So, Tiddly Pom shows up like a winter storm. Blowing into town, and making everyone's cheeks rosy. I had some dialogue with them when we met up on the trails. By dialogue I mean, they just talked and talked and talked. For what seems like it could have been twenty years. The dialogue was off and on, but interesting and I've grown a respect for them as a fellow adventurer. We share some similar battles and commiserated on our shared frustrations in life. All in all Tiddly Pom (I think that's their hipster name) is an individual that i have grown to trust. So, enter Park Ranger. Now, firstly, anyone working in law enforcement (I include park rangers in this) are usually suffering from some form of psychosis. I say this because it takes a special kind of person to strap a gun to their hip daily and parade around with a superiority complex whilst feigning any interactions with people. So the park ranger approaches my camp and asks what I'm doing. I explained the variety of reasons for my stay, and the objectives. They expressed an envy for my efforts and objectives. Something that doesn't garner a whole lot of clout in my books. I mean this is my reality, it can be anyone's if they want it to be. Don't envy something you wished you could have, go out and make it yours!
The ranger and I interacted regularly over a few weeks and they came across as relatively normal. That is until Tiddly Pom met them, told them they were loony. Then it was like all stops were pulled and full blown psychotic snap! It wasn't clear to me immediately what was going on, but as time progressed things started becoming a bit less hazy.
The final straw was when the park ranger lost their radio and I found it. Upon its return to them, they reacted like I had intentionally taken the radio. I mean really, I hardly need your radio. I have my own wizardly technology that I tend to. Being able to speak to your group of people with your radio has about as much interest to me as using the icicles forming on the pine trees as enemas. No thank you! So with them being full blown in criminal investigation mode (read: accusation mode) I was no longer interested in the brownies they were selling! I asserted that I didn't take it, get over it, and go back to making smores!
Later on I watched as the park ranger, punch drunk and flying on their sugar high, had grabbed a tracker that belonged to the hiker! What the shit! Why are you taking stuff? They ran behind a tree and looked back screaming. "You took my radio!!!!!!!" As if by yelling the trees would come to help them. Over and over they maniacally wailed "you took my radio! You took my radio!!!"
I had taken in enough of this little demon drama, and asked them to politely give back the tracker and we could go about our business. They were trying to evade me, so I did what any person would do in this situation, I grabbed them and restrained them so that I could secure the property that didn't belong to them. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I would be facing this predicament, but alas, I retrieved the device and went about my evening.
The next day, the ranger returned to their post, and from what I've gathered from sources in town (my supply people) is that they continued to enjoy the effects of their psychotic break and the local sheriffs were called in to contend with them. I'm not sure where they went but, the ranger hasn't been seen for a few days. I'll hope they're somewhere getting assistance for their paranoid delusional attack and will come out the other end improved with some coping skills to avoid future breaks.
Needless to say, it was an interesting encounter. The hiker has gone back to town, when I descend from my base camp I'll be sure to return their property, and move on from the short stint of infatuation with said hiker. Not a lot more to be said about that.
I've had an opportunity to reflect on the situation, and have realized that I'm not sure I made a great choice on how open this base camp is. I'll be scouting a new base camp position and what that looks like over the next while. Until then, I'm covert enough that I shouldn't need to worry too much about visitors and guests.
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