On August 24th, the 54-year-old Dirk Anderson got onto his performance KTM motorbike and took on the Bangs Canyon. This stretch of road is in the Tabeguache Trail, only a short distance from his home situated in Grand Junction. While riding his bike which he referred to as his scooter, Anderson hit a crack in the road. On impact, he flew off and fell nearly 80-foot to the bottom of the canyon wall. He survived the fall and was settling himself in the gravel, trying to activate Siri on his phone to call his brother. A call which Anderson never got to make, but his phone’s video recorder went on, and a video was recorded of his final moments on earth.
The Birth of Loki Outdoor Gear
It was 19 September 1999, when the 16-year-old Seth Anderson took on one of Colorado’s 14ers with his hero and older brother, the 25-year-old Dirk Anderson. The weather was constantly changing as the brothers prepared themselves for the hike. It was at that moment that the older Dirk told his brother that there has to be a better way. He wondered how it would be if people could be able to do more while having less.
That night upon return, the two brothers sewed their hat design. It was a hat which turned into a gaiter with one pull. It was the night when Loki Outdoor Gear was born, a course which would determine the rest of their lives. Over the years to follow Loki Outdoor Gear became a leading apparel producer. The brothers brought various innovations with their gear and delivered mittens which were storable in a jacket’s sleeve, technical jackets and gaiters. Dirk Anderson was the man who gave his bother purpose, life direction and was not only his brother and mentor but also his hero.
The Life of Dirk Anderson
Except for founding Loki Gear, Anderson was also the manager of the St. Mary’s Regional Medical Centre’s diagnostic department. Thirty years ago, he started there as an X-ray technician and worked himself into this position. He was a man known to have read the complete Encyclopaedia Britannica at the age of eight. According to his good friend, Dr Tony Bullard, he was one of those people who excelled at athletics and intelligence.
He was always surrounded by life and adventure, and when you went anywhere with Dirk, you knew you were excellent and would get out of any situation safely. With a bucket load of stories to tell. Anderson met Theresa when she was only 15 and married her when she turned 19; they would have been celebrating their 30th anniversary this year. The couple has two daughters, a granddaughter and a third grandchild coming soon. Dirk Anderson was more than the man integral in the brilliant innovations which Loki Gear brought the outside world. He was a man who lived with humility, passion and wisdom.
