Chocolate Kisses and Love Filled Wishes: Kissing Bridge Mountain - Book 3 (12 page)

Chapter 24

T
he odds for Brad being found alive were looking slim. The blizzard had continued to get worse and no government help was coming.

The town’s men were exhausted after days of relentless searching with no sight of Brad. The rescue groups were all huddled together on this gloomy full moon night in the Lander’s bakery and hope was running out. If they didn’t find Brad soon, he wouldn’t survive. Between the freezing conditions and the lack of food and water, no one could make it out alive.

Jason was leading the rescue group. After days of finding nothing, he had been going over and over in his head trying to guess what might have happened and what he might have missed. He knew about planes, and he knew about survival. Being a marine had taught him that with a strong mind and strong body, you could overcome even the toughest obstacles. It had been three and a half days since Brad’s plane went down.

Jason’s best guess was Brad was trying to avoid the heavy winds coming in from the west side, and tried to circle around the south side of the mountain to avoid the oncoming storm. He must have gotten caught, the storm front must have moved in to quickly. Between the blizzard winds and the snow falling heavily, the logistics of finding Brad was becoming tougher and tougher. The likelihood that he had taken the route, Jason surmised, meant his plane may have landed on the most southern severe drop side of Eagle’s Peak.

It was so dangerous, they couldn’t get any emergency equipment in there in normal conditions, let alone the blizzard ones currently happening. They had tried to get Jason’s plane in but it had almost become another disaster with Jason having to abort the mission and barely making it back to home base.

Some mountaineers in the group had tried to repel down the mountain but the blizzard hadn’t abated and they couldn’t see further than a foot ahead of them. Fearing they would have more casualties, they too had had to return back.

A sense of hopelessness hung in the air, as the men refreshed themselves and warmed up by the fire. Finally, Jason stood up and declared, “I’m going to take a skidoo down the back of the south side and see what I can find.”

He pointed to one of the mountaineers. “Duke said he was sure he saw a shot of red in the white drifts down below, and we all know nothing in nature is red in the winter.”

The crowd nodded. That was just good sense.

“So I’m going to head in that direction and I’m hoping you’ll all pray for me.”

With that there was a dead silence, until Mrs. Anderson stood up.

She faced her son defiantly, hands on her hips.

“I will have none of it! I will not have you risk your life, Jason Anderson! It’s enough I have one son to worry about. We all know its suicide to attempt to go down that vertical slope on the south side with a skidoo.”

The crowd bowed their heads to her. It was true. She had been the only one bold enough to say it. Taking a skidoo down that slope was a death wish.

“I could go on my snowboard. ” Brody blurted out.

Everyone turned and looked at the new-comer like he was nuts.

Go down the back hill of the mountain?

On a snowboard?

It was crazy.

Then they remembered.

He was Brody Jenkins.

He had done
crazy
before to the tune of three Gold Medals.

Even so, it was still life-risking.

The crowd erupted in chatter over what to do.

Brody stood up. “I’ll go. I can get down that mountain where no other vehicle can. You said it yourself, you can’t get in by air, you can’t get in a snow vehicle—but I can get there on my snowboard.”

The townspeople looked at him aghast. 

But he was right. He might be their last chance.

              As much as Kacey wanted to keep him away from the danger, she believed in him.

And she needed her big brother.

Brody insisted. “Look, I know you all don’t know me, personally. But I’m not going to let someone die because I didn’t try.”

The bakery crowd looked at him in silence not knowing what to say.

It wasn’t as if they had many options.

         “So,” Brody continued. “I’m going to try.”

Kacey’s voice trembled. When she spoke up.

“Brody…I know if anyone can do it,
you
can.”

She turned to her brother Jason.

“Let him try, Jason.”

Jason looked Brody up and down then called him over to the table where they had maps out with likely spots the plane went down. He briefed Brody on what they knew.

“We usually go this pattern,” he said, tracing his finger on the table, “and if he got caught in a weather pattern, it would be right here. It’s the only place we haven’t been able to get a crew to, and with the wind, we can’t get a plane or helicopter in there either.”

