Trekking Pole Comes Home

[black_toes]

Sometimes I forget the number of good people in this world, and something as small as a lost trekking pole reminded me of that yesterday. I had given it up for lost. I left it at the small parking lot on the hill at Moeur Park on the 11th, having just finished a loop hike to the Crosscut Canal Pond, just too eager to get home. The pole had only sentimental value.

I purchased a pair of trekking poles more than a year ago at a boutique in Grindelwald, Switzerland, gave one to my longtime girlfriend, MJ, and kept the other for myself. That pole traveled with me on almost every hike I've done since then. Under the "Wall of Death," the Eiger's sheer North Face in the Alps. Up down three peaks in the Adirondacks last summer. In the mountains and along canals, washes and trails here in Arizona. I even used this dinged-up green pole with the name "Grindelwald" written down its side for walking in the neighborhood. Just in case I ran into an agitated canine. I carry the pole balanced in my right hand, parallel to the ground. Only occassionally do I stick its reliable point into terra firma, usually while descending steep slopes with rocks underfoot. I feel naked without it anymore. It's strange how stuff grows on you.

On the following day, the 12th, I planned to return to Moeur Park in the wild hopes of finding my companion. That's when the "good people" began to appear.

It started with this. Unknown to me, MJ made an early morning call to Tempe Parks and left a message. Later, she got a phone call from Denise Brewer, the Public Works Supervisor for Field Operations at Tempe Park Services. Shortly after hearing MJ's message, Denise hopped on her bicycle and pedaled from her office on South Hardy to Moeur Park, a distance I calculated via Google as 1.6 miles. She found the trekking pole leaned up against the bike rack and whisked it back to her office, then called MJ who called me. I picked the pole up about an hour later. Denise would not accept a reward, saying she had to visit the park and nearby Tempe Town Lake anyway as part of her job. Hmmm. Whatever, it seemed Ms. Brewer went beyond her job description on this one and I am grateful beyond words.

And, not to be forgotten, is the anonymous soul who plucked the trekking pole from the parking lot and placed it in a conspicuous spot. As I wrote elsewhere on this site, angels follow me around sometimes. They sure did yesterday.

[outdoor_lover]

[PatrickL]

There are more good people than bad in the world. Just don't let the media tell you otherwise!