Over 50 years, the Kegger Backpack has been attended by hundreds of people. Some have been coming since the very first year. Some came once and never made it back. And some came many times, became part of the fabric of the place, and are no longer with us.
This page is for them.
On the 2014 Kegger Backpack, the group memorialized Tom Erik Caton — a long-time Keggite, Eagle Scout, and avid outdoorsman who had spent many good times in the Sierra with us.
Tom was born in Alameda, California, and grew up in Concord, where he was active in baseball and ice hockey. Beyond the mountains, he was an outstanding banjo player and a longtime member of the East Bay Banjo Band.
He was one of the original four — part of the group with Tom McGonigle, Bucky, and Pat Williams who were working at the Boy Scout camp during the summer of 1976 when the first Kegger happened. As Tom McGonigle wrote in his history: "I recall seeing Tom and Pat leaving the party going down river to camp as the rest of us were leaving going up river." He was there at the beginning, and he kept coming back.
The 2014 memorial — scattering ashes at the Island
Tom's wife Deborah and his brother Ken made the hike down to the Island to spread a few of his ashes at one of his favorite spots, overlooking the campsite he'd returned to so many times.
The memorial was held at the campsite, on the granite shelf above the river, looking out over the Island. It was a Kegger weekend — as Tom would have wanted it. The group gathered, said what needed to be said, and sent him off in a place that was his as much as anyone's.
Read Tom's obituary in the East Bay Times →This page will grow over time as the Kegger community shares memories of others we've lost.
To add someone to this page, send a photo, their name, dates, and a few words to jjeffrey484@gmail.com