“I got it,” Brody said.

“We need to find him. We don’t have any time left to wait for the government emergency help.”

********************************

As first light dawned, Brody stepped onto his snowboard, strapped with a backpack of food, water, blankets and an extra snowboard on his back. He took the lift up to the top of Eagle’s Peak and made his way to the southern backside of the mountain that was a sheer drop off.

No riders were ever allowed on this side of the mountain. From here, it was straight down to certain death. Thanks be to God, the blizzard had subsided for the time being, and it looked like Brody had a lucky window of visibility.

Brody looked down the steep vertical slope slicked with ice. Taking deep breaths and praying, Brody secured his straps. He tried to psych himself up. It was just another run. Just another pro course with its own challenges. Don’t think about it—just make it happen.

Jason had taken the ride up the lift with him and now stood peering down the ledge of the mountain with him.  He encouraged him with some last words.

“Just look for the red. The plane is bright red, even if the tip is out of the snow, you will see it. We’re all praying for you, Brody.”

Brody nodded.

“You’re our last hope.”

Jason patted him on the back, not sure how to convey how much he felt. “…And thank you.”

With that, Brody nodded, and then pushed off hard and headed down the perilous mountaintop in the blizzard, in search of Brad.

At first, Brody had some semblance of control. He zig-zagged back and forth down the vertical incline in an attempt to keep his speed down while he searched below for Brad’s plane.

As he continued down the hill, it got steeper and steeper. He began to move faster and faster unable to slow himself down. Brody held his breath, realizing he was losing his ability to swerve. Soon it was a free for all, and he was shooting straight down the mountainside at a dizzying speed.

Brody looked for a flat edge to maneuver toward, but nothing was in sight. He was racing straight down the side now, in a pure vertical drop. Suddenly he started to lose hold onto the board. It started to slip out from underneath him. He grabbed hold of it, just as he was suddenly sent flying off the side of the cliff in a complete free fall without a landing in site.

Sailing over a sea of white snow.

At first Brody was filled with pure fright.

Then he was filled with adrenaline.

Then he went into X-game champ mode.

His pro snowboarding expertise came in handy as he searched for a landing. His eagle eyes spotted a flat patch below to the left.

Bingo.

First stop, left ledge three feet wide, 500 yards down.

He straightened out his stance trying to lengthen and stretch the jump and time it just right so he could make the ledge.

He landed with a hard fall.

Eureka!

He hit the mark he had aimed for. He skidded the board to a dead stop and had to make a quick grab for it as it threatened to careen over the side.

Yes, I’m alive.

Some snow let loose from the ledge and Brody had to step back as a bunch of snow broke off and hurtled down the side of the cliff.

Looking down the steep drop, Brody contemplated his next move, and suddenly he caught sight of something bright red standing out from the white snow. Brody squinted his eyes trying to make out what it was.

Yes, that was it!

Brad’s plane!

Jason had described the red plane with the white
Aero Anderson
logo to him, and sure enough, there it was.

But it was further down from where he was, and he couldn’t see a way to get down there—definitely
not
with his board.

Brody considered his options.

His board was all he knew.

His comfort zone. His area of expertise.

But it had to go.

He unstrapped his board from his feet and strapped it to his back with the other snowboard. The only way down to Brad was to climb. His hands shook and it felt like his heart raced a thousand beats per second, but everyone was counting on him.

He
had
to do it.

Brody climbed out onto a slim ledge of ice, and looked down to find somewhere to put his foot further down. He found somewhere and soon he had the hang of it—looking for places to put his hands and feet—knowing that a single misstep could cost him his life—and potentially
Brad’s
.

At one point, his foot slipped and he felt a downward surge as it dangled free—threatening to take his whole body with it, plunging down into the depths—and to death. But he managed to get it back in place. After a long half hour of slow downward scaling, Brody had reached the wreck site.

           He made his way over, stepping gingerly onto the plane’s wing to peer into the cockpit.

Yes, there was Brad!
Obscured by the plane door, but definitely there.

              “Brad!” Brody called out, but there was no response.