Lost In The Mountains - (part three)

By Maryanna Gabriel


  Not one missing soul had found the hut in the night. They were out there somewhere in the storm and there wasn't a thing we could do about it. Too worried and tired to eat much I curled myself to the wall wondering about our teacher and friends. Eventually I fell asleep. 

     At three in the morning one of us got up and made food, we had hot dogs, the buns being with our friends, and most of us joined in. We whispered to each other that they may have been able to bivouac if they were below the tree line. Hopefully they were together.

     The day dawned in diamond brilliance  and so we began our descent in the

I come down from Sining Pass. 

blinding sun. With the deep powder, I put on my snow shoes. We could see smoke in the trees. There they were in a wet huddle around a fire and just as glad to see us. Slowly their story emerged with angst around the hot dog bun dinner.

     The bigger story told, and worry shared, was our teacher and wife. They had been caught between the two groups well above the tree line. Not able to go on, they had dug into a snow cave and while branches had been put down for bedding they had gotten wet to the skin with soaking wet sleeping bags. Hypothermic, they said their goodbyes to each other. It was night that would change their lives forever.

     And so we were all alive and together as we made it down the mountain.