Fenton, MI — October 1, 2020
Social media sometimes gets a bad rap for negativity and there can be too much news that is not good news. Every once in a while a story comes out that shows there are plenty of great people in the world and you often encounter them just when you need them. Such is the case with Ashley Lynne of Frankenmuth, MI.
Last weekend Ashley, her dad, and a friend were enjoying Michigan’s outdoors with a visit to one of the State’s natural wonders, Tahquamenon Upper Falls. When a short hike almost turned tragic. You don’t need to hear the story from me when Ashley did such a wonderful job of documenting what happened on the Facebook page PureUP.
“I was at Tahquamenon Upper Falls on Sunday, September 27. As we left the closest viewing platform, my 77-year-old Dad got impatient and said he would meet my friend and I back at the pub. I didn’t even think about how he’s a very inexperienced hiker. Even though it’s a 5-minute walk down a paved path he took the wrong fork which led to stairs and another viewing platform but instead of turning around, he ended up on the wooded trail to the lower falls. He walked for over a mile by himself while I ran around searching for him before calling DNR. He ended up falling a few times, hurting his leg and getting disoriented in the woods.
I was approached by a woman in a purple jacket who asked if I was looking for an older man (I must have looked pretty frantic). She led me to him on the trail where he was helped by her husband and another couple. Everything was so crazy and emotional while it was going on that neither of us got any of their names. We are hoping that maybe we can find out who they are and properly thank them with what little information we know. I do understand this may be a long shot.
Woman in purple jacket and husband from Southern Michigan near the Indiana border. The husband helped my Dad off the trail while she ran ahead to get help and find his family. She was amazing at trying to help keep me calm.
The other couple was from Fenton. The wife is a Physical Therapist who checked out my Dad’s leg and also helped him out of the woods. I believe her husband had a darker labradoodle with him.
Also please let this serve as a reminder to everyone. Keep your inexperienced hikers and elderly close, even if you think it’s a simple walk. It was a terrifying few hours and I am so thankful for the waitstaff in the pub who called the DNR and were so sweet to my friend and I, the amazing DNR who got him out quickly, bandaged him, and provided comforting words and for the 4 kind strangers that helped get him off the trail, made sure he was OK and found his family.
It does not surprise us that one of the couples involved in the happy ending to this story is from Fenton. Our community is full of many people who, without a moment’s hesitation, reach out to help someone in need. Ashley would like to contact the couple and express her thanks. We would love to hear the other side of the story, publicly or anonymously. If you see this article and wish to share, please reach out. Contact us: news@thelascopress.com
