Chances

the pay period started out on the Sawtooth Wilderness, working around Stanley, Idaho. Stacey (my crew leader) and i had to change plans a little because of time constraints and some missing information on one of the plots. not being able to do that plot north of Stanley sent us down south to do a couple of plots around Ketchum. We were quite a ways away from our homebase in Salmon.

so, there i was. we were just getting off a plot on the Ketchum Ranger District. we hit the trailhead parking lot east of the Greenhorn Guard Station about 3:30. Stacey and i were putting our gear away, and making sure that i had everything to start up our next pay period. we were on our last day together for the current pay period and headed in different directions for our days off.

standing at the back of the work truck, unloading my work pack, i looked over at a few mountain bikers getting ready to ride the trail. i was wondering if i would like to ride the trail Stacey and i had just hiked. as i watched the bikers unload, one of them finally came in to focus. i started to take a couple steps towards the bikers...

"Dave?"

Jeremy Jarnecke, my last supervisor on the Uinta National Forest (that place that i worked for for the last 4+ years), his wife and a couple of their friends were getting ready to head out on the trial.

i finished making my way over and Jeremy and i had a short chat. we confirmed that i was on the clock and that he was on vacation. and then Jeremy said, "Wow. What are the chances that we'd both be here at the same time?"

i wasn't sure how to respond to that one.

(these kinds of things just seem to happen to me.)