Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Memorial Plaque, Jack Kerouac Quote

The shelter I stayed at last night (6/8/2010) had this memorial plaque posted. The quote at the bottom, by Jack Kerouac, has rung true for at least three hikers this year (if you read it as a statement about death).

So far this year three hikers have lost their lives on the AT.  The first was a young man, just back from Iraq, who accidentially overdosed in a Smokey Mountain shelter.  He went to sleep and never woke up. 

The second person, a young woman who was not an AT thru hiker, was struck by lightening on the top of Max Patch (a beautiful mountaintop bald).  She was there with her boyfriend, who had intended to propose marriage.  It's reported that he ran for help and when he returned, although she was dead, he slipped the ring on her finger before EMS workers took her away.

The third person, a 60 year old man from Florida, passed away on the 6th of this month.  He had been complaining of not feeling well for several days.  The night of the 5th he crawled into his sleeping bag, in a shelter not too far north from where I am now, went to sleep and didn't wake up. 

Everyone is on a journey. Darkness and Light is simply a part of it.

3 comments:

  1. Whoa....this "post" gives me chills.. even still as I type this ! DO be very careful my friend !

    Each of the 3 scenarious are vastly different, and you just never know what God has planned for us!

    Hugs !

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  2. I remember reading about the couple...that happened pretty recently! So sad.

    Jen

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  3. Very sad to know about these people specially the couple, i can imagine how the guy would have felt when the woman of his dreams died this way, very painful.

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