Whether known or unknown, our freshwater spring line ran dry a few weeks ago. It’s a web of shallow piping with no markings, winding over 300 yards + of the canyon and wild growth. What appeared to be an undiscoverable crack turned from a fun problem to a stressful nightmare.
What if the spring is dry? What if we can’t fix it? What if we can’t open it? What if our land gets too dry? SO MANY WHAT IFS.
It often feels like we are modern-day rookie homesteaders, unsuccessfully battling Mother Nature and all the antiquated man-made systems designed to tame her. The occasional harmony we find by fixing one thing tends to unleash a new collapse elsewhere. And this spring was the loudest and longest yet. Haunting us daily while we marched forward elsewhere.
Then, we put out a genuine call for help. Folks familiar and foreign to Maple's past surfaced to do what they could. Fixtures like Travis the old manager, provided guidance remotely, past owners like Jay Stocking mobilized knowledge sharing, even though the deal is long done, and complete strangers, Travis Gneiting and Owen Phillips, showed up unannounced, tools in hand, to investigate.
Fast forward a week later, Owen shows up with his brother-in-law, dad, sisters, and dog. They run into the hills with nobody looking and don’t come down until the water runs. They live near Preston and simply couldn’t sit by while their generational knowledge of hydrology experience went untapped. They bickered and debated amongst themselves about whose idea was best, about why this and why that. It was a family affair to solve a community problem. They didn’t ask for a thing. But they left every Maple guest pretty much everything- Fresh, clean, running WATER! These are who we call lifetime soakers!
A reminder to focus on our talents and knowledge when friends, family, neighbors, and strangers show signs of needing help. Sometimes they ask, but usually, they don’t. But nearly 100 percent of human problems can be fixed by fellow humans. So get out there like the Phillips and make someone’s day a whole lot better!