I heard from Jeff via Facebook late Friday afternoon. He had arrived at the hostel as planned... but there was a hiccup in the journey already... His major box of gear hadn't made it to the hostel, even though his tracking information said "delivered." Lost.
The box contained EVERYTHING (pretty much) that Jeff needed to load in his pack. Boots, clothes, pots and pans... all in all about $500 worth of gear. Financially, it would be a blow to replace. Mentally and emotionally, it was an even bigger devastation. For months, Jeff had painstakingly selected the few items he would bring on the journey. Each object's importance was determined based on size, weight and level of necessity on the trail. Propane to heat food? Yes, it was packed. Fourth pair of underwear? Nah, three would be fine. Not enough room. And so on...
When I heard from Jeff via Facebook, he was going through the emotions of loss. Denial, anger, sadness (all this, yes, a sister can ascertain from a few short instant messages). The post office was supposedly closed until Monday - so not only could he not start the trail on Saturday as anticipated, he wouldn't even know if the box was confirmed lost or stolen until Monday morning!
Immediately, I googled "Dahlonega Post Office" and took a stab at a phone call to the Georgia number. To my surprise, someone answered! The USPS employee said he was in the office late and only answered the phone by chance, they were indeed closed since noon. After a little explanation and a plead for help, he looked around the office for the box with Jeff's name on it. Viola! It was found!
After I hung up with the post office, the nice USPS worker I spoke with called the hostel and reported the good news! He even let them come pick up the box right away! How's that for southern hospitality?
Basically, this is what went wrong. The box had in fact been "delivered" to the correct spot (the Dahlonega Post Office). However, when the office receives boxes intended for P.O. Box addresses (in this case, the hostel's) they put a notification slip in the P.O. Box. The slip must've gone in the wrong box at the office, so the hostel was unaware of its arrival.
Long story short... Jeff, and full gear, took off Saturday morning.
In a related story... prior to Jeff's departure from Catskill, he already had an issue sending this very same box. The box contained a propane tank and the Catskill Post Office was not going to allow him to send it. He went home and did some research, eventually going back to the Post Office and citing the very exact byline in the rules (Section 56 B, Law 78 or something...) that stated that he indeed COULD legally send propane via mail. He claims he said to himself "I'm the Postmaster now," a take on the 'Captain Philips' line "I'm the Captain now." He even considered coining himself 'The Postmaster' as a trail name! When ending my conversation with him on Friday, I said... "uh, Guess you ain't no 'Postmaster, Jeff!"
And, once again, things come full circle. ;)
The box contained EVERYTHING (pretty much) that Jeff needed to load in his pack. Boots, clothes, pots and pans... all in all about $500 worth of gear. Financially, it would be a blow to replace. Mentally and emotionally, it was an even bigger devastation. For months, Jeff had painstakingly selected the few items he would bring on the journey. Each object's importance was determined based on size, weight and level of necessity on the trail. Propane to heat food? Yes, it was packed. Fourth pair of underwear? Nah, three would be fine. Not enough room. And so on...
When I heard from Jeff via Facebook, he was going through the emotions of loss. Denial, anger, sadness (all this, yes, a sister can ascertain from a few short instant messages). The post office was supposedly closed until Monday - so not only could he not start the trail on Saturday as anticipated, he wouldn't even know if the box was confirmed lost or stolen until Monday morning!
Immediately, I googled "Dahlonega Post Office" and took a stab at a phone call to the Georgia number. To my surprise, someone answered! The USPS employee said he was in the office late and only answered the phone by chance, they were indeed closed since noon. After a little explanation and a plead for help, he looked around the office for the box with Jeff's name on it. Viola! It was found!
After I hung up with the post office, the nice USPS worker I spoke with called the hostel and reported the good news! He even let them come pick up the box right away! How's that for southern hospitality?
Basically, this is what went wrong. The box had in fact been "delivered" to the correct spot (the Dahlonega Post Office). However, when the office receives boxes intended for P.O. Box addresses (in this case, the hostel's) they put a notification slip in the P.O. Box. The slip must've gone in the wrong box at the office, so the hostel was unaware of its arrival.
Long story short... Jeff, and full gear, took off Saturday morning.
In a related story... prior to Jeff's departure from Catskill, he already had an issue sending this very same box. The box contained a propane tank and the Catskill Post Office was not going to allow him to send it. He went home and did some research, eventually going back to the Post Office and citing the very exact byline in the rules (Section 56 B, Law 78 or something...) that stated that he indeed COULD legally send propane via mail. He claims he said to himself "I'm the Postmaster now," a take on the 'Captain Philips' line "I'm the Captain now." He even considered coining himself 'The Postmaster' as a trail name! When ending my conversation with him on Friday, I said... "uh, Guess you ain't no 'Postmaster, Jeff!"
And, once again, things come full circle. ;)
Wow! What a moving story about the lost package and your call to the post office, Carly. The short downer turned into a big upper, I'm sure, and this should put a little jump in his stride. :-)
ReplyDeleteHey Jeff,
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to meeting you on top of Mt Greylock on your way through MA. God speed.
John Gallagher
See what happens when you leave NY, people are actual human beings…with feelings! hahaha
ReplyDelete