Lost In The Mountains (part one)

By Maryanna Gabriel 

"Fools rush in where angels fear to tread."
- Alexander Pope

     It was a high school trip. What in the world were we thinking? Hiking the mountains

High school newspaper article. 

behind Whistler in November? You have got to be kidding me. Well, it happened.
     Nineteen of us, on a school outing accompanied by our hiking club sponsor, our math teacher and wife, drove from West Vancouver to the Whistler Mountain area and headed up the trail for Singing Pass with the goal of spending the night in a mountain hut on Russet Lake. Weighted down with overnight gear, and the best of intentions, we made our way up a muddy, snowless trail with a late morning start.
      Wel-l-l-l, the slow ones fell behind as I found myself leaving the tree line with the front half of the group. It being the mountains, it began to snow. 
      "Should I put on my snowshoes?" I asked myself. Darkness fell as the wind picked up, okay, it was a dark and stormy night. Leaning into the wind we took turns breaking trail - hard work as the drifts were waist deep. The last meal was long ago and fatigue was setting in.