Mother Nature
05-21-2006, 21:02
I have always known that hikers are special people but I really felt the love at Trail Days this year.
I enjoyed several fun days locating old friends and making new ones (especially meeting so many of you great WB folks!). I snapped pictures of just about anything that caught my fancy for three days straight.
Moments before the Hiker Parade I slipped into an outfitters to look at down jackets. The store was wild with customers and the scene outside was even crazier as hikers were lining up for the parade. I was wearing a daypack and I took it off so I could try on jackets. I needed to order my correct size as they were all sold out and when I walked over to the counter to give them my name and address my camera must have slipped off my chest strap. I noticed it was missing when I picked up my daypack to leave.
The clerk, Mrs Gorp, Smokestack and I searched and searched but never found the camera. After waiting a reasonable amount of time and noone stepped forward reporting a lost camera we concluded it was stolen.
Before we left Damascus I wandered the vendor area and felt like my heart had been ripped out. It wasn't the camera but the pictures I was mourning. I don't suffer misery quietly and Baltimore Jack, Frolicking Dinosaurs, Garland5, AT Troll, Stumpknocker, Short Cut, Mrs. Gorp and so MANY other wonderful trail friends graciously let me vent and commiserated with me.
After my initial shock wore off I realized what I have known all along. It really is wonderful to be a part of a great loving trail family. Thank you all for just being such great friends! The hugs were far more important to me than any pictures. :sun
Now for the best part!
At some point on Saturday afternoon a wonderful lady from Kentucky returned to the outfitters and reported finding the camera. :D This true trail angel didn't feel comfortable handing off the camera to anyone but the camera's owner. I had left my name, address and phone number with the store clerk. The clerk provided my personal information to this true TRAIL ANGEL. She called me Sunday evening at home to tell me she had found my camera. In the mass confusion of Saturday trail day events the news that the camera had been found never made it to all the employees and when Smokestack checked back with the store later they reported that the camera had not been found.
Again thanks to all for volunteering to send me pictures to replace those I thought I lost. Jack, the T-shirt was really appreciated.
Isn't trail life grand!
Mother Nature and Smokestack
I enjoyed several fun days locating old friends and making new ones (especially meeting so many of you great WB folks!). I snapped pictures of just about anything that caught my fancy for three days straight.
Moments before the Hiker Parade I slipped into an outfitters to look at down jackets. The store was wild with customers and the scene outside was even crazier as hikers were lining up for the parade. I was wearing a daypack and I took it off so I could try on jackets. I needed to order my correct size as they were all sold out and when I walked over to the counter to give them my name and address my camera must have slipped off my chest strap. I noticed it was missing when I picked up my daypack to leave.
The clerk, Mrs Gorp, Smokestack and I searched and searched but never found the camera. After waiting a reasonable amount of time and noone stepped forward reporting a lost camera we concluded it was stolen.
Before we left Damascus I wandered the vendor area and felt like my heart had been ripped out. It wasn't the camera but the pictures I was mourning. I don't suffer misery quietly and Baltimore Jack, Frolicking Dinosaurs, Garland5, AT Troll, Stumpknocker, Short Cut, Mrs. Gorp and so MANY other wonderful trail friends graciously let me vent and commiserated with me.
After my initial shock wore off I realized what I have known all along. It really is wonderful to be a part of a great loving trail family. Thank you all for just being such great friends! The hugs were far more important to me than any pictures. :sun
Now for the best part!
At some point on Saturday afternoon a wonderful lady from Kentucky returned to the outfitters and reported finding the camera. :D This true trail angel didn't feel comfortable handing off the camera to anyone but the camera's owner. I had left my name, address and phone number with the store clerk. The clerk provided my personal information to this true TRAIL ANGEL. She called me Sunday evening at home to tell me she had found my camera. In the mass confusion of Saturday trail day events the news that the camera had been found never made it to all the employees and when Smokestack checked back with the store later they reported that the camera had not been found.
Again thanks to all for volunteering to send me pictures to replace those I thought I lost. Jack, the T-shirt was really appreciated.
Isn't trail life grand!
Mother Nature and Smokestack