She's Lost Her Marbles ...

[cynthia23]

Today on Skyline, at the "Warning Sign" I found two pink post-its notes from a hiker named "Kathy", stating it was 10 am on Dec. 14 and she was hiking up. Helpfully, her three inch note stated that she had no water, and yet intended to proceed upwards for another hour and half. A cell phone number was written at the bottom of the note. The note was held down by a blue glass marble. (Of late I have noticed these small glass marbles all over the lower portion of Skyline. )

Since today is the 15th and this note was still there, aprroximately twenty eight hours after she left it, I felt a certain measure of concern, which was not alleviated when I called the cell number and got no answer. Finally later tonight this lady answered. Though polite, she seemed utterly flummoxed that I would feel the need to call her.

A few general suggestions here to any who may be tempted to follow in her footsteps.

First: While I admire your feminine aesthetic, leaving a pink post-it note under a glass marble is, perhaps, not an effective safety plan.

Second: if you insist on using this Nancy Drew methodology, please DO pick up your pink post-it-note/deranged-cry-for-help on the way DOWN, so that Cynthia does not spend two hours calling you over and over and wondering if she should call Eric the Ranger and have the police search the DM parking lot.

While you are at it, please retrieve all your marbles. You need them more than we do.

Thank you for allowing me to rant.

[phydeux]

I've become somewhat immune to old notes and postings on bulliten boards at trailheads; the problem has been around for years. They're like the year-old 'lost dog' posters plastered on lightpoles everywhere. These days I think of it as just a case of cleansing the gene pool.

[cynthia23]

Yeah, I know Phydeux, of course you are right. Perhaps I wouldn't have bothered if not being slightly creeped out by the other event I mentioned.

It's just that it's hard to understand what is the purpose of leaving a "come rescue me if I don't come back" note if you don't pick it up on the way back. What could this woman be thinking? When I talked to her and said, Well, I saw your note, and was concerned, it was as if she really had to think hard about why that might be. I as gently as possible 'suggested' that the next time she should pick up her note on the way back, and she suddenly sounded crestfallen and embarrassed, as if she'd suddenly just realized--Oh! If I leave a note, I have to take it back, or people will think I'm still up there! But obviously we are dealing with people who don't think straight, or think at all ...

[tkvance]

cynthia23, You went further than I would've done, in calling her and following up to make sure she was OK.
The trail gods will bless you on your next hike, I'm sure.
As for Kathy and her blue marbles, maybe you should report her to the rangers for littering in the wilderness....especially if you're finding these blue marbles in other places in the wilderness. I would assume they're coming from the same person. If so, shame on her. There aren't any other rocks that she could hold down her notes? How about the Leave No Trace mantra that we as hikers should all utilize? I have LITTLE patience for idiots in the wilderness who pollute and alter the wilderness experience for others.
Come on, Kathy. If you read this website, you need to think about your actions in the wilderness.
Is this perhaps the Kathy Wing who posts on this website?

[KathyW]

I might have lost my marbles, but I didn't leave them along the Skyline Trail.

[tkvance]

Good to hear!
Sorry about casting blame on your good logon!!!

[cynthia23]

My apologies for not making it clear in my original post I was NOT referring to OUR Kathy who often posts here. OUR Kathy is an XtremeMountainWoman who could teach us all a thing or two thousand about wilderness, safety, etc. She is the Hiking Bomb, if I do say so. She's got all her marbles and then some.

Yeah, these glass marbles all over are annoying, in a pretty kind of way. I guess they're harmless, though I do wonder if birds or animals might mistake them for a drop of water and accidentally eat them? I pick them up when I see them. I have no idea why she is leaving them over the trail. The lower portion is extremely clear and there is certainly no need for trailmarkers. It's better than the Orange Dot Infestation from last year (all props to Zip and others who removed them!) but still quite pointless and a weird form of littering ...

[KathyW]

Cynthia:

Unfortunately, I don't have all my marbles but I'm happy this way (at least I think I am).

Kathy

[magikwalt]

I wonder if this marble dropper is the same person who has been leaving the marbles and glass beads along the Mesquite portion of the Lykken Trail? I been decorating the bottom of my wife's fish tanks with them! It gives me something to do on the way down since I go down hill even slower than I go up.

[Foleymo]

I've seen the glass marbles on the Araby trail too. Somebody needs to set her straight.