY. We had an 8 hour drive to get there and then an 11 mile hike in with backpacks loaded for 4 days of climbing. Despite the literal slog up slushy snow, Marco was still happy to be there with me at 11,000 feet. I remember sitting in the tent with Marco (freezing our butts off) playing "Fact or Crap," a game that has obscure facts and you decide if they are true. Marco and I went through 3 cards before deciding to make our own up. I don't think I have ever laughed that hard before at the facts that Marco came up with. The rest of the summer was Marco and I saying "Fact or Crap" and proceeding to burst into laughter. 

I remember that at some point Marco had to take measurements of his inseam (and etc) for a wedding tux. In classic Marco fashion, he gave the measurements in nautical miles. I remember we proceeded to talk about distances for the rest of the summer in obscure units to make sure that we were being annoying as possible to each other. 

Marco started as a climbing partner, and became one of my best friends. His optimism, appreciation for his surroundings, and sense of humor made me cherish every moment we spent together, and got me to look forward to him coming back out to visit. Marco, thanks for coming out to Boulder last summer, it was a great decision for me.