Happy Friday!
The info booth was more like an emotional roller coaster today. Around 1:00 a lady came up and asked to use our phone. She needed to talk with the vetrenarian taking care of her sick dog back home. I think I heard the dog had just been diagnosed with cancer while the couple was on vacation. It turns out that the disease was pretty advanced and the poor dog was going downhill quick. The lady and her husband had to make the decision right then and there whether or not to put the dog down. I'm not sure where they are from, but I guess it was far enough away that by the time they would have made it back the dog would be in terrible pain or deceased. They made the call to enthunize. She was especially broken up about it. Just a terribly sad situation that unfolded in front of the booth.
The rest of the afternoon was pretty pleasant. Then around 4:00 another lady came up to the info booth who looked unpleasantly concerned. Earlier in the day she and her hiking partner had talked with me about a hike to do that day. I sent them on a hike around Jordan Pond with the addition of the Bubble mountains. They ended up deciding to separate and then meet up at a predetermined time and place. He never made it to the rendezvous point but did manage to get a text out that said he was going through a rocky area. She came back to the JPH because she didn't know what else to do. We decided to call the rangers and one came by to figure out what to do next.
The ranger arrived around 4:40. Keep in mind sunset today was at 5:59. He and I started to formulate a plan that he'd start hiking from the north end of the possible route the man was on and I would start from the south end. We'd meet in the middle after one of us met up with the man, ideally. Fortunately, the park service dispatcher somehow managed to reach the lost hiker's cell phone. He was doing alright, just moving very slowly. Another fortunate thing was that they had took my advice and bought a trail map. He was the one with the map after they separated.
The lady never blamed me for anything. I have been thinking a lot about the advice I gave them and whether or not I contributed to the situation. I've determined that in this case it really came down to them deciding to split up and not have a set communication plan in light of the spotty reception out here. Still, it was a pretty powerful lesson that even though the vast majority of folks we interact with at the information booth will have a plesant and safe visit, there are those cases where what we tell and advise people really does matter.
After all the drama at work, I was looking forward to the big dorm dinner at a local resaurant. Thirteen of us went to the Burning Tree which specializes in local, fresh seafood and produce. I enjoyed the company more than the food. I only bought an entree but still ended up leaving with $42 less dollars after tax and tip. The swordfish was good, but I'm not sure if it was that good. Then again, after eating dorm food for four months I don't think my palate can really appreciate foo-foo food.
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