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View Full Version : R.I.P. Zig Zag



"ME & U"
04-04-2005, 22:41
Zig Zag aka Arthur Gizzoni thru'd in '03. We met at the White House Landing.
We had a toasty fire stokin in the cabin near the water and saw the boat head out to pick up a hiker. It was pouring rain and cold.
Dude comes staggerin up the lawn, abvoiusly chilled to the bone judging by the way he was hunched over and walking striaght toward the smell of our fire. He comes in, tinged with hypothermia for sure, and comences to tearin off his garb. The instant feel of warmth he soon felt was exactly what the trail gods ordered!
We paid mocho deneros for this hole and knew the bunk house next door was much cheaper... he was totaly suckered into paying the bigger price as his thinker wasn't yet warmed through his thick skull!
Anyway, he got toasted up and started coming around and i mentioned the bunk house and he was pissed.
We had a grand time! We learned that we lived only miles from each other and made that instant connection. We vowed to get home in the end and take jobs at Eastern Mountain Sports. He ended up in Cranston RI, I went to North Attleboro, MA.
We hooked up again later on by coincidence setting up a new store together.
Kept the connection going.
Later on, he transfered to my store and we worked together for many moons.

He and another co worker, Gary Graves, hooked up and went to Gentian Pond to do some trail work. They were in a nasty car accident and both lost their lives...

I was bouncing around the WB and got to thinking about him and just wanted to share.
Anybody who knew him and didn't hear, sorry for the bad news.
Anybody who didn't, he was a great friend and hiking partner for "US", and he had big plans to hike the PCT starting today!
Talk about suckjob!!
He and his honey bought plane tickets and she was going to meet him at some point to hike for a while... she still plans to go and hike alone...
Somebody cheer me up!!

attroll
04-04-2005, 23:49
Cheer you up? After reading that someone needs to cheer me up too.

Brushy Sage
04-05-2005, 09:21
Even though he is physically gone, it sounds as if the internal connection with him is still there, and that your life (except for the sadness) is better because of it.

Goon
04-05-2005, 10:28
I met a thruhiker in '03 named ZigZag who was doing a flip flop, ending in Harpers Ferry. In fact I was at the Ed Garvey shelter when I met him so it was his last day on the trail for that hike. Same guy?

Either way sounds like he will be missed.

"ME & U"
04-05-2005, 10:39
I met a thruhiker in '03 named ZigZag who was doing a flip flop, ending in Harpers Ferry. In fact I was at the Ed Garvey shelter when I met him so it was his last day on the trail for that hike. Same guy?

Either way sounds like he will be missed.Yep... same guy!

"ME & U"
04-05-2005, 10:48
Thanks guys, for replying! Zig Zag will be missed but the cool thing is that everytime "we" hike, dude is there... son of a beeaaach cashed in his chips and scored the ultimate prize, the option to hike around the planet without concern for money!!!

Best part is that whenever I need some funky, way out there, spiritual advise, Zig Zag answers the call and always comes back with a spin like, "screw it man, quit your job cuz the guy's a knob anyway!"

One day, "we'll" be hiking and meet up with him again, for sure!

Goon
04-05-2005, 12:42
Yep... same guy!
We talked at the shelter for quite a while before he went into Harpers Ferry. (His dad was meeting him there). Was a nice guy. Too bad.