This geocache in the Power Trail
series Wandering Heroes is dedicated to feathertop, a quiet, unsuspecting, humble and very polite puzzle
solving geocacher.
But don't let this quiet and mild
outward appearance fool you. After having only found his first
cache on 23 April 2006, he has cached at a rate of around 5 caches
per day, every day. This takes drive and dedication, so
unpacking his achievements in the past gives us some insight into
this amazing hero.
After saving two lives in a brave
rescue, feathertop decided to dedicate his life to becoming a
recluse in Mexico. Living on the outskirts of Meccico city,
where minimal light pollution made for clear skies at night, he had
time on his hands. He liked to travel and hated to fly. So why not
take 2 days to get to Tailem Bend rather than 1?
"To walk down the same steps as these other heros, it's just like
living in the same city, to be in the same city, and out of
Meccico, is a great thing ... it was an honor to be there,"
feathertop says of his time when he realized he, at long long last,
was honoured on THE trail, and of course recognised for his
high up position on the geo-leaderboard in
2010/11.
On most days, feathertop walks down the steps and footpaths of
Gisborne, where he practices his trade as a questioner and
cacher.
"I love my job and I couldn't picture myself working in any other
kind of career," he says.
He doesn't hesitate to tell of his twelve years in the Navy as a
seal, but he is a little more reclusive about his Navy boxing
career. He had 48 wins and no losses.
Feathertop is also modest about his heroic life saving deed. The
two lives feathertop saved belong to Gary and Gail.
"[Gary] is a dialysis patient," Gail says. "Every day is most
precious and requires a lot of caretaking, and that is what I do --
around the clock."
On their way home from the hospital late one afternoon, they were
approaching a stoplight when their brakes failed.
"And I said 'Good Lord, we can't hit those cars.' What a mess, we'd
kill people," Gary says. "So we went up on the footpath and I
remember little gums being there."
Feathertop saw the couple in his rear view mirror as he was heading
out to a FTF.
"[Gary] drove down in the water," feathertop recalls. "And when he
hit the water, they kind of skidded through the water and went
towards the other side and went in the middle out there."
Their car was sinking fast. Feathertop left his car in traffic,
bolted down the bank and dove into the water. "Leaving my car
in illegal positions, momentarily, is a skill us cachers have" he
added.
"It was kinda like diving in to
one of those sink holes after a cache down near Mount Gambier, but
I've never actually done that at the Mount. Even though I have my
penetration dive qualification, it's been some years since I've
done that and with out the proper gear and a buddy, it can be
suicide" ."It's kinda like caching with your mates, it's much more
fun and a lot safer should you stuff up, or if your mojo is off the
boil".
Gail continued, "I rolled down my window and there was Mr.
feathertop, just in that instant" .
Feathertop pulled Gail out through the window and put her on his
back.
Two other rescuers struggled to help Gary, but time was running
out.
"I figured this is all she wrote," Gary says. "I said, 'Lord, here
I am, is this it?'"
Feathertop's Navy days of water rescue and caching prepared him
well for the event.
"I didn't understand why we couldn't get him out," feathertop says.
"But I knew one thing. He was not going down -- not on my
ship. Failure was not an option!"
But the sinking car's powerful undertow was pulling feathertop
under.
"I just grabbed him and kind of jerked him three or four times
until I could get him out of the vehicle before it completely
submerged underwater," feathertop remembers.
With Gary and Gail safely on shore, feathertop left for home
without giving anyone his name. Well that's what they
thought. He really was off for a FTF but, alas, he can't
remember if there was another name in the log book to this
day.
The postman assembled his letter carriers the next day trying to
find the anonymous rescuer; only then did feathertop humbly step
forward.
Gary and Gail's lives took yet another cruel turn after their
ordeal. Gary had to have both legs amputated due to complications
from diabetes. He wanted to take up geocaching, thinking he
couldn't. Little did he know that after they all got
together, feathertop took Gary out for a days caching. Sure, the
terrain didn't worry either of them after what they had been
through.
And Gail's life got so busy she never had the chance to say thank
you to her hero, until recently.
"God is all great, greater than any of us. But the greatest angels
on earth are the heroes," she says. "And, Mr. feathertop is a
hero. "When I heard about the geocaching Wandering Hero's
trail, I was amazed when I didn't see feathertop's name on
there. But after all, it is in an out of the way spot in
South Australia, way way north of the border. You wouldn't
expect them to have heard of us" she said.