Patrick

After reading B Bop and Veg's post about the early adventures that planted the seed to go longer, I have decided to post my story.

I originally wanted to post this in November following a hike through the same park of my original journey. The same lake that Jodi mentions in her post today is a 1/2 mile from the house I grew up in. It is also the location of my formative years as an endurance athlete.

My story begins in 1973 in my backyard. We were playing beside the garage behind a small pine. The sun was out, and we were growing tired of our toys. Patrick suggested that we go to Shaker Lakes. We knew we were not allowed to go, but we did anyhow. My little sister protested. We told her not to tell anyone and left on our great adventure. We were five and we were on our way to a life time of journey's.

I don't remember much about the hike. It has been 35 years and I have traveled around that lake thousands of times since then as a runner, while fishing, cycling, I might have indulged in a left handed cigarette or two, all though I don't remember for sure. I made out with a girl on my 16th birthday by the old boathouse. I have rafted and swam on the lower lake. I will be running around this same path in an hour. But that day was my first.

As we headed back toward home we saw my parents car moving slowly along our route. Patrick and I ran into some bushes to hide. My mom and Susie however spotted us as our blonde hair shown brightly in the afternoon sun. We were both grounded for two weeks. My mom was not happy about our decision to venture off on our own.

As the years past, Patrick was sent to the local Catholic School and I the public place of learning. We spent little time together because of this but always remained friends.

We both continued to seek adventure. As an adult, Pat hiked the pacific crest and the Applelation trails. His fondness for nature led him to study natural medicine and move west to Oregon and later to Montana.

As a nurse, he cared for my grandmother before she died. The last I saw of Pat he was raising money for Cystic fibrosis research with one of his hikes. He was one of the kindest souls I ever knew.

A couple of years ago I saw his brother. I asked how Pat was.

Michael said He had been missing for two years and they feared the worst.....The last sign of him was his abandoned car in Montana. He had hit a deer and no other clue was left. The theory was that he had become distraught having hit the deer and disappeared into the mountains.

I always had hope that He was OK. He knew how to survive. Maybe he just decided to "drop out".

This past fall while watching the tribe win against the yanks, I sat with Pats sister Jean. I asked if he had contacted her and if any news had surfaced about his where abouts. Jean could not support my optimism. She felt confident that he had died in the mountains and that he was gone.
We talked about it for a while. I soon began to believe she was right. If he was to contact anyone, I think it would have been Jeanie. Little sisters know.

As I type, I find it hard not to feel deep sadness over Patrick's disappearance.
The fear that provoked my little sister to tell my mom that we snuck off into the woods, had become very real 30 years later. My partner in that early adventure is now gone. A blond haired blue eyed five year old is gone. His journey is now unknown. Patrick is lost.

From lower lake to the big sky, Patrick always had a taste for hiking. I believe what he really wanted was to be able to vanish into his own world. His family had struggles that mine never had. Sometimes I wonder if that first hike was his first attempt to escape a world that caused him so much pain. I hope he has found peace. I hope he is now a part of the nature he loved so deeply.

The adventures that we travel teach us so much. The bonds and friendships that develop as we follow our paths are our true reward. This is what brings me back to race again and again. This is why I have crossed the ocean with Jen, Zac, and Nichole. There are so many of you that I have sought out at the finish line to thank.
Thank you for the journey. Thank you for the race. Thank you for being a friend.
So long Pat...