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MadAussieInLondon
07-28-2004, 01:33
here is some more info on air ferret, who was hiking this year, that was sent to my fiancee joy (Xena).

rainman has a pic of him.. not sure if this link will work..
http://www.whiteblaze.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/2895/
http://www.whiteblaze.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/2889/


Dear Ms. Hensley,

Below is a copy of an email regarding Christian's life and death. I apologize for not sending it to you along with the others, but I hope it is of some help. The website is still in design, I am finding another person to design and host it and hope to hear from them soon.
There has been no additional information available since the email below was sent. Chrsitian was cremated, and his remains will be spread in some of the places he loved most in life. A small amount will be quietly placed along the Appalachian Trail next year when my wife and I go hiking, to experience some of the beauty he described.
Currently, I am executor of his estate, and once Probate releases his accounts, will be transfering everything into a college trust fund for his son, Joshua. His business partner has agreed to purchase Christian's share of the business at an amount determined by the court. Although not required to contribute or invest in Joshua's child care cost (Joshua was adopted by his stepfather), Christian paid one half of the cost of private education, and had already set aside money in a college fund for Joshua. He knew the value of education and drive, and I know he would have wanted his holdings to go towards his son's future.
I will email you the URL when the website is published, and any other information as it becomes available.
Sincerely,
Dr. Walter Anderson


Hello to all,
I am sorry it has taken me a few days to reply to everyone requesting additional information. A tremendous amount of activity has been aloft these last few days, and I have been doing my utmost to keep abreast.
Several people have asked for details as to the events leading to Christian's death. Although the exact events are somewhat unclear, and Detroit Police Gang Squad is being less then helpful, I will try to sum them up here with a little background on his life.
Christian grew up in a rough neighborhood in the southwest part of Detroit, Mi. At the age of sixteen, he moved out on his own to a suburb to break away from the lifestyle he knew would only lead to trouble. I met him then, a wild, aggressive kid trying to re-adjust to a different lifestyle in suburbia, trying to finish up high school and work full time at nights to support himself. But also, a passionate, intelligent, driven young man, determined to beat the odds. He did, graduating from high school with honors. Afterwards, he joined the military, eventually serving with the U.S. Army Rangers, which both appealed to his sense of adventure and energy, yet tempured his mind and defined his goals in life. He was honorably discharged a decorated soldier.
Upon leaving the service, Christian worked as a paramedic in Detroit for several years, finishing up his college degree. It was during this time he became became very sick with cancer, yet fought that battle and won. Afterwards, he moved to Las Vegas, NV, for both employment and personal reasons. There he continued his education and decided to take the Medical College Admissions Test, or MCAT, to apply for medical school. His scores placed him in the top three percent of the examinees in the nation. He was subsequently accepted to medical school, no suprise to those who knew him.
An avid outdoorsman, Christian decided to hike the Appalachian Trail prior to matricuation into medical school. A knee injury ended the hike early, but he refused to let it get the best of him. A few weeks of personal physical therapy, and he was back outdoors again, this time at a climbing school teaching basic knot and ropes to beginner climbers. In May, he went back out on the trail to hike, and afterwards spent a week performing volunteer work on a trail crew before returning home.
Upon returning to Michigan, Christian worked as a volunteer at a substance abuse clinic. The patients and staff loved him there. He had the ability to get through to the toughest patients. Everybody was devastated to learn of his death.
On June 29th, Christian was visiting friends in Detroit. He may have been involved in breaking up a fight between two youths earlier in the day, a part that remains unclear. Later that evening, he was sitting on a porch talking with these two kids, with a few others nearby. A vehicle came speeding down the street, and between one to two individuals began shooting out of the windows from the car. Witnesses have said that Christian shoved at least one of the kids off the porch and began running the other way, when two rounds hit him in the chest and side. He died while enroute to the hospital.
It is unclear whether Christian was the target of the drive-by shooting, or whether another person nearby may have been. Because of his prior gang related activity as a kid, the police are labeling this a gang retaliation. Most of us find this both ridiculous and inexcusable. Christian had left that behind fifteen years prior, and was known in the area as somebody who worked hard and set an example for others.
His body was released a few days ago, and he was cremated per conversations we had years prior. The flag presented by the local VFW has been sent to his only close relative, a son in Atlanta, GA. I held legal control over his personal affairs and business while he was away, and was given the control his affairs to handle after his death. A website is in development at this time, and I will send out the URL when it is finished.
A tradition amongst many of our friends will be held on June 29, 2005, exactly one year from Christian's death. We will gather in a bar, and recount stories and events of his life, and toast to him one last time (Vodka was his favorite drink). If you would like, leave an entry in his guest book, or on the website when it is published, and they will be read as well. Or, do the same amongst his friends in different cities on that day. I am sure he will be smiling down on us all, from some great rock wall or eternal trail in the sky.
With best regards to all his friends out there,
Dr. Walter Anderson

Blue Jay
07-28-2004, 08:58
A tragic loss. I never met the man but followed him in June, about a few days behind, in Virginia, reading his journal entries. Many people are afraid of sooo many things out on the Trail, here is one case where staying on the Trail may have saved a life. I wish now that I had caught up with him, but you just never know when your time is up. Those of you are waiting to do something you love, do it now. Airferret had some great days in Virginia.

steve hiker
07-28-2004, 09:15
Too bad. At least he got to hike the trail before his time was due.

