Big Trees In Our Way...

Canada
August 4, 2018 7:17am CST
On the first day of camping, I walked to the washroom (bathroom) and was surprised to see this tree laying across the trail that all of us camping in our part of the park use. I walked on and it wasn't too high so I slung my right leg over the first tree (there were two), and that was easy so I brought my left leg (new knee and all) and the grid on the soul on my shoe grabbed the bark and I did a face plant between the two dead limbs. My new knee was whacked by the forest, but thankfully it was a sorta soft landing (lots of leaves and lots of dirt). I brushed myself off and was a bit more careful with the second tree. I returned the same way back and by then my new knee was black, red and blue. My sister and I waved at and yelled up at a camp worker on a golf cart and he came down to our site to hear what we had to say. He said he would let the rangers know what we told him. Shortly after that a really cute and young (new) ranger came to visit us. I showed him my bruised knee and he and my sister Elaine went up the hill to see what we were talking about. I stayed in the camp. When Elaine came back she said she didn't know if we were going to get rid of the trees. The ranger said things like that's not a REAL trail. Just made by campers too lazy to walk the extra half mile on the road to the entry to the wash room. My sister blew a gasket and pointed to our camp site and asked him if he knew WHY we take that site, and pointed out the water spicket at the top of our site and the short trail to the washroom... our ages were brought to that conversations too ( I'm in the 70's and Elaine is close to being there.) She mentioned we have camped there all our lives....(over 50 years) She told him we wanted that tree cut up and moved... I took pictures with my iPad (sadly they were not perfect) but they would work if I sent the photos to the DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) with our complaint. We left the camp to visit some of our favorite places locally. A bit of shopping, visiting antique stores and a visit to the library that has free WIFI, giving us a place to reach out to our families to let them know we were there and loving it... mostly. When we got back to camp we wanted to use the wash room and we were awed by the lack of dead trees in our way... Turns out when we thanked the young ranger, he admitted he took a saw and cut them himself....his reason, to get a chainsaw crew it would take days and he did listen to us and wanted to get it done ASAP. He made our day and we made a new friend.
14 people like this
13 responses
@popciclecold (35084)
• United States
6 Aug 18
I am glad to know you were able to get the help you all needed. I live in a wooded area, and that can be dangerous.
3 people like this
• United States
8 Aug 18
@PainsOnSlate That was good he did. Enjoy yourselves.
2 people like this
• Canada
8 Aug 18
The campground is very old and I'm sure some trees come down every year, we were just surprised the new ranger didn't know its a necessity to keep the trails open. but in the end he did take the trees away.
2 people like this
@just4him (306113)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
15 Aug 18
That was awesome he listened to you and got those trees out of the way.
2 people like this
• Canada
18 Aug 18
yes I was a happy camper...
2 people like this
@just4him (306113)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
19 Aug 18
@PainsOnSlate I'm sure you were.
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (157552)
• United States
14 Aug 18
That is outstanding customer service. So glad he did that.
2 people like this
• Canada
14 Aug 18
Me too!
@mesbakh (2284)
• Indonesia
7 Aug 18
it is very good story. we must find our new life, new friends
2 people like this
• Canada
8 Aug 18
I'm glad you liked it.
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25812)
• Pikeville, North Carolina
6 Aug 18
I'm glad the ranger up and did the right thing. His youth in the job probably caused him to want to go by the book at first, but it was also what probably propelled him to ignore the book and do what he knew he ought. Other than the tree incident, it sounds like you're having a very nice camping trip. I envy you. My hip kept me home all summer. But we'll be going at the end of the month and several times during the fall.
2 people like this
• Canada
6 Aug 18
My sister and I started a tradition when our children were very small, our husbands had no desire to ever sleep in a tent and no time to do it anyway. So we took our children and have done it every year since. Our children are adults now, some with their own children and they come and camp with us when they can. My sister and I have been camping since we were children, our parents camped almost every weekend as we grew up. We missed camping during our college years and when we married, but when the kids were walking we started our tradition. The photo is me with my brother before my sister was born with our father camping in the late 1940's.
2 people like this
• United States
9 Aug 18
You are lucky you didn't seriously hurt that new knee (or the old knee). That was very nice of the ranger to cut up the trees and get them out of the way. Hope you enjoy the rest of your camping trip
2 people like this
• Canada
9 Aug 18
We had a blast, we love camping and its over now for the year.
