In 1998 my father, Todd Shikegane and I toured the Northwest in my friend's van. Arriving at Mt. Ranier in the morning Todd and I went for a hike. My father remained in the lodge by the fire with his crossword puzzle. In his 80s his tramping days were over.
The path climbed through sunny alpine meadows to the tree line. We were both wearing adequate gear. About an hour later Todd and I were caught in a snowstorm. I recommended going down. Todd kept on going. I watched him disappear to the flurries and descended to reach the lodge after a two hour descent. I reported to the rangers that my friend was still on the mountain. They weren't too concerned. It was still daylight. I went into the lodge and sat by my father, who asked, "Where's Todd?"
"He kept going."
He looked up at the cloudy mountain and said, "Oh well, he'll show up later. Care for a glass of wine."
Of course I said yes and Todd showed up thirty minutes later. A little cold. He also had a glass of wine.
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