There’s this awesome park just outside of Atlanta called Sweetwater. Its taken care of by the state so the condition it’s in is top notch. R and I went there to go do some hiking and to get outside for a while. Not only but Ataneq needed the time to run around and burn some energy. As a husky he is always ready to rock and roll and because of that you have to be ready to tire him out. So R and I took Ataneq and went out to have some fun. I had never been there before so it was nice change of pace and it was beautiful outside. The temperature was in the 70's- 80's and there was a nice cool breeze to keep us from overheating.
Once we got to the park we got everything together and got out of the car. Then with the three of us we started on the trail. One of the things I like about R is that he is never boring. There is always something going on and he always seems to have things happen to him. This hike was no different.
WE start on the trail and were talking a little bit as we walk when we walk past this family who seemed to be in hysterics. At first I thought it was because the mom was handling so many children at once. There had to be at least four with her and I know from experience that handling a lot of children can be a lot for one person. So we kept going and then R stops and tells me to wait. I stop and listen in. The mom is asking one of the kids where her mother was. She was looking around in a panic and seemed to be unsure of what to do. R turns around and starts asking what was going on. Apparently one of the kids got separated from her parents and was trying to figure out where they went.
R started asking for her name, what she remembered and so forth. In the process he hands me Ataneq so that I can keep him occupied while he tries to help out. All things considering this girl was put together and knew the names of her parents, the type of car they drove, their names, and even a phone number. With that information R and I decided to let the child stay with the family while we went to the ranger station. So the three of us took off and made our way there.
Once we arrived R went inside to report that he had found a lost child while I kept Ataneq distracted. While I was waiting I happened to overhear a conversation between a women and one of the rangers. Let me just say that the ranger seemed completely calm and didn’t seem like she was all that concerned. Her response to the women was "Well we let everyone know, if we find her we will notify you immediately". Taking a second I jumped in the conversation and asked if the lady was missing a child. The women immediately looked at me and I could tell that her eyes went wide. She stepped forward and nodded, "yes, yes I am missing a child". Moving towards her and keeping a firm grip on Ataneq I told her what happened and that we found her up the trail. She started asking where and I told her that she was at the start of the trail head and we would take her there but first I needed to get R so we can head that way.
The ranger offered to hold Ataneq but being cautious and knowing that he wasn’t mine I held onto him and waited. A minute later R came back out and quickly we started back the way we came. It took a few minutes and in that time we learned what happened. This mother was all by herself and had only the one child to look after. From her story it seemed that her kid had ran ahead of her and was going back and forth on the trail head. Somewhere in there she lost track of the child and started going hysterical. The mother and child were at least a half mile apart from each other and I was completely blown away that she just lost her and that she wasn’t more aware of her surroundings. I mean it is your child, I would think you would be more attentive then that.
Once we reached the family we sat back as they were reunited. It felt good to see them together and to know that they were safe. WE all shook hands, smiled at each other and thanked one another and from there R, Ataneq and I departed and started our little hike for the day. TO say the least I was glad that we showed up when we did. I’m not sure if they would have found each other so soon or what the other mother would have done. Honestly it could have been a very long day for them.
Now I can say that I did my one good thing for the year.
