Michael Purdy was an adventurer, musician

LANSING – Michael Purdy traversed deserts and tundras, scaled mountains and cliffs, documenting his travels with his camera.

In April, the Lansing native named a mountain top “Purdy Peak” after discovering there were no documented reports of it having been climbed before. It lies in the northern part of the Healy Mountain Range in Alaska, according to a post on his Instagram account.

“He’s done more in his 24 years than some people do in a lifetime,” said his mother, Sally Purdy, of Lansing. “We taught them not to fear having fun. Adventure has always been in my children’s veins.”

While climbing unassisted up a steep slope in Denali National Park in Alaska on April 26, Michael Purdy slipped and fell. He died from a head injury. Authorities discovered him on May 1 after Denali ATV reported that he did not come into work.

“He died doing what he wanted to do,” Sally Purdy said.

Michael Purdy is survived by his parents Jeff and Sally; brothers Gabriel and Simon; and sister Monica.

The family traveled to Alaska for a private service on May 4. He will be cremated and the family will spread some of his ashes in Denali National Park. The family plans to send some of his pictures to National Geographic in the hopes it inspires people to explore the wilderness.

A memorial service is set for 5 p.m., May 21 at the auditorium of Waverly High School, his alma mater.

“We always took the children to the edge of cliffs and the tops of towers, to walk streams and caves,” Sally Purdy said.

When he was 10, he dug a large hole in the backyard of the family's Watertown Township home with his cousin. It later became a brush pile. After graduating from high school, he and some friends were experimenting with makeshift Molotov cocktails in the backyard. The brush pile caught fire at 3 a.m., hours after they were done.

"He was running back and forth with a bucket of water," Jeff Purdy said with a laugh. "We were going to light that brush pile anyway, just not at 3 o'clock in the morning."

Michael Purdy attended Waverly High School from 2006 to 2010 where he was captain of the lacrosse team and a member the tennis team, National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society. He graduated as a valedictorian of his class.

“He was a leader in our school,” said Daniel Carr, who had Michael Purdy in his Spanish class at Waverly for three years. “He was very expressive and artistic.”

During a World Language Night celebration at the school, Carr said Michael Purdy performed a well-remembered skit as Indiana Jones.

“He basically turned into a real life Indiana Jones (after high school) based on all his adventures,” Carr said.

After graduation, Michael Purdy attended Illinois Institute of Technology on full-ride scholarship, earning a degree in scientific journalism and entrepreneurial studies. He then moved to Portland, Oregon with his girlfriend Nicole Valio to study massage therapy. Over the summers, he worked at Denali ATV, giving tours of the national park near Healy, Alaska.

Purdy was also a musician and poet, recording numerous tracks on Soundcloud.

David Richter, one of Purdy's close friends, listened to those songs on repeat after his death.

“When I heard the news I felt the loss,” Richter said. “He’s someone I thought I’d grow old with and go on camp outs with. Mike is an inspiration to live life to the fullest.”

Richter’s favorite memory of his friend is when they camped at Pictured Rocks in the summer of 2010.

“We climbed up a cliff and jumped 60 feet down into the lake,” he said. “Mike was the first one to rifle off and jump into the air.”

His aunt, Peggy Cole, of Chelsea, said he lived with the philosophy that it was important to take U-turns and take time to explore.

“Mike was on a journey and he became a teacher to many of his followers (on social media),” she said.

In his last Instagram post, Michael stands triumphant on the top of the rocky summit of “Purdy Peak” his arms outstretched. It took him two days to conquer it.

“Solo mountaineering comes with a certain amount of risk,” he wrote on the Instagram post, “but the empowerment and liberation you receive when you reach that goal makes it all worthwhile.”

Contact Alexander Alusheff at (517) 388-5973 or aalusheff@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexalusheff.

Hike for Mike

Family and friends of Michael Purdy will gather at Grand Woods Park in Lansing for Hike for Mike. The celebration takes place at 4 p.m. May 28 and will feature music, food and games. For more information, visit Facebook.com/events/1720329348179135/.