Grizzly

I was hiking with my friend Spencer.  He was my best friend since 3rd grade.  He was basically my  best childhood  buddy.  We were going to hike down the Grizzly Ridge trail to the campsite, and spend the night.   We had all of our camping gear in our large backpacks.  I locked the car,  and we headed off onto the trail.  We walked and walked, heading up higher every mile.  We were on the ridge now, but we still had the comforting shade of the tall pines around mile 4, I found a gap in the thick trees and I spotted a mountain goat up on the ridge just above us.  It looked like a little white fluff ball, that was using some magical power to somehow remain perfectly balanced on a tiny ledge, thinner than a car tire. Spencer looked through his binoculars, and said it was eating some plants growing along the ridge.  Spencer was the type of person who tries to sound smart, yet is really quite dumb.  We were both tired and sweating, so at mile 9 we stopped for a quick snack.  I sat down on a big boulder, alongside Spencer.  I tore open the cracker bag and handed him a few, he ate them so fast that I just gave him the bag to finish.  Just as he was about to finish the last few crackers, I felt the ground shake below me.  It was a few thumps, then it stopped.  I didn’t think spencer noticed it, so I didn’t tell him incase he freaked out and did something stupid.  About a few minutes later I felt it again, and heard it this time too.  I heard some rustling in the leaves just around the next corner of the trail.  I slowly grabbed my pack, and motioned for Spencer to stay perfectly still.  All of a sudden the cracker bag flung out of Spencer’s grasp, and we watched, as a little grizzly bear cub nibbled away at the crumbs.  Spencer shoved the cub away, and that was the mistake.  Mama grizzly bear rounded the trail corner, stood on her hind legs, and roared. The roar was so loud that my eardrums ached.  Birds flew away out of the tops of the trees.  Squirrels darted to and fro, and then the grizzly charged, and attacked Spencer.  It rammed into the front of me, pushing me aside, and I tumbled down the side of the ridge, falling through sharp bushes, and hitting rocks and pine trees, and that was when I went unconscious.  The last thing I saw, was the bear open its jaws,  and bite Spencer. 

I woke up, yet I was still dizzy.  I was at the bottom of the steep hill with the lunch box next to me.  I looked behind me and saw a trickle of blood down the side of the hill from where the trail must have been.  I knew Spencer was gone.  I just froze.  I had so many thoughts going through my mind.  I had built up a hatred of legendary proportions.  I wanted to just explode.  I burst into tears.  My best friend was dead.  I had no idea what to do.  The one friend my entire life who had always been there for me.

I couldn’t climb the hill because it was much too steep and I feared that the bear might still be up there.  The huge pine trees created a cooling shade, and I had to find a way back to the trail.  I ran, which was silly considering I didn’t have much food in the lunch box.  In fact the only food I had was a few cookies and the crumbs of the cracker box.  I was still running, when I realized I didn’t know were or what I was running toward, because I didn't know where the trail above me turned and it was completely invisible because of the thick layer of pines.  It was hopeless.  And I was lost. 

[12 days later] I had been surviving off of huckleberries that I picked from the bushes to the left of my camp, and I had been drinking the river water from the melting snow pack up high in the mountains.  I had no idea if I would ever make it out alive, or ever get to see my family again.  I worried about them almost more than I worried about myself.  They probably thought I was dead.  When I thought about it I probably should’ve stayed at the base of the hill where I fell, but there was no source of food or water there, and I might’ve starved to death before anyone found me.  I still had my backpack with the camping supplies and the lunchbox.  I had set up my tent next to the river.  The tent wouldn’t protect me from much, but for now it was the best I had.  I had emptied my backpack a few days ago, and I had some pretty good survival equipment.  I had a little green battery powered lantern that was my lucky item so to speak,  30 feet of rope,  some duct tape, and a plastic baggy.  It was some pretty impressive loot for being stranded, but then again I had never been in any survival situation before, infact when I was 6 I would get lost in a 9 aisle grocery store and not know what to do. 

[Day 17]

I was going insane.  I couldn't keep myself going.  I had diarrhea every day from all the berries, and I was sick and I had a stomach ache 24/7.  I was ready to just give up.  I kicked my tent.  I threw my camping supplies 8 yards down the river bank.  Then I picked up my green lamp,  which I had taken on every expedition I ever had as a little kid, and  I chucked it at a nearby tree.  The glass shattered, and the light went on.  And that ended up saving my life.  The lamp burst into flames.  The tree caught fire, and all the dead pine needles roared up in flames.  Smoke billowed into the heavens, like a volcano erupting.  I watched my green lamp burn to ash, and a tear came to my eye.  It was just a lamp.  The fire was spreading quickly, and I had to stop worrying about a little lamp and get in the river fast.  I jumped in with a large splash. 

I heard a noise, kind of like a chopping noise, and then about 15 minutes later I saw the first ‘copter.  Bright red, with a giant bucket below it.  Then the next few came.  I waved and hollered and splashed around in the river, trying to catch their attention.  One of the helicopters started to descend towards me.  It stopped about 20 feet above me and one of the fire fighters dropped a long yellow chair on a pulley type contraption down.  It swayed a lot, and I could barely get myself into the small seat at the bottom.  I finally grabbed hold.  There was a small seatbelt type strap that I put around my waist.  They winched up the cable, with me strapped to the bottom.  One of them was waiting at the open door to the chopper, and there were 2 more in the main bay.  I got to the top and they gave me a headset, unstrapped me, and asked me a few questions.  “Sir, are you alright!”  “Yes” I responded but he signaled me to speak louder. “Yes!”  The man then told me that we were going to fly back to the station and get me to civilization.  The flight wasn’t long, and it felt nice to sit in a real chair.  We landed, and they brought me into the station to ask me more questions.  “Why were you out there off the trail by yourself?” the man asked.  I told him the whole story, about being attacked, and he immediately knew who I was.  “You were on the news, a hiker came by and saw the remains and reported it to the police.  Your friend had his neck bitten by the bear.”  I knew Spencer was dead, but the entire time I hoped maybe he had somehow not been killed.  The man asked me where I lived, I told him, and asked if he had a phone I could call my parents with.  He gave me one from the wall of the room.  “Hello?”  “Mom it’s me I’m ok!” “Mathew!? You survived!?”  “Ya mom.”  “Where are you?”  “I’m at the Glacier Park Fire Station.”  “I’ll be there in as soon as I can!”  “Love you mom.” “Bye”  The man showed me out into the waiting room at the front of the station.  15 minutes later,  I saw my parents in the silver mercedes.”  My dad was driving.  My mom jumped out of the passenger seat and ran to the door of the station with her arms out.  I started to cry.  I ran into her arms, and cried and cried.  “I love you mom.” “I love you too Mat.”  My dad gave me a great big hug.  “How did you survive?”  “I don’t really know.” I responded.  “Love you Mat.”

[14 months later]

It took me over a year to regain the courage to hike again.  Glacier National Park awaited.  We wouldn't go on the same trail that the incident happened on, so we hiked along a slight hill to a lake about 3 miles ahead.  My dad and my mom were hiking with me.  My dad twisted his ankle so we sat down to rest for a few minutes.  Then, I felt the earth, rumble below me.