Shannon was an OG badass.  His kind and friendly nature just added to his larger than life persona.  

We first met at Sand Rock, AL  -  I'm guessing it was 1982???   And,  I could not believe the bold runouts he was doing on sharp-as-glass sandstone!  I was fairly certain it was an unclimbed route;  I was also fairly certain he was going to die!  

But he took such joy out of the adventure!  Then and there,   I was determined to be more like him.  

My condolences to all.  Much love to you brother.  RIP.

You were a mentor and a friend.  You will be missed. Thank you for all the memories and all the opportunities.  I owe so much to you. RIP.

"Prepare to be initiated!"

Rock Climbing was the catalyst for knowing Shannon and yet, we never went climbing together. When I started climbing in 1993, "Stegg" was a name I heard mentioned in tales of larger than life, badass climbing epics. I couldn't imagine climbing with someone at his level. The first time I met Shannon was at T-Wall three or four months after I started climbing. I was there with a group from the Sporting Club at Wendy Hill, and waiting for my chance to jump on a rope. Shannon was there with someone else but he offered me a belay on In Pursuit of Excellence and I jumped on it.  This was my second time on real rock, probably my second time on a trad route and would be my first time to clean a route.  Shannon told me how to clean it and said not to worry if I couldn't, he could always go back up and clean it himself . The gear was perfectly placed so I had no problem cleaning it. When I got down, as I took the gear off my harness and gave it to him, I introduced myself. Imagine my surprise that one of the icons of Southeastern climbing had so graciously given me a belay. I'm sure I went all fangirl on him, telling him that I'd heard his name and what a badass he was, but he just smiled and said "Yeah I've been climbing a while." He was incredibly humble. Over the next 15 or 20 years, we would give each other belays when we were at the same crags or have a beer and talk at SCC events. Having Shannon take down a tree gave me an opportunity to know Shannon better, and our friendship grew from shared interests. We had long deep conversations about our daughters, the environment, politics, friendships, climbing, siblings and the realities of aging.  Shannon was a good friend with a good heart, who didn't pull punches, generous with his time and attention, gave sometimes pretty good advice, willing to help anyone, conscientious and caring.  He made me laugh and he laughed with me. The world seems a little less bright without Shannon. Like all of you, I will miss him.

I'm sorry to hear about the loss of Shannon and send prayers to his family and loved ones.I have such wonderful memories of growing up in Kingsley and was amazed at Shannon's incredible diving skills, how many times he would bounce on the high dive and then soarhigh into the air.

So sorry to hear about Shannon.. we climbed together with a group of friends in Alabama in the 80's .. back when life was full of adventure and thrills. 

So sorry for your loss. I cared a lot for Shannon.

My condolences to Shannon's family. Shannon and I knew each other for 20+ years through rock climbing. I have lots of great memories of climbing together. I wish I had some pictures to go with the memories, but neither of us was of the picture taking type at that time. Shannon loved climbing first ascents, preferably on tall mountains. When we went places together and everybody else was climbing existing routes, Shannon would find an obscure, dirty corner to climb because he preferred his own path. I'm pretty sure that was a metaphor for his life. When he got into a big argument with NC folks about first ascents at Laurel Knob, I was sure Shannon would eventually win because he would be the only one that would go and work on the routes weekend after weekend. Of course, that is exactly what happened. Things may have changed later, but, while I was involved, Shannon was putting 10x more work into Laurel Knob routes than anybody else.Shannon's second home must have been the climbing crags of North Carolina. When we took trips there, he had stories about every rock face we passed. Mostly stories about success and failures of trespassing on private property to climb! He was generous with his time and willing to take others along. I know he was secretly hoping that we'd come back so he'd have somebody to climb crazy stuff with, but he never complained when I had family, work and other things that took me away from multi-day climbing trips.One memorable trip, a friend and I wanted Shannon to show us the infamous North Face of Whitesides Mountain where he had put up first ascents years previously. This trip, he had a badly sprained ankle, but he make the long hike anyway. When we couldn't muster up the courage to lead up the extremely sketchy, tall and completely unprotected start of his route,  Shannon, took the lead, bum ankle and all. High up, he took a big fall and hit a ledge. He lowered down to the ground and told me I had to finish the route. The bottom of the route seemed way easier on toprope, but leading the section where Shannon took that long fall was a very spicy experience. One the long hike out, I stepped into a bees nest and got stung multiple times. Fun times!The next day, we went to Laurel Knob where Shannon, due to his now doubly mangled ankle, made us lead up his newest route, set in the style he preferred... long, scary runouts on slabby granite! I'm not sure if baking in the blazing sun at the belay or being terrified while leading was worse, but we love it all anyway. Of course, Shannon made everything look easy even with huge, swollen ankle. Thank you Shannon for sharing that time with me.I moved out to California about 12 years ago and we did not keep in touch. People should know that not every climber I've met is as friendly and generous as Shannon and that makes him special to me. It is great to see in these pictures that, since I moved, Shannon has been enjoying time with the family and friends. 

The successful summit team after ascending Defective Sonar: Arno, Ralph, and Shannon

Shannon is at the Misty Mountains where the spirits go now (Led Zeppelin).  He was a kind and strong person with a beautiful soul.  He will be missed by many but not forgotten.  

My prayers go out to Shannon’s family and friends. Shannon was the first friend I made when we moved to Dunwoody in April of 1972. He said “Hi my name is Shannon. Glad to meet you, now I’m not the smallest guy in class any more. “ That was it, mates all through High School. We drifted apart after graduation, life goes on. I will sure miss my longtime friend. RIP Shannon, until we meet again. 

I was deeply saddened by the news of Shannon's passing. My heartfelt condolences to the family. I hope that you can find strength and comfort in the love of your family. May his love live on in your memories and bring you peace.

I have so many memories of Shannon from when I climbed with him in the late 1970s. Shannon, Gary Bourgeois and I climbed all over the southeast. We had such great times growing up in Kingsley.

The world was a better place with Shannon.

With Deepest Sympathies,

Mark