Obituary: Michael George Hurley, 63

Michael George Hurley, known as "Rock Pit Mike", passed away in the early morning hours on November 25, 2013. Mike was a quiet, solitary man who lived alone in "his" rock pit out the road for the past 20 years or so.

Mike was born on February 9, 1950 in Seattle, Wash., and grew up on a farm in Oregon with his sister and their adopted parents, Patrick and Kathryn Hurley. He joined the U.S. Navy when he was 18, serving in Vietnam as a Gunners Mate on a river boat and later trained as an Aviation Machinists Mate. After being honorably discharged in 1974, Mike became a welder and even had his own machine and welding shop. He moved to Alaska in the 1980s.

At first he worked odd jobs here and there. Unable to find steady work and low on funds, he set up camp out the road. Forest Service and law enforcement authorities were not sympathetic at first, forcing him to move every so often to a different location. After awhile they figured he was harmless and wasn't causing any trouble, so Mike was allowed to stay in the rock pit he called "home". He lived off the land, a little help from friends, and used his PFD check to buy what he needed to survive from year-to-year.

Mike did not like to be around a lot of people and tended to be guarded around others. If you dropped by his camp he would be friendly but restrained until he got to know you. However, once he had accepted you as a friend, you had better be prepared to stay awhile the next time you dropped by. Mike had many friends who would drop by to visit, bring food, or just to get him up to date on the news.

Mike was knowledgeable on many subjects. Maybe it was from an innate intelligence, or just having time to assimilate everything to which he was exposed. He could hold his own in any conversation, although it required some "rock pit logic" to follow him at times. Mike didn't talk about himself very often, but when he did he had some amazing stories to tell. He was an avid baseball fan. He loved music and knew how to play the piano. He read profusely. And if you had been invited into his "inner circle", you would have seen he was an amazing carver.

Mike learned he could draw Social Security at the age of 62 and he saw his Social Security check not so much as money for a better life, but rather as a means to do and see things he had been missing, and maybe even to spend the winter somewhere that didn't involve snow. Mike planned to save his money, buy a truck, and in spring of 2014 he was going to pack up camp and hop on the ferry headed south to see places he had never been. He saved his money and bought a truck in October. He was so excited and would use any excuse at all to drive to town. It was not to be.

For those who knew Rock Pit Mike, a drive out the road will never be the same.