No Barney's Here

[Pacific Tortuga]

'The Last Season' is a book about backcountry ranger Randy Morgenson who lived and died in the Sierra's by Eric Blehm. I just finnished reading it and I'm reading the book again to make sure I didn't miss anything. I like the Sherlock Holmes investigating style plus the location's run through my DNA." Don't Care Who You Are" it's a damn good story worth your time and money. With all the ridgerunner talk around here this man was them on steroids, "paid in sunsets". I hope Eric has a long outdoor story tellin' life,check it out. :sun :sun :sun :sun I wanted to give it five but only allowed four icon's

[The Old Fhart]

I was hiking the JMT alone in 1996 and my wife was rather worried. It looked like I'd get coverage over virtually the whole trip and we agreed I'd take a cell phone and call her every day or two. Unfortunately there were areas where I was always surrounded by peaks and I didn't get a signal for a whole week. I had met and was hiking with a guy from Oakland who would be going out to resupply in a couple of days so I gave him my wife's number so he could call her to say I was still very much alive.

Then we started seeing helicopters going over and saw posted signs saying "lost hiker". The signs requested that all hikers stop at a ranger station (big semi-permanent tent) on the trail that was used as a basecamp for the searchers and talk to the rangers there. I just knew that my wife had called and it was me they were looking for.

It turned out it was the backcountry ranger (Randy Morgenson) they were looking for. I got the impression from the tone of the questioning that they were hoping it was a non-fatal accident and that they would find him but that they suspected that he had just wandered off with a purpose. Apparently from what he had taken (or not taken) with him or how he left the tent lead them to suspect something. Maybe his mood had tipped others off to a possible problem-I don't know. After we left and were back on the trail we talked about this and had both came to the same conclusion. Nothing they had actually said to us was to that effect but we kind of sensed from their tone and what they were saying that they were leaning that way.

They did relay word to the district ranger that if my wife called to tell her that I was ok. The next day I found one spot where I could get a signal to call and found that my wife was starting to make calls. Even though I had direct deposit of my pay check and good insurance she was still relieved to hear from me.