On The Tandy Hills Finding Missing T-Shirts, Bike Pushers & Babies

Yesterday I lost a t-shirt on the Tandy Hills.

Today I found it.

Apparently I'd dropped the t-shirt just a short time before I realized it was missing.

The t-shirt was laying, like a ghost on the ground, about half way up the south trail that leads to the top of Mount Tandy. The t-shirt was none the worse for having spent the night braving the Tandy Hills elements.

I saw a couple strange things on the Tandy Hills today. Human things. I got pictures, but the pictures don't really illustrate what was strange.

As I walked on to the Tandy Hills via the View Street Main trail, about halfway to the overlook over I-30, I met a guy pushing a bike. A 10 speed bike, not a mountain bike. I have seen a guy on a mountain bike a time or two on the Tandy Hills.

I don't think you'd try to mountain bike the Tandy Hills more than once. The trails just are not conducive to that activity. That and bikes are banned in the park, along with horses, motorbikes and golf carts.

Why would anyone push his bike down that trail, I wondered? I assumed he was walking the bike due to the park's bike prohibition.

And then, as I was leaving the Tandy Hills I see the same guy pedaling towards me, this time riding the bike on the street. He was also holding a big bag. He got to the park entry just as I got to the exit. He hopped off his bike and once more walked it past the 'No Bikes" sign. The bag was from McDonald's. He was back in the park for lunch.

Prior to seeing the bike guy a second time I saw another guy. He was by where some blue flags were stuck in the ground. From the distance it looked like he was writing in a notebook. I assumed he must be a TWU student working on the study that involves the flags.

I continued on towards the guy, he started walking down the trail, where it comes to a steep downhill. What I was doing was heading down another trail so I could hike up that steep trail for my last steep trail climb of the day.

As I continued down the trail I saw the guy to my left, also heading down the hill. I get to the bottom, head back up the trail the guy was on, me assuming we would quickly cross paths.

I get to the top of the climb. No guy in sight. Where could he have gone. Off trail? Seems like I still should have been able to see him.

I continued on, taking a trail that angles back to the overlook over I-30. I get there and there's the guy. How did he get there? When I saw him walking he was not a fast walker. Kept stopping to look at stuff.

So, I'm looking at the guy, with me thinking he is working on his project, taking notes. He turns sideways and what is he holding? A notebook?

No. A baby!

Why would anyone hike in this location with a baby? And how did he get so far ahead of me on the trail? It spooked me.

And what does the fortuitous finding of my missing t-shirt mean? Is it an omen that my ominous string of bad things is over? Finding that t-shirt, today, really is the first good thing to happen to me in a long long time. What a miracle.