Mike & Dot Hall remembered - Joe Flynn
By Joe Flynn
Mike Hall joined the KMC in 1999. Together with his wife he climbed, skied, ran and was a strong long distance walker. As they were both professional musicians with the Halle and other orchestras, getting away at weekends was difficult.
It was after a Halle performance in Normandy at the beginning of June that Mike decided to have a few days leave and go to the Pyrenees with Dot to do some walking. They stayed in Luz St Sauveur, which is in the valley near the famous Cirque de Gavarnie. Alan (L/P) Jones told me that this is a spectacular area, with ski resorts, climbing and long distance paths including sections of the Haute Route Pyrenees. He also told me that like the Dolomites it has a lot of loose rock and large terraces strewn with limestone boulders and debris. It was possibly from one of these terraces or shelves as the press described them that the record snows of last winter avalanched. Mike and Dot had two children, Clare (28) and Christopher (25). They were a strong and loving family. Chris has been out climbing with the KMC on occasions and often climbed with me and his Dad. On occasion he even outshone the two of us.
Mike and Dot loved the mountains and most holidays in the time I have known them were spent in the Alps. Usually skiing or walking. They had walking holidays in France and Switzerland. In the summer of 2003 they completed the Haute Route from Zermatt to Chamonix and then followed it the next year with another long distance route south of this. Their attention then turned to the Dolomites. I think they were inspired by Chris Thickett's thrilling accounts of the Via Ferrata. In 2005 Mike and myself spent a fabulous week following Chris's trail of route around Cortina. Dot joined him for the second week and they walked and did some more of the Via Ferrata.
Mike climbed mainly in the peak as he usually only had one day off at the weekend. One of the first routes I did with him was Inverted V at Stanage. He had done very little climbing at that stage and asked how to do the crack. I told him to use a left hand jam.
"I can't do that, it is my fingering hand". So helpfully I said use your right hand.
"That's worse. It is my bowing hand". I told him to sort it out himself.
When he finished the route I asked the name of his band and he told me he was leader of the second violins with the Halle. He never did learn to love hand jams!
We did occasionally get to the Lakes and Wales. On a weekend in 2000 Dot offered to drive Mike, Chris and myself to Wales so we could climb on Clogwyn Du'r Arddu. We went up the Snowdon Ranger to the top of Cloggy geared up and scrambled to the foot of the Crag. Our goal was Great slab/Bowshaped. All went well until the traverse linking the two routes. Following discussion and several tentative forays by myself and Chris, Mike took the lead and sailed across. This was one of his boldest and hardest leads at that time. It was a good 4c but in a very bold position. Twelve hours after leaving Dot at the car we arrived back to a great smiling welcome and not a word about being deserted or abandoned. I think it was Mike's only route on Cloggy. In 2003 Mike was the first person to win both the Concordia cup and the Sheila Manning cup in the KMC fell race. Beginners luck he said, but we got to know he was fit as a fiddle! Mike and Dot's funeral was on Friday 20th June at St. Catherine's Church, Didsbury. I represented the club. The KMC sent a card and made a donation to CAFOD in lieu of flowers as suggested by the family.
At the service Chris spoke eloquently and very movingly about of his Mum and Dad. His message like those of friends reported in the press was that Mike and Dot were inseparable from the time they met aged 18 to the end. He described his dad as "Happy Mike", all who knew him would have to agree.
