This story starts like that of so many other skis, or so I would imagine.Manufactured at the same time they were in fact identical twins in every sense of the word. They were eventually sold to a caring man who from what I've been told, and also witnessed myself, took good care of them for the past ten years or more. Never abusing them and always making sure that they remained together as twins should. That is until today. In what can only be described as a moment of carelessness one of the skis was dropped on the top of a gentle slope.Possibly for the first time the ski found itself alone and without the guidance of it's owner the ski was making the most of it's new found freedom. Gliding easily through the trees the ski make it's way down the slope easily keeping ahead of the owner, who by now was racing after it with little to no chance of catching the runaway ski. Those of us that witnessed this tragic event can attest to his heroic attempt to stop the skis escape. Not being a ski I can only imagine what the ski must have been thinking as it sped through the woods. At first this freedom must have seem wonderful, but as the gentle slope turn into a decline down a steep bank terminating into the deep dark waters of the Mesalonski Stream, the thoughts going through its mind must have been terrifying. The owner could only watch as the ski shot into the air, sailing out over the stream, and then disappearing into those dark waters. Unwilling to plunge into the water to rescue the ski, the owner has destined this ski to spend eternity in its watery grave.

I have no way of knowing what the rest of the group is thinking or how todays tragic event will affect them. Myself, I found that a wonderful day of geocaching was horribly sadden by the death of this ski and on my way home from Oakland I couldn't help but think of the remaining ski. What kind of life will it have now? Will the owner still want it?

Not being one to talk out of turn I'm not going to tell the owners name here. Those that were there know who he was. All I will say is that his initials are T.A.T.