Lost and Found

The shiny, clean Subaru pulled over and a friendly voice from behind a surgical mask asked, “Everything OK? You need a ride to the next stop?” Was it the fact that everything in my too-heavy backpack was strewn along the berm lining the side of the road?

Was it the panicked look on my friend’s face as she double-checked my mini–stuff sacks full of first-aid items and toothpaste? Was it the despair on my face as the reality set in—after a successful three-day, 35-mile first backpacking trip in 40 years—my car keys were gone.

Last summer, the pandemic surging, my friend