Rain Man
07-28-2004, 09:46
Bloody Cactus,

Thanks so much for the update on Airferret. I heard of him several times through my daughter, Grass, and felt I knew who he was. Grass gets credit for those two pics of him that you linked to, too.

YOU take care too, BC. I'll aways remember hiking the approach trail with you and your heavy pack so full of goodies.

Rain Man

.

Mini-Mosey
08-03-2004, 09:17
Sounds like he was a real inspirational, awesome guy.

c.coyle
08-26-2004, 07:29
http://www.airferret.com

Haiku
08-26-2004, 09:40
That's shocking to hear. I hiked with Airferret for several days at the start of my hike. Thank you for the post. My thoughts go out to all who mourn his loss.

Haiku.

Tabasco
09-04-2004, 16:45
According to a post at Trail journals, Airferret is alive and kicking, the victim of a cruel hoax regarding his death??

***?

Streamweaver
09-04-2004, 17:31
According to a post at Trail journals, Airferret is alive and kicking, the victim of a cruel hoax regarding his death??

***?

Thats a sick f78k that plays that kinda game!!! Still theres no way to know if this whole thing was a hoax or if the person who posted saying he was still alive is the fraud!! Either way, Thats screwed!! Streamweaver

Nightwalker
09-04-2004, 23:46
Thats a sick f78k that plays that kinda game!!! Still theres no way to know if this whole thing was a hoax or if the person who posted saying he was still alive is the fraud!! Either way, Thats screwed!! Streamweaver
Peak-a-boo was his friend, and hiked with him, and she says he's dead.

Some people...

Groucho
09-05-2004, 00:12
Xena posted this on Trail Journals:

"Its true...
I talked to him on the phone two days ago after receiving a weird e-mail from one of his college professors. I called the professor asking if *this* was the joke or if he really was alive, then sent airferret an email and told him to call me.
He called. He's alive.

Very friggin' weird.

But, our good hikin' buddy is alive! So let's be happy"

_______________
But who knows if this is true!? Or if that was really Xena.

Rain Man
09-07-2004, 11:19
According to a post at Trail journals, Airferret is alive and kicking, the victim of a cruel hoax regarding his death??

This was also the word at Walasi-Yi at Neels Gap yesterday (Labor Day). My wife and I stopped by on the way home from Georgia to read the register entries and look at thru-hiker photos. When we saw AirFerret's photo and said our daughter Grass had hiked with him too (among many others she mentioned), they told us about the rumor that he is alive. But they were quick to point out it was only a rumor so far. I suspect we'll all know sooner rather than later.

Let's hope the announcement of AirFerret's death was, like Samuel Clemens' (Mark Twain) in his day, "greatly exaggerated."

Rain Man

.

Miss Janet
09-07-2004, 12:09
I was really upset when I heard about the "shooting". Then I was even more upset when I heard that it might be a hoax. So, I asked that Airferret get in touch with me and give details about Trail Days that only he would know. He emailed me and gave me information that I think only he would know. Unless the person doing this hoax is psychic or was one of the others actually camping with us... then I believe Airferret is alive, busy with school and really upset about this stupid hoax. I later called him and we had a long talk about the whole thing. I just don't understand WHY this was done to him!

Nightwalker
09-07-2004, 12:54
Unless the person doing this hoax is psychic or was one of the others actually camping with us... then I believe Airferret is alive, busy with school and really upset about this stupid hoax. I later called him and we had a long talk about the whole thing. I just don't understand WHY this was done to him!

Thanks a lot, Janet!

c.coyle
09-07-2004, 14:39
... So, I asked that Airferret get in touch with me and give details about Trail Days that only he would know. He emailed me and gave me information that I think only he would know. Unless the person doing this hoax is psychic or was one of the others actually camping with us... then I believe Airferret is alive ..."

Wow. Someone went to some real trouble, creating a website and registering a domain!

attroll
09-08-2004, 00:29
I did a little research and it seems that Leif at Trail Journals is the one who created the web site http://www.airferret.com/. Maybe someone needs to contact him. Here is the information I found on who the web site is registered to:

AnotherZero
P.O. Box 42
Still River, Massachusetts 01467
United States

Registered through: GoDaddy.com (http://www.godaddy.com (http://www.godaddy.com/))
Domain Name: AIRFERRET.COM
Created on: 27-Jul-04
Expires on: 27-Jul-05
Last Updated on: 27-Jul-04

Administrative Contact:
Olsen, Mathew [email protected]
AnotherZero
P.O. Box 42
Still River, Massachusetts 01467
United States

Technical Contact:
Olsen, Mathew [email protected]
AnotherZero
P.O. Box 42
Still River, Massachusetts 01467
United States

Domain servers in listed order:
NS1.ANOTHERZERO.COM
NS2.ANOTHERZERO.COM

baseballswthrt
09-08-2004, 07:32
He posted in his journal on Monday! He says he is alive!

Anita

chomp
09-08-2004, 08:34
Leif is currently out hiking on the John Muir Trail, so it will probably be a while until he returns any email.

HikeLite
09-08-2004, 10:02
Airferrets response

http://www.trailforums.com/index2.cfm?action=detail&PostNum=3693&Thread=24&roomID=7&entryID=30720

steve hiker
09-08-2004, 14:07
Airferrets response
Maybe that Airferret is an interdimensional time traveller who's dead in one dimension (here) and alive in another. And he just came back to pay a visit to his old stomping grounds on Earth. Or to play a practical joke on us suckers by pretending to be alive. Either way, he lives. :sun