Sometimes kindness can be expected, such as when a church community would host us. Sometimes kindness comes out of nowhere, such as when a passerby stops with a wonderful gesture. Occasionally, an unexpected sequence of events leads to what might be considered expected kindness in hindsight. Such was our experience with Mary.
We were leaving Foresthills, aptly named for being at the foothills of the Sierra. Train maintainers and Forest Service personnel alike warned us that the minimum snowpack in the Sierra Nevada, on June 14, was 15 feet. We decided to take an alternative route consisting of wilderness trails, rail beds, power lines, bushwhack and roads to get us over Donner Pass. We knew we would not get far that first evening out of Foresthills, but when I saw Mary in her yard and asked for directions as I figured out a new route that was as far as we got.
Mary lived with her daughter in a small house; we set up our tent in her yard. She was good-naturedly hyper, a pure bundle of energy. Part of her energy was driven by her enthusiasm for our endeavor. As one whose relationships with partners had been unsuccessful, I think she desperately wanted our walk across the country to succeed mainly as a testimony to ours.
In the morning she brought us to the Forest Service office where we compiled more info. My plan A, B, C and D all seemed to be dicey. In the end I chose a plan E that took us in a northwest direction before getting us back on track towards the Lake Tahoe area. I still remember vividly the energetic Mary trying on our packs and fervently wishing us well at our parting.
