# Tragedy stops hiker from finishing Appalachian Trail



## Stephen (Dec 13, 2004)

http://www.fosters.com/December_2004/12.13.04/news/ap_me1213d.asp


----------



## Greg (Dec 13, 2004)

Just the link will suffice. Thanks Stephen!


----------



## JimG. (Dec 13, 2004)

WOW! Having overcome some severe injuries myself to return to skiing, I truly admire this gentleman. There is no shame in pushing the envelope and finding the edge.


----------



## pedxing (Dec 13, 2004)

Sad news - losing a brother that way - but still an inspiring story.  Thanks for the link.

It's a strange and sad juxtaposition.  One brother gives up on life and hangs himself, the other loses a leg in an accident and does almost 2,000 miles of the AT surmonting obstacles that would have had me off the trail much earlier.  It's very interesting how different our threshold is for feeling we've been dealt too much.


----------



## cbcbd (Dec 14, 2004)

Wow, sad but uplifting story.
Just like you said, pedxing, everyone has their limits and there is just such a huge gap between the extremes. 
In my opinion, if someone loves you there is no low that justifies suicide. It's just sad that everyone involved in a loss like this will forever be thinking about that "what if I did more".


----------



## Caleb (Dec 15, 2004)

yes this is amazing. he certainly deserves a lot of credit for his perserverance, and also for choosing nature as his therapy.  The wild blue yonder, and pitting yourself against it, is the best medicine there is. The article wasn't clear on which parts of the trail he has left to finish,  maybe its the whites.  It would be an honor to carry his pack. for a while. 

Caleb


----------



## twigeater (Dec 17, 2004)

Pushing the envelope isn'tt always a bad thiing, but  there is much more to this story...I admire his fortitude, but  the helicopter that took him off Katahdin after a too long hike up (turn around times are a good thing), costs mucho $$$. Though the National Guard doesn't charge BSP cause they can charge  rescues as training, we still pay for it thru federal taxes.


----------



## Caleb (Dec 17, 2004)

twigeater said:
			
		

> Pushing the envelope isn'tt always a bad thiing, but  there is much more to this story...I admire his fortitude, but  the helicopter that took him off Katahdin after a too long hike up (turn around times are a good thing), costs mucho $$$. Though the National Guard doesn't charge BSP cause they can charge  rescues as training, we still pay for it thru federal taxes.



there were many costs involved... like  the costs to the Katadin eco-system in terms of noise, disruption,  and in kerosine slime from the chopper. These types of insults accumulate insidiously and degrade habitat. Because of the rescue, some critters might not make spring  because their feeding got screwed up on the day of the rescue.  Losses happen just this way.. in the margins, by ones and twos, practically unnoticeable. 

Still,  the friggin guy is an amputee. A rescue like this was guided by compassion, the kind of spirit  that serves us all well, especially since we're capable of so much worse. Considering how  the gov't is spending $$ these days (50% of all  'available'  federal dollars go to defense), it seems by comparison like money well spent .

Caleb


----------

