Say Howdy When You Stop By

Look on the right, at the top. See the box? If the box says, "Rodger is online" it means that my AOL instant messenger is online and active. Type a message in the box that says, "type here, press enter to send", Change the name from "aimguestxxxx" to your name, and send me a message. I would love to hear from you, even if you just say "hi!"

A GOOD DEED A GOOD FEELING

We are late! We spent too much time in Durango at breakfast. The highway from Durango to Silverton is not one to hurry over. We are headed to a family reunion at Ridgeway, north of Ouray, Colorado. We are late, or did I already say that.

I had just been able to pass a few slow moving vehicles that had impeded our progress up Molas Pass. As we were going over the pass, there they were. Two hikers on the side of the road trying to hitch a ride. It was Jen’s family reunion we were late for so I asked her. “Should we pick up those two hikers?”

YES! She said it without hesitation. I am sure she was remembering the times we spent on the side of highways waiting for someone to give us a ride to town. We stopped and picked up a delightful young couple. They were school teachers from California. They were hiking the Colorado trail from Denver to Durango. They had been on the trail for 26 days. It had been a week since their last town.

As they got in they apologized that it had been too long since they had a shower. “I apologize for the stink.” Were her exact words. They were looking for a ride to Silverton. They were looking forward to a hot meal, a hot shower, and a good nights sleep in a real bed.

It brought back memories. And we were so glad to be able to help other hikers the way we had been helped. A ride is an easy thing to give someone. Amy was sitting in the back seat with them. “Would you like something to eat?”

“Oh, yes! And they began to devour the cookies that they desperately needed and that we didn’t need at all.

They were another week on the trail from Durango. We had eaten breakfast in Durango less than an hour earlier. My Starbucks I got as we left Durango wasn’t even cool yet.

Long distance hiking gives a person a new perspective on life. Before the Appalachian Trail experience I would not have even considered stopping for two hikers. If you are going over mountain passes and you see people with backpacks and a thumb out, they aren’t hitchhikers, they are distance hikers and need a ride to town. Could you give them a ride?