“Big deal” you are probably thinking.
Well, considering that my “side yard” is surrounded by 135 acres of woods and fields, this IS kind of a big deal! We don’t get many people wandering through the “side yard”.
Since it was a woman, I didn’t feel too threatened (had it been a man, I probably would have locked the door and gotten my husband). Anyway, I stepped onto the deck and asked if I could help her. Well, of course she needed help – she was lost.
She had been visiting at her parents house and went into the woods to look for mushrooms (this is a big deal in our area in the spring) and had apparently followed the “wrong” creek. She said she was supposed to follow the creek to a certain point with a fence, but since she was obviously on the wrong creek, she never found that point. She had been wandering for over 3 hours and had apparently been trekking around our property for a while and finally made it to the house.
I invited her in and after drinking a tall glass of ice water, and calming down – she was obviously nervous and probably scared – I asked where her parents live and I was surprised how far she had wandered!
Long story short, I drove her back to her parents’ home and we chatted. She had an adventure, and I had one too since I got to drive down a road I’ve never been on in all the years we have lived here (since 1979!) - I actually had always thought it was a driveway!
She was very nice and even offered to pay me for driving her back (what??? No way!!!) but I told her, the next time she takes a walk in the woods, to bring along a bottle of water (it was around 80 deg. that day) and her cell phone and perhaps some ID – just in case.
I’m sure she will regale her family with her tale over the dinner table tonight!
This is also a tale of caution – we hear on the news quite often that someone becomes lost while on a hike or camping trip. She was lucky she found us and got a safe ride home.
3 comments:
Deb, I have two paintings in the Rising Sun Art Show also (Lone Leaf and Cathadral Window). Hope to see you at the opening next Friday evening!
Nice story! I got a bit lost in some small woods in New Hampshire: I was in a B&B on a painting workshop and went for a walk in the adjacent woods before dinner; after a while I realized I was off the path--and that I hadn't told anyone where I was going. I turned around and finally came out on the road about 1/2 mile away!
Laura, good thing you were smart enough to turn around - and hope you will now either go with a partner or tell someone so they can send the search party for you!
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