SEATTLE — The Cox family has created a lasting legacy to honor and remember Ian Cox after the avid climber and mountaineer lost his life in 2022.
Cox went on a solo climb at Mount Degenhardt in the North Cascades but never returned. Two years later, his parents, Duncan and Marla, received word that his remains had been found.
“I get a call from the chief ranger and as soon as I saw the caller ID I had an idea as to what it was, so do I take the call or do I not?" Duncan said. "And I had to take it, so I took it. It’s really hard, it was this wound we hadn’t even healed, the scab was torn right off again.”
The Cox' said in a way it's been healing to find closure and get a better idea of what happened to Ian.
"It just opened up that wound and it just shows you that grief is not a normal process, it’s very difficult," Marla said. “But on the same token, it’s also been a catalyst for us in terms of trying to heal and has been very beneficial for our mental health to have some answers. I always had some hope that we would find out what happened, some hope that we would find him but it was a big shock when we got that call.”
It's been two years since Ian's death but in that time, friends and family have surrounded the Cox family with love and support. They've also resurrected an old challenge that Ian and his twin brother, Connor, had completed in 2018. The brothers created a challenge that took them over 26 miles through the streets of Seattle and along the way had to stop at the five Dick's Burgers locations and eat one item from the menu.
“Connor always says the shake is the wild card," Marla said.
Since the first Dick's-A-Thon back in 2022, they've raised thousands of dollars for search and rescue efforts in Washington. One of the organizations involved with Ian's search was Seattle Mountain Rescue.
“Through the Dicks-A-Thon funding, we were able to fund a professional rescue training company to come in and train our volunteers and we sent a number of our volunteers through that training," said Doug McCall, Seattle Mountain Rescue president.
In addition, the organization has also gotten crisis response dogs to help volunteers and families.
“Having a dog nearby puts humans in the part of the brain that us more communicative and collaborative so we can get creative in how we search and hopefully find more people that way," said Raquel Lackey, Seattle Mountain Rescue.
Now in its third year, the Dicks-A-Thon is on target to have about 500 participants, a major increase from the original hundred or so that participated in 2022.
“We’re still just blown away by the people that have come together to do this crazy thing," Duncan said.
There is still time to sign up and volunteer. The Dicks-A-Thon takes place Oct. 19.