We had a study plot to look at that required us to drive in 20 miles or so into an area over roads that were not maintained. Scott drove in, claiming roads we too far gone to let anyone else do it, and he had been out here before. This was fine with me. Even though we had all been required to pass an off-road driving test when hired, he could do as he pleased.
Due to the length of time it took to get into the area, we would have to stay overnight at our base camp, an old cabin that was long ago abandoned. Our plot was another few miles from the cabin. We hiked out to the plot in the morning. Getting to the plot was not a problem. We were there and finished by eleven or so. We decided we would hike back to a designated spot to eat, and then do another plot after lunch.
Here was the trouble. Scott wanted to hike back via the river, thinking that it looked more direct to get back to our lunch spot. The smog specialist, whose name escapes me, figured it would be better to stick to the routes we knew. The way we navigated to the plots was by use of 3-D photos of the area. Scott had looked very quickly at one of the photos and decided he wanted to go via the river. The entomologist wanted to go with him. I stuck with the smog guy. We split the photos. Of course, to see the 3-D version, you need two. Scott had not looked at his proposed route in 3-D. If they came upon anything they could not get through, they would be out of luck choosing a new route.
Our route was just fine, except for one spot where there was not a trail across a 15-foot expanse of bare cliff. Of course, falling down this slope would put us at the river, if we were lucky enough to survive the fall. There had been a trial last time they had come this way, but it must have fallen away into the river since then. My co-worker asked how much experience I had had in a situation like this. I knew the basic theory of navigating this sort of hazard, but this was a first for that distance, and for that kind of hazard waiting below. Keep your polaski on the uphill side, and the edge of the soles of your boots into the cliff and each alternating foot fall as if the ground was level at that place. Easy. He went first, after telling me to watch how he did it. I followed. And I would not have even thought anything about it if I could have done it not knowing the river was down a couple of hundred feet, and there would be no real way to stop if I had slipped. But, I made it just fine. We sped up our pace after that thinking that if the shortcut had worked for Scott; they might already be waiting for us.
But we were the first to arrive. We waited. We eventually ate. We waited a bit more, and then figured it would be too late to do the next plot then even if they did show up. Then we decided something must have happened to them. We left a note in a tree that they would be bound to see if they came by, and we hiked back to camp. They were not at camp either. Of course, when things go wrong, they go wrong in a big way. Scott still had the keys to the jeep. Not only were we unable to drive for help, but all of our supplies were also locked in the jeep. My co-worker decided he had better start hiking out for help. Around ten miles out and back up a dirt road there had been a road up to some sort of radar site. That was his destination. I stayed to wait and to try to break into the jeep.
Getting into the jeep was not a real problem. I had a buck knife that had been a present from my wife’s parents. I finally was able to slip it into the vent window, flip the latch up, and somehow snake my arm in to release the lock. At least I had access to supplies and food. Hey, I had the easy job. One crew member was hiking out ten miles for help. Part of my crew had already been missing for four hours. All I had to do was to wait for them to show up. After six hours, I did not figure they would show up. After eight hours, I assumed they were both dead. This was turning into a very unpleasant summer.
Then, somewhere around 10 pm, I heard them. They stumbled into camp. It reminded me of how I must have looked that afternoon they brought me to the hospital. They both appeared to be OK. No broken bones or major cuts. I could tell they were sunburned, and they were a bit loopy sounding since they had been out in the elements most of the day with only a little food. I got them food and water- if they wanted. They seemed to know to take it easy at first on both. After a very brief rest, and explanation of what had gone wrong, we decided we should drive out right then, to try to catch up with, and cancel the search that would no doubt be starting at sunrise. You guessed it. I was the only one in condition to drive. At least Scott had managed to keep hold of the keys in their adventures.
As I tried to maneuver on roads that were barely there and if there that I could barely see, they told me their adventure. They had gotten into trouble pretty quickly. They got to a waterfall that they had not seen on the photo because they had not looked at their path in 3-D. The problem was that even though they got past the first one, there were a lot more to come. In their attempts to get up the falls, they would have to backtrack up the hillsides. Eventually, they realized they had walked for into an area that was not covered by the photo they had with them. It just became a series of two steps forward, three steps back. All not knowing where they were in any real detail. Not that I was happy it had happened to them, because I was relieved that they had made it back to camp- But, I thought they deserved what had happened to them. Scott was so egotistical, that he just could do no wrong. Why bother to look at his route in 3-D? He knew it would work his way without checking.
So, there I was driving them out in the dark, barely able to see where the road was supposed to be. We got to the fork in the road leading up to the radar site, and there was a pile of rocks in the road showing that our other worker had gone up that way. All we had to do was get to him, and call off the search, and drive out the rest of the way- and home. I am not sure how much trouble he had had to get the messages sent to whoever would be searching, but it took a bit of convincing to them that the missing persons had appeared, and all was well. After what seemed to be hours of slow twisting turning almost off-road travel in places, we finally got out to a paved road. I could finally start to breathe again. The rest of the trip, I just listened to the stories of everyone’s day as I drove. My day had been routine compared to any of it. But, without me, they would not have gotten home that night. I guess I was the designated driver.
Memory is the Key 