Looking For JUST AN ECHO

[faarside]

Greetings...

I would greatly appreciate knowing if anyone has recently seen JUST AN ECHO, and/or knows how he is doing. ECHO hails from So. Western Florida.

Many thanks for any reports.

Happy Trails!

[Doc_of_the_bay]

My daughter and I saw him at the Stover Creek shelter on August 14. Is that recent enough?

[faarside]

My daughter and I saw him at the Stover Creek shelter on August 14. Is that recent enough?

Thanks... that's good news! I was concerned, having not seen him for over a year. I have not been that faar south in a long while, and the mail I sent to him in FL was returned undeliverable :(

I imagine he was sobo since you saw him in mid-August?

[Doc_of_the_bay]

Well, it's not as good as it may have sounded.

He had started at Forest Service Road 42 on Springer Mountain that morning and hiked as far as Stover Creek. He said it was his first hike since heart surgery last year, and he was really struggling. It had taken him all morning to go a mile and a half or so (mostly downhill), and he was badly fatigued and dehydrated. He had planned a section hike for several days (to Neel's Gap, maybe--I don't remember), but after a night's sleep he decided to give it up and hike back up to Springer.

We were headed to Springer that day, too, so we offered to help him, walk with him, carry gear for him, leave water along the way, etc., but he wouldn't accept the offer.

After we got to the trailhead at 42, we drove down to Amicalola Falls to the visitors' center. While we were there we told the rangers that there was a hiker who might need assistance. They said they'd check on him. That's the last we knew.

I'm pretty sure he said he had traveled from Maryland or Virginia for the hike, so maybe the FL address is no longer current.

[faarside]

Thank you, Doc.

I am sorry to hear of his struggle. Echo does have a heart condition and, although he is strong-willed and very capable, sometimes tries to take too much on himself.

Echo has thru-hiked the AT numerous times, and I was blessed with his company in NY for several weeks in August of 2005. There was a strong connection we both felt during that time - a feeling that I can only describe as one that might be felt when long separated brothers finally reunite. I contacted the rangers at Amicalola Falls, and am waiting to hear if they have any information regarding Echo's condition. Initially, they said they had no recollection or record of assisting Echo that day.

I pray that wherever Echo might be at this moment, that he is well and on the mend, and that he will find the strength and resolve to meet and overcome this newest challenge confronting him. His love for the AT, the outdoors, and his family (which includes fellow hikers), will be a major positive factor in his recovery - a recovery I feel he can and will make.

God Bless you Echo.

Thank you Doc, and Blessings to you also for bringing me news of my friend.

[Doc_of_the_bay]

Since Springer Mt. and Stover Creek are outside of Amicalola Falls State Park, I think the rangers at Amicalola visitors center were going to contact the USFS rangers. In fact, I seem to recall that there was a Forest Service ranger in the visitors center at the time, so the State Park ranger at the desk said she would talk to him about it.
It could be that the FS checked on Just An Echo, and the Amicalola staff never logged it in.

[faarside]

It took a bit of time to hear back from ALL the rangers who might have been involved with checking on Just An Echo. Unfortunately, it turns out there is no official record of Echo being checked on, although one ranger seemed to recall the incident, but had no further detail, saying only that he believed someone was going to look into the report you made.

Thank you for caring enough to report Echo's possibly needing assistance to the rangers, and thank you for reporting to me what you knew! I'm certain I will find Echo eventually, and hopefully in good health!

Best of luck to you... Have a GREAT day, and... Happy Trails!

[Just a Hiker]

I hope he is okay! He is a good man, and he was very good to me in 2002. He also gave me my trail name!!

Just Jim

[faarside]

I hope he is okay! He is a good man, and he was very good to me in 2002. He also gave me my trail name!!

Just Jim

Yes, a very good man indeed! Peaceful, giving, warm, and more. As I read your post, I made the connection - Echo mentioned you during his visit with me in NY in '04 (oops... I typo'd in my other post and said 2005 by mistake). I noticed your trail name in many forums on WB and wondered if you were the "Just A Hiker" Echo mentioned. Now I know - you are! Nice to "meet" you!

Echo had never been to the Campmor Store in Paramus, NJ, so, during his visit with me in Orange County, NY, I offered to drive him down there so he could have a look around. I remember the day clearly - it was the day NJ Governor McGreevey had his infamous "I am a gay American" press conference. That was all over the NY airwaves.

That evening, Echo built and tended a fire, and we talked for a long time about his travels. That was the evening he mentioned you. I wish I could remember the details - it IS a drag getting old, and it truely is a small world.

Attached is the picture I took of Echo that evening.

[Just a Hiker]

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