Ranger Adam Kolff `died in the place he loved the most'

Adam Chauncey Kolff, a Seattle-based mountain ranger who believed in following his heart, "was a wonderful model of living life to its fullest and pursuing a passion," according to his father.

"He lived, worked, played and died in the place he loved the most - mountain wilderness," said Kees Kolff, a former Seattle physician who lives in Port Townsend.

He also had a reputation for helping others. He was a peer counselor in school and had been trained in mountain rescue.

Mr. Kolff died last Monday (June 19) with three other mountaineers in a plane crash near Mount McKinley in Alaska. He was 27.

Born in Seattle, he was well-liked at Garfield High School, where he graduated in 1991.

"Adam had a lot of friends, but he was different from many of the kids, always doing his own unique outside activities," said his sister, Adri Kolff, a medical student at the University of Washington.

"He loved to play the guitar and sing folk songs, especially in Spanish. He had a love of the outdoors and going hiking and camping."

Mr. Kolff had been a participant in Garfield's Natural Helpers program, in which students are trained to assist other students who come to them with problems.

"I admired him, and I hold a lot of people up to his standard," said his sister.

Mr. Kolff attended Whitman College in Walla Walla, then lived in South America.

He returned to the U.S. to study at the School for International Training in Vermont. He later worked in Peru for the Mountain Institute, a nonprofit group whose stated goal is "to advance mountain cultures and preserve mountain environments."

His sojourn in Peru culminated in his book, "Cordillera Huayhuash," named for a mountain range in the Andes.

Working with indigenous people to preserve the mountain range became the focus of his master's-degree thesis in geography, finished at the University of Colorado six weeks before his death.

His love of mountains took him not only to the Andes, but also to the Himalayas, the Rockies and the Alaska Range.

In 1994 he completed a monthlong, 150-mile traverse of Mount St. Elias in Alaska.

"He and his girlfriend, Alyssa (Martin), were going to settle in Alaska so that Adam could pursue there his passion for mountains and conservation," said his father.

Also surviving are his mother, Helen Kolff of Port Townsend, and grandparents, Pim Kolff of Newtown Square, Pa., Janke Kolff of Port Townsend, and Chauncey and Emily Hall of Salt Lake City.

A memorial gathering was held in Port Townsend. Another is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at the home of friends, 1305 E. Prospect St., Seattle.

Donations may go to the Adam Kolff Memorial Fund, c/o Pete and Helen Lauritzen, 325 33rd St., Port Townsend, WA 98368.

Carole Beers' e-mail address is cbeers@seattletimes.com