R and J in the USA

July 11, 2024

People can be really nice. We were reminded of that after we got our van stuck in loose rock on the shores of Acadia National Park as a result of operator error. (Ryan admits being the operator.) Within one minute of getting stuck a person stopped to help us, and within three minutes four more people stopped to help.

Ryan (a different Ryan), a local lobsterman, happened to be driving by in his truck. Before we had even gotten out of the van to assess the situation, and without even seeing us or greeting us, Ryan was on his stomach shoveling rocks away from our embedded front tires with his bare hands.

As we joined Ryan in the rock shoveling, two couples visiting from Quebec stopped to offer their assistance. One of the couples had a winch on their Subaru Crosstrek. They had not yet used the winch, and weren’t sure how it would do against the weight of our van, but they immediately offered to try and pull us out with it.

The other couple helped us remove our bike rack so we could hook the winch cable to the van’s tow hitch. Ryan and the first Quebec couple hooked the winch cable to the van and discussed their plan of attack. Ryan knew how to handle the rocks. Being a local, this was likely not his first rodeo. He pointed out the various things we needed to be careful of when extricating the van. He even hopped behind the wheel of the van and backed it out while the winch was pulling.

We were grateful for the help, of course. We were also grateful for how quick, cheerful, and unquestioning they were in their help. None of them seemed bothered by the ordeal, even while getting rained on. None of them shook their head or made a comment about our getting stuck, even though our mistake clearly could have (and probably should have) been avoided. They just got down to business.

Ryan stayed and talked with us for a few minutes after the others had left. Born and raised in the area, this is his first year going out on his own as a lobsterman. He said he loved lobstering, was glad to be setting out on his own, and that he has a license for 80 traps.

All five people who stopped to help went above and beyond, but Ryan really stood out to us. He saw a problem and went at it right away. He didn’t even ask if we needed help. He could see that we did, so he went to work. He was friendly, enthusiastic, and sincere.

Though we were not happy to get stuck, we were glad for the experience, because it reminded us of the goodness people have and are willing to offer each other.