Met any interesting people when afield?

[Pathfinder1]

Hi...


One very cold winter day I came across two hitchhikers on a road in Yukon. They were Yukon Native Indians that had just come out of the bush, and were going back to their village with some martin furs they trapped. I took a couple of pics of them and their furs.

I gave them a ride to the trail going to their village. Along the way they asked me where I lived, and I told them AK. One of them asked me what part of Yukon that was...!! I tried my best to explain to them where it was, but don't think I succeeded.

Two winters later...in almost the same spot...one of those Indians was again standing along the road hitchhiking, and I gladly stopped for him.

But unknown to me, hidden in the brush, also was his wife, his dog, and two moose quarters. A bit of a surprise when they showed up, but I eventually made room for all. I also traded him some of my Copenhagen for some of his smoked salmon.

Conversations with them were always cordial and informative, which I enjoyed immensly.

You just never know who you're going to meet around the next bend, do ya?

 

[bsmit212]

I have met tons of neat and interesting people in AT shelters. That is what I love about the AT is meeting people. But nothing as interesting as that. Sounds like an awsome adventure.

 

[Grandpa]

I watched Sir Edmund Hillary launch on a float trip on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. He wasn't interested in small talk though. In fact he was downright unsociable.

One night one of our town drunks staggered into the local bar, saw a guy sitting there wearing an Alabama (the band) coat. Drunk said, "wow, where did you get that coat? I love those guys." Bama guy looked at him, took his coat off, grabbed a marker, wrote "Randy Owen" on the coat and handed it to the drunk. Alabama always stopped at our greasy spoon cafe, (The Dude Ranch) then went over to the Corner Bar for a nightcap before traveling on to Salt Lake for their next concert. Great bunch of guys.

All in all, most of the "common" people I have met were a whole lot more interesting than the celebs.

 

[JeepThrills]

I'm sure there have been others, but the only one I can think of at the moment is Glen Larsen. I met him on a plane when I was younger. He saw me reading Nancy Drew and told me to watch for a show featuring her and the Hardy Boys. I didn't realize who he was until he was on an award show a couple of years later.

 

[ppine]

I have met them my whole life- Indians with a 56 Buick with no backseat, a guy on his way to the Rainbow Festival with Ken Kesey, Bob Sundown in a wagon from WY to AZ, plenty of hunters, miners, star gazers, dope growers, Burning Man people, Rainbow Family, sheep herders from Spain, Peru, Chile, China, Taiwan and the local Indian Res. We camped with a drunk once in Maine that was drying out and experienced the DTs right in front of us. Three Paws took us back to his commune in Virginia on a backpacking trip. A member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in CO. Waylong Jennings' drummer in a small bar on the Snake River. An engineer on the White Pass and Yukon RR that gave us a boat ride to Haines,AK in a boat he built. The list goes on. Thanks for the great memories.

 

[Sute]

Once, I was camping with a load of my friends in a place we called Bluebell (because there were a lot of bluebell flowers there at the right time of year). It got to about 2am and a few of us were asleep with the rest of us sitting around the campfire.

We could hear an engine getting closer to us in the dark, and were a bit concerned about what it was. It turned out to be two drugged up kids on a dirtbike, who proceeded to talk and talk and talk and talk until the morning while we continually tried to convince them to go away.

 

[shaun]

I can't say I've ever encountered an Indian on my travels but I would like to. I've been interested in the lifestyle of native people for many years. I think we could learn a lot from the native people, they are the ultimate survivors.

 

[Yab9]

That must have been a great experience! I have never had a conversation with other hitchhikers before, I'd love to meet some natives on my travel routes though.

 

[Bojib]

I haven't ever met any famous or anything fun like that. I have met several interesting characters though.

I guess, if I'm out in the field, most likely I'm going to have something in common with the people I meet and talk to. I find lots of people that have good stories to tell.

On the opposite of that, I meet some real jerks too. But, I've always heard you have to take the bad with the good. Plus, it makes the interesting people that much more interesting to talk to.