Doug needs your help now

Hello I am Jennifer a friend of Doug Van der Linden. Doug was the caretaker and campground host in the central Sierra Nevadas for 17 years. He was a fixture and a wealth of information for everyone traveling through the area. He has hiked many if not all of the peaks between Edison Lake and the town of Bishop. If you have been to Mono Hot Springs in the last 20 years you surely met Doug. In 2020 The Creek Fire threatened the Kaiser Wilderness, Mono Hot Springs resort and campground, Vermillion Valley Resort and campground. When the majority of us evacuated in helicopters, Doug stayed behind, waving from Old Pedro as we flew away in the smoke. It was a good thing he stayed, he proved to be invaluable to the firefighters proving them with much needed information about the area. I can say with certainty that the firefighters were very happy that Doug had a nice campfire ready for them each morning for their meeting. Doug came out of the mountain in 2021. He moved in with a good friend in El Dorado Hills. It affords him good proximity to his doctors. As many of you know Doug has cancer. He is fighting this cancer. He has had rounds of chemo and radiation. Mostly those don’t bother him as much as the hydration in between treatments. For many, many years Doug lived outside in nature, the birds, the bears and our friend. The cost of living on the mountain was minimal there were no copays, no fuel cost for travel, no rent. It is safe to say that there will come a time when these costs will get to much for him, the time is close. $4000 will help get him caught up with the current bills. There will be more copays, more tanks of gas in the truck and the rent will still need to be paid. I have not told him I’m asking you all for your help, he would not want to put you out. He would not want to burden you. So please don’t be put out or burden by ME asking you to help our friend Doug. I am willing to bet he helped you out once or twice and I am sure that you experienced his generosity of heart and spirt. Please share this with the folks I don’t have contacts for. Doug is know by so many people, so many more than I can even IMAGINE. I IMAGINE that we can come together, with the brother and sisterhood of all. Doug is the dreamer, and he is not the only one I hope some day you can join us and….well you know the rest of the words