Eerie story

First off, I'm through with finals -- tests all corrected, grades submitted, etc. -- and now I don't know what to do with myself. Officially today and tomorrow are "duty days" (i.e., I'm supposed to show up at the office), but I don't have anything to work on. Hmm, I guess I could start reviewing stats books, as we are considering a textbook change pretty soon. Nah, that sounds too much like what I've been doing the past few months. Wait, I could try to get things organized for the online course I'm teaching this summer. Nah, that's something I'd rather pretend doesn't exist. I guess I'll just goof off, but doing what?

Okay, I'll admit that previous paragraph was sort of meant as a "rub it in" to those of you working today. Now, though, I'd like to draw your attention to an eerie story from the AP today. A couple of folks at some sort of conference in Southern California wandered off for a little day hike and ended up lost in the wilderness for 3 days. I've never really understood how you could get that lost, but I know it happens and it may well happen to me one day. Actually, given my previous wilderness adventures, I'm pretty sure it'll happen to me one day.

Anyway, what makes this story eerie is that the folks were "saved" by finding the abandoned campsite of a hiker who went missing (and still hasn't been found) one year ago. They raided his pack and got some warm clothes and matches with which they were able to start a signal fire that led to their rescue.

They found identification showing the camper was Donovan, 60, a retired social worker from Virginia. They learned later that he was an experienced hiker who had been following the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail, from Southern California to the Canadian border, when he vanished May 2, 2005 in icy weather.

His journal, in the form of notes written on sketch paper and on the back of maps, depicted a man without hope of rescue, Day said.

"His last journal entry was one year ago to the day that we found it, which was very eerie," Day said. "Nobody knew where he was, nobody knew to come looking for him, so he was preparing for the end. We were looking at the words of a man who was passing."

This was just too "weird" for me. First, they are saved by his pack which they find ONE YEAR TO THE DAY from his last journal entry. Second, I can only imagine how freaked out they were reading his last journal entries where he had apparently given up all hope of rescue. What would you choose to write at a time like that? Whatever he wrote, I can't imagine it made these two lost, inexperienced hikers hopeful. Finally, how weird is it that no one had even found his campsite before? As far as I can tell, Donovan had simply been given up as "missing" with no clues to his final location. Now, "authorities planned to search the area over the weekend for signs of Donovan."

The whole thing is just a little too "touched by an angel" for me. Actually, it sort of reminds me of the short-lived TV show, Mysterious Ways. Was I the ONLY person who liked that show? Well there must not have been many of us or it wouldn't have died as quickly as it did, huh?

Anyway, the whole thing just struck me as a bit creepy and I hope nothing like this ever happens to me out in the woods.