View Full Version : Delwood Schechterly
The Old Chief
10-02-2015, 14:00
Just learned that Del passed away yesterday. He was a good friend to all hikers. He will be missed in Central Virginia.
kolokolo
10-02-2015, 20:38
Sorry to heat about Del. He shuttled me, along with three of my hiking friends, a few years back. He was a colorful, friendly character.
Captain Blue
10-03-2015, 00:18
No. Not Del Doc. At least the Del Doc I knew. He passed away awhile ago. I met him once carrying a backpack GPS. Here is an old email from AT-L:
From: dtimm65344@a...
Date: Thu May 20, 2004 7:58 pm
Subject: [at-l] Some sad news for the list
I regret to inform everybody that we have lost one of our own.
Dr. Vernon Vernier (DelDoc) passed away this morning at a local hospital here in
DE. For those who did not know, DelDoc was working on his fourth thru and was
GPS mapping the AT for the ATC. It was my great pleasure to help him with that
project last summer in NH. We were supposed to finish the mapping this summer in
ME.
He was a great trail advocate and a good friend and I will always cherish our
hikes together through the Whites.
Black&blue
Captain Blue
10-03-2015, 00:19
No. Not Del Doc. At least the Del Doc I knew. He passed away awhile ago. I met him once carrying a backpack GPS. Here is an old email from AT-L:
From: dtimm65344@a...
Date: Thu May 20, 2004 7:58 pm
Subject: [at-l] Some sad news for the list
I regret to inform everybody that we have lost one of our own.
Dr. Vernon Vernier (DelDoc) passed away this morning at a local hospital here in
DE. For those who did not know, DelDoc was working on his fourth thru and was
GPS mapping the AT for the ATC. It was my great pleasure to help him with that
project last summer in NH. We were supposed to finish the mapping this summer in
ME.
He was a great trail advocate and a good friend and I will always cherish our
hikes together through the Whites.
Black&blue
swamp dawg
10-03-2015, 00:19
He was one of the trail characters that would do anything he could to aid a hiker in need. Once we called him for a pick up on the Fish Hatchery road after a Fall hike in Va. It took a while but he showed up just as it started to snow. He said he was here to rescue us, I tried to tell him we just wanted to get back to our car. He insisted that it was a rescue. We were too beat to argue so we told him to enter it as a rescue, all I wanted was a hot shower. He had all sorts of snacks and drinks for us in his car plus a mound of blankets to make sure our "rescue" was complete. He will be missed by all of the trail community.
English Stu
10-03-2015, 05:46
I fondly remember Del. On my first section hike I needed help to the trail near Daleville. From the UK I had bought a MSR Simmerlite stove in DC; later I read the instructions how to use it and realised the thing had had the pump pilfered from the box. I walked miles to a Mall near Daleville to get a pump so was even further from the trail so I rang Del. I was totally new to trail angels and shuttles and things had not gone off to good start. Del took me to get some fuel and to the trail and then waved me off into the trees. Clearly a great guy.
Wow that's sad news. I used Del on at least 3 shuttles in 2013-14 around Roanoke and Daleville area on section hikes. Always answered the phone or called back quickly, prompt and fair prices, a real gentleman and nice guy. Sorry to hear that news and sympathies to his family. He'll be missed greatly in the AT community.