Daniel Patrick Krmpotich, “Dan K”, was born on September 24, 1954, in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, died instantly on September 27, 2006 when his motor cycle struck an oncoming car that suddenly turned in front of him. The 20 year old male driver was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter.

Dan’s Memorial Service on Tuesday, October 3, 2006, was at a fitting location: the convergence of the Moyie and the Kootenai Rivers. At the shore, a table arranged with brightly colored floral bouquets held candles to be lit in memory of this father, mentor, and friend. Pictures of his beautiful, happy family, interspersed with his climbing ropes, harness and skis told of a deeply devoted father, who in partnership with his wife, Mare Dubovich, left a very large footprint on the sands of therapeutic adventure education.

A large gathering of diverse people who Dan and Mare had lovingly drawn into their lives gathered to place their collective arms around Dan’s children: Luka (21), Anya (17), and Micah (12). Shocked and grieving, this community celebrated Dan’s love and devotion to his family, his community and those he mentored. Later, we shared “Dan stories” that brought tears and the inevitable laughter at his joyful love of play, within which was couched important lessons.

Dan and Mare were an inspirational team widely recognized for their innovation and leadership in therapeutic wilderness education. Both were born and raised in northern Minnesota, and soon after they married accepted positions with CEDU in Running Springs, CA, in 1981. They felt it was an opportunity to share their love of the wilderness with others. The following year Dan and Mare were part of the “magnificent seven” who moved to north Idaho to broaden CEDU’s vision of “See and Do” by starting the Rocky Mountain Academy. Dan helped develop their experiential education by leading their wilderness expeditions.

His love of adventure and play was infectious; causing rebellious, alienated adolescents to enthusiastically attend to his expert instruction about safety and technical skills. His playfulness was balanced by tremendous determination. He held to his ideals and represented his ideas with fervor. When confronted, he wouldn’t back down, feeling that obstacles were something to overcome. Neither would he relent in his passion to share the wilderness with others. A key motivating force for him was using the wilderness to give kids a channel for their need for adventure and a way to vent their energy.

People described him as “a good man, passionate about his beliefs, creative in his ideas and relentless in the pursuit of his dreams.” Dan’s biggest dreams were for his children. This devotion became even more important when Mare succumbed to cancer in July of 2003. Now the torch has been passed once again. Those wishing to keep the light of hope alive can contribute at any Wells Fargo Bank to the Memorial Fund for the Children of Dan & Mare Krmpotich.