1 person likes this
• United States
18 Aug 18
Glad that he listened to you and took charge of the situation. Hope your knee is okay.
1 person likes this
• Canada
18 Aug 18
I was happy it was taken care of and ASAP.
2 people like this
@shaggin (71664)
• United States
5 Aug 18
It really wouldn't have been much work at all for a Guy with a chainsaw to cut those trees up. I would have been quite annoyed so I'm glad it was taken care of. The internet was so bad while in the Adirondacks this past week that I couldn't access the internet except for a few minutes of the day. To grab some wifi we stopped at a library too as well as the mall and Walmart etc. My daughter loves shopping and the weather was yucky so we spent a lot of time in stores lol
1 person likes this
@shaggin (71664)
• United States
7 Aug 18
@PainsOnSlate as a kid my grandfather lived in Saratoga so we always stopped there to his house to see him on our way to Lake George until he moved to Florida. As a teen my parents took us to see where there is a mineral spring or something like that. On the way to the lake this past week we did drive through Saratoga but didn't stop. I was thinking you lived in Schenectady as a teen. I drove through there and was nervous at the heavy traffic. I set the gps to avoid all the toll booth so it took me through a million different towns on the way up and back lol
1 person likes this
• Canada
6 Aug 18
Where were you in the Adirondacks? Our Sacandaga Campground is near Wells, NY, a very small town. We did find out wifi in the mountains is not always good...
1 person likes this
• Canada
6 Aug 18
@shaggin I grew up in Saratoga County so I've been to Lake George a lot. Last year we did a trip to a few places and went through Lake George too.
1 person likes this
@Shellyann36 (11385)
• United States
17 Aug 18
I am so glad you were not hurt and that you got through to the Ranger and he got things taken care of.
1 person likes this
• Canada
18 Aug 18
me too, I was thinking it would be easy but it took a few conversations with a new ranger younger than my children... he learned a bit from my sister and I...and thankfully he cut the trees out of our trail...
1 person likes this
@cttolledo (5460)
• Legaspi, Philippines
4 Aug 18
So good young ranger.
1 person likes this
• Canada
8 Aug 18
He turned out to be very helpful, I think we taught him a few things he didn't understand. We are friends now...
1 person likes this
@cttolledo (5460)
• Legaspi, Philippines
13 Aug 18
@PainsOnSlate That's good! hope your friendship will last long
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (137145)
• United States
8 Sep 18
Wow! I'm not sure whether he was really wanting to help two... uhhh... young ladies like you and your sister, or whether he just didn't want to find out how heckish you and your sister could make his life if he ignored you. Yeah, for my own peace of mind (and concerns about bodily safety... I remember I did give you my address a long time ago) I am going to say he was a very nice young man who wanted to do everything he could to help the two nice ladies who were camping there. BTW, if you happen to see those nice ladies, please tell them I hope they had a wonderful stay!
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (137145)
• United States
9 Sep 18
@PainsOnSlate Of course, I believe you, pains... *really grinning at you* I have watched how quickly some people can have a change of heart in situations where they may fear for their job or their personal safety... I'm sure the young man felt like he was facing... uhm... well, okay, maybe not, but still that is funny! I AM glad you and your sister had a great time but you still decided to come back to us!
1 person likes this
• Canada
8 Sep 18
He was new and we taught him the way life is camping...He changed his ideas and was very kind for the two of us...we had a great time and always feel down when its time to leave.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325751)
• Rockingham, Australia
5 Aug 18
How nice is that? You were surely within your rights to want the tree moved. I'm glad the ranger saw sense and moved it even if he had to do it himself.
1 person likes this
• Canada
5 Aug 18
We were very happy, and appreciated he did listen to us.
1 person likes this
@YrNemo (20261)
16 Sep 18
I am glad to hear that your sister had told that young guy off. Glad too that he listened . (How is the bruise now, hope it is all gone.)
1 person likes this
• Canada
16 Sep 18
I saw my surgeon when i got home, the bruise was gone, He said it looks to him that I tore a bit of cartilage and said there is nothing to do, it will heal it's self but to call him if it get worse. it didn't, Its normal now.
1 person likes this
@YrNemo (20261)
18 Sep 18
1 person likes this