Climber's Widow Reflects On Positive Memories After Fatal Trip

GREELEY, Colo. (CBS4)- The widow of a climber from Colorado who died while on his latest adventure said she'll never know if her husband had any fears before scaling a 23,000 foot peak in Argentina.

Eric Nourse died last month before making it to the peak although he did tell his wife, Kandee Nourse, that it would be a brutal climb.

Kandee said Eric had gone on several adventures and traveled to exotic places, including the Yucatan Peninsula and the Galapagos.

"Kayaking, rafting, skiing, motorcycles, hunting, he just got into archery hunting," said Kandee. "He always came back with an awesome story, awesome story."

Eric and his twin brother, along with Eric's best friend, were headed out for their annual adventure on Dec. 15 for a climbing trip in Argentina.

"They had their whole itinerary all laid out, what they were going to do, where they were going to go," said Kandee.

A week or so into the trip Eric and his friend began experiencing signs of extreme altitude sickness. The symptoms worsened and sometime while he was sleeping, Eric lost consciousness.

"They said that his eyes were rolling, he was gurgling and choking and they just couldn't resuscitate his heart," said Kandee.

Eric's friend also died on the trip.

Kandee holds onto all the memories of the time she and Eric had together through their 12-year marriage.

"I can't be happier to have the time with him that I've had," said Kandee.

She said although the ending to Eric's story may be tragic, her husband wouldn't have wanted any other ending.

"My faith tells me that this was meant to be and he would not have wanted it any other way. That's the hope I have, he was peaceful," said Kandee.