A Tribute for a Very Special Letterboxer Friend

 

I just discovered today while checking into Atlas Quest, to find out if any new letterboxes had been placed around my area, that a very special letterboxer, who I had the pleasure of meeting in person last October, passed away last week, on April 3.

Her passing really made me so sad, and even though I had only met her in person one time, we had chatted so many times via e-mail that I considered us friends.  

I met this wonderful, warm-hearted, friendly, spirited woman in person on October 26, 2011. Her Letterboxing Trail Name was Hi Desert, which was perfect since she lived in Santa Fe.

We had been trying to coordinate a meet-up for months during one of her visits when she drove down to Albuquerque for her chemo treatments. We finally were able to coordinate a meet-up and one day we decided to meet at the Yellow Sub in Albuquerque, where she wanted to find a letterbox that I had placed there last year. As soon as we met, I immediately felt like I had known her for years. And even though she was such a tiny thing, only about 5' tall, and I was an entire foot tall than her, I never felt awkward. We talked for such a long time while enjoying our meal together, that we almost didn't make it out to look for a new letterbox that had just been placed about a week earlier. But we did and I'm so glad, because it was such a fun time enjoying a hike and working out the clues together. Her laughter and her ability to find joy was infectious. And I also enjoyed her curiosity and sense of adventure.

On her Atlas Quest profile page, she included this quote, which seems very fitting, as that is how she lived her life:

Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift - that's why we call it the "present." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

As a tribute to her, I want to share my blog post from that day we spent together just 6 months ago:

Another Dam Letterbox

 

 

Hi Desert, my dear friend, you touched my life and I will never forget you.