[pct-l] Re: pct-l Digest, Vol 17, Issue 2

[joph at piedmontbsa.org (JoPH)]

I had read about Sarah's death here on the list serve when a good friend of
mine told me of the unfortunate death of the daughter of one of his best
friends. He mentioned it because he knows of my passion for hiking. It
turned out that this "daughter" is Sarah Bishop. I just wanted you to know
that I found your comment both comforting and meaningful so I forwarded it
to my friend. Here is the message I got back: "Thanks Jo.  that is
beautiful.  I will forward it to Bruce and Judy.  Please think of her, a
wonderful girl, as you hike."
Bruce and Judy are Sarah's parents-- who are heartbroken over the loss of
their beautiful daughter. The services I believe will be on Monday. I just
thought I should share this with you. since you took the time to remember
her.

> Message: 13
> Date: Wed, 1 Sep 2004 18:11:10 -0700
> From: "Deems" <losthiker@sisqtel.net>
> Subject: [pct-l] death of a hiker
> To: "pct" <pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
> Message-ID: <000601c49089$c04ede50$af591fd0@S0029439031>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> We all enter the wilderness for our own reason, thrill, and with the grace
of time to enhance our skills in this, and to us, one of life's greatest
rewards. We receive much more from our personal time with nature than we
give, and when we get home we are tired, satiated,  and greatly rewarded.
Then we return to the wilderness again, and sometimes a very few of us don't
return. We learn the greatest lesson from the few, and yet we return to the
wilderness. It is in our heart, our spirit, and our soul, and whether others
die, we will continue to return to the wild. It is what we are, and we would
die spiritually without it. Trying to simplify it, or calculate it, or
justify it, just diminishes our experience and her last adventure and moment
with nature. She went for a hike, and so will we. Learn from her experience,
to enhance your own success, not to diminish hers. Then go for a hike for
Sarah Bishop. I took one of my greatest hikes following the final adventure
of Mike Turner >   in the Wind Rivers, who never returned, and I can't put
into words the total experience of that hike. Death is closer than most of
us realize, or accept,  when we are wilderness trekking. They didn't return,
and someday I may not also. Until then, I will dive deep into the wilderness
to experience the life I love. Walter Starr's last verse still reverbs with
me, "Defiant mountains beckon me, to glory and dream in their paradise."
Until that final step, I will walk with the wilderness to live.
>