Saying goodbye to a Trad Ganger

[Crittergetter]

I don't really know how to go about this. I just want everyone one to know that we lost one of our members. Martin ( Marty ) Rinke known as akdd on here. Marty had a river rafting accident a few weeks ago. Marty lived one of the most amazing lives I've ever seen. He loved all things outdoors. From cross country skiing to river rafting. Especially hunting with his toelke whip! I had the pleasure of meeting Marty a few years ago when he came to Texas to join a Trad Gang hog hunt. Marty instantly hit it off with everyone with his colorful personality and his love for the outdoors. He really enjoyed meeting new people and "breaking bread" with them as he often referred to it.
For the next several years Marty came back to join several group hunts in Texas and Louisiana. He just loved the fellowship and the food !! Mostly the food I think!
Marty and I came to be pretty close. He would fly in to Dallas and drive to my place and we would always meet up for a cup of coffee before we headed wherever we was going.   It was always good to hear his deep booming voice!  I will miss the long drives back and forth to Louisiana or wherever we was headed where we would talk the entire way. I'll miss trying to keep up with him when walking through the woods! His long legs carried him effortlessly for miles and miles like it was just a walk in the park. I heard him say on many occasions of how he was "just out for a walk"!! He had a carefree air about him that allowed him to just enjoy the hunt with no care of the outcome! He was with friends and that's all he cared about!
I never had the chance to go to alaska and hunt with him. I had planed to taking my wife up there next June to bear hunt with Marty but I recon God had other plans.
I will miss my friend Marty. I will miss the walks and the talks . I will miss his chuckle and his smile.
Till we meet again......https://photos.app.goo.gl/0LJmhqcxPXpWc6R53

[McDave]

I didn't know Marty, but I looked up a few of his posts and it seems he lived a life in Alaska that many of us would be envious of.  He seems to have been a true brother of the bow, and will be missed.  Some years ago, another brother of the bow, Jim Brackenbury, also died in a river rafting accident.  Rivers can be treacherous.  Be careful out there!

Rest In Peace, our brother!

[CRM_95]

Sounds like a great guy that lived life to the fullest. Sad to see him go.

[South MS Bowhunter]

Sorry for the lost of a true friendship.  I to went back and re-read some of Marty's post (to bad PB messed up all of the pic's).  He seemed to be a contented man.

[vintage-bears]

My heartfelt condolences, I know how you feel..
Rest In Peace Marty

[Buckeye1977]

The loss of a true friend is very hard to take, especially one that enjoyed the exact things you did. Not very often you meet people like that. Prayers to you and his family

[nineworlds9]

"He was with friends and that's all he cared about!"  

Sounds like this man had it figured out for the most part.  Sounds like he lived well.  RIP.

Prayers up for all of Marty's family and friends!

Bisch

[Hackbow]

Randy shared many of my thoughts about Marty. I am blessed to have been able to call him my friend. I am going to attach a link to a local TV news story about his death. In it, you get a glimpse of the kind of man he was.

 http://www.ktva.com/family-remembers-matanuska-river-boating-accident-victim-avid-outdoorsman-439/  

Marty was so proud of helping his grandson get his first moose, and if he showed me that picture once, I saw it ten times. He also talked a lot about how he and his family all pitched in to catch and process the salmon they would eat throughout the year. He loved his family mightily and spoke about his wife with admiration.

I will miss his stories around the campfire. I wish you all could have seen him share about the grizzly on a deer hunt. Marty just dealt with it like any other circumstance and made it through by keeping a cool head. He was unshakeable.

I could go on and on. In the few short years I knew him, he had a big impact on me as well as the others who shared our hog hunting camps in TX and LA. He was generous, strong, humble, funny, grateful for everything and saw the best in everyone.


Here is Crittergetter, Jon Kaw and akdd(Marty)
 


Crawfish boil after a hunt with TGer's Kevin Bilotti, Randy Madden, Michael Arnette, Marty Rinke
 

You will be missed Marty.

Darren

[Hackbow]

Here is the picture of Marty from Randy's link above.

[Sam McMichael]

It is always sad to lose a fellow sportsman. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.

[kennym]

Sounds like you were blessed to know him, so sorry. Prayers for Marty, family , and friends....

[Tradcat]

Deepest sympathies to family & friends

[ron w]

Sad to hear........  

[johnm856]

I got the call from his wife only minutes before I was going to open my email and see the story in the Anchorage newspaper. Still am overwhelmed with disbelief.

I met Marty via this site when he posted about his Kodiak Island deer hunts. It was a couple years before I could take him up on his invitation to go along, but my family and I were welcomed into his and his wife's home a couple of times on our visits to Alaska.  We were to stay with them for a while again in a couple weeks.

I made the Kodiak Island hunt with him in November of 2015. It was the greatest hunt I have ever been on. Everything written about him is true. All that mattered was that we were out hunting. He wouldn't even consider filling one of his tags until mine were filled. Following him around on those mountains was the hardest work I have ever done and he never even breathed hard or broke a sweat. I enjoyed every moment and would have loved to make a return trip with him to that incredible place. Even the crawling down the cliffs to reach the boat before dark...

We will visit his wife for awhile when we are there, and Marty's absence will be heavy. My daughters took to he and Gaila and will miss the glacier hikes and especially the horses.

Thank you, Randy for posting the news. I tried to a couple times but stopped. You put it in words so much better than I would have. Same thanks to Hackbow; very well said.

Go rest high Marty, and thank you for your generosity,  the invitations, the stories, for sharing advice, and for being a friend.

https://content-na.drive.amazonaws.com/cdproxy/templink/rrPjWlb5sdD-9OKjwec29MsigD2lxofJqr2p9revpKseJxFPc?download=true
 

[Jwilliam]

Very sorry to hear of the loss of your friend !!!

[Hackbow]

johnm856's picture - thanks for sharing the pic and your memories/experiences. Please give Marty's wife our love and condolences when you see her.

[varmint101]

Prayers for your loss!

[pdk25]

I only met him once, on a hog hunt in LA.  A tall guy that seemed soft spoken and could really cover some ground.  A very nice guy to share camp with, and I am sure that he will be sorely missed.  My condolences to his friends and family.

[Steve Jr]

Sad to hear, rest in peace Marty. Prayers of comfort for friends and family.      

Steve Jr