SODIUM:1 Harbinger (2 page)

Allie was woodsy and athletic while Susi was a bit prissy and much more typical of an upper middle class woman of her time. Susi did not want to get her hands dirty for any reason. When you put the two together they suddenly became twins. Susi would go to the woods and shoot skeet and Allie would dress to the nines and do a mean dinner party. No one understood it, but we all respected it and never questioned why.

Kyle was close to my age and was a casual friendly guy that seemed to fit in wherever he went. At work he was detail oriented and always followed up with his clients, a trait that kept them coming back for more. He was also never averse to a little hard work or to helping out a friend. I on the other hand, did whatever I could to avoid helping others. I would pony up a couple bucks now and again to help someone out, but it was usually only when it got me out of helping them myself. It was not one of my finest traits.

As the warm sun shown down I sat back on a rock while my four fellow adventurers unpacked our lunch. We refilled our canteens from the rushing stream as back in the day there were no fancy filters and such. We would find where the water rushed over the rocks, fill the canteen and then drop in a salt tablet to help disinfect it. I sometimes wondered if people’s digestive tracks back then were not a bit hardier, before we all became citified.

We had taken 20 minutes to go through our little picnic when Bull and Kyle decided it was time to get across the stream. Kyle rolled up his pant legs, waded down into the water and let out a howl as the ice cold snow melt rushed over his ankles. He pulled the winch cable across with him as he grimaced with each and every step. The stream was 25’ wide at the crossing. When Kyle emerged on the other side he hurried to the nearest tree and attached the cable. He then quickly sat down in the sun to nurse his cold aching feet.

As the injured party I asked that I be spared the cold waters and be allowed to be a driver on the way across. With the cable secured I got my wish. I began to slowly drive the Jeep down into the rushing frigid stream. Allie was again up on the front bumper and was ratcheting away on the winch. As we entered the stream the cold water came up to the bumpers. I could almost make out a grimace on Allie’s face, but with her she would never let it show; any hardship just made her more determined.

As we passed the half-way point the water hit its deepest level. The Jeep began to float and moved six inches to the left. I panicked and in an effort to stop the movement I stuck my left leg out of the Jeep and into the icy cold water. It was a bad move on my part as the rushing water pushed my foot outwards and the slippery rocks gave me no good footing. In an attempt to right the situation, I pushed harder on the accelerator. In doing so I slid further out of the Jeep.

As my weight shifted it compounded the problem, the Jeep once again began to float and move to the left. I was halfway out when my foot caught on the edge of a rock. Then, in an instant, the floating Jeep pushed against my leg, throwing me fully out into the icy water. I wanted to scream as my torso hit the biting cold, but as soon as I was in my head went under. The Jeep then proceeded to drift another two feet to the left, pinning me underneath.

Bull immediately sprang into action. After leaping in he grabbed the left rear bumper of the Jeep. He grunted heavily as he picked it up from the back end. Kyle followed after, pulling me from under the green steel trap. In the rushing water Kyle lost his grip and I was sent tumbling down the stream. After a long roll I finally came to a stop while sitting upright. I coughed and spat mountain water as Kyle caught up and dragged me back to the safety and warmth of the side of the stream.

Once I had cleared the Jeep, Allie once again cranked away at the ratchet winch. She moved the Jeep out of danger and nearly to the other side. Bull hopped in and within seconds the Jeep was across the stream and on dry land. After making sure that I would survive, Bull, Kyle and Allie waded back across the stream. The other Jeep was brought over without incident.

Unlike the others, my brain just did not seem to function well in an emergency situation. That fact, when coupled with my propensity to get myself injured, made it appear as though my friends would have a tough time on the trip just trying to keep me alive.

In the span of an hour I had bruised my ribs, almost fallen off a cliff and nearly drowned. It was shaping up to be quite the adventure. Despite my troubles I was determined that I was going to continue on, this was an important outing and I was determined that I was not going to be the one who ruined it for the others.

After another ten minute of rest and a good drying off the wheels of the Jeeps were once again rolling. I was shaken from my ordeal, but I insisted that we move on. I believe it was the first time I actually thought fondly of the insurance business. It wasn’t exciting, but then again I wasn’t in danger of drowning from it. We slowly moved another mile down the trail before coming to the next stop.

Chapter 2

The Sacramento outfitter that we had rented equipment from had marked interesting points on a trail map for us to stop and see. One of those points was a waterfall that he thought we might enjoy. It was a ten minute hike off the right side of the trail; he insisted it was worth a look.

When we exited the Jeeps I was given the option of staying with the vehicles. I once again insisted that I continue on. I was stubborn when it came to quitting; it was as though I always felt I had something to prove. It was a character trait that would dog me for the rest of my life.

As we hiked along a rabbit trail we kept an eye out for rattlesnakes. The snakes would sometimes be found along animal trails, sunning themselves in a warm spot while awaiting their prey. I stayed in the back of the pack as I didn’t need to add a snake bite to my growing list of maladies.

The trail proceeded up a gentle slope that was lined with meadows of Ponderosa Pine, Fir and Incense Cedar trees. It smelled wonderful and despite my aches the cool dry mountain air made for a pleasant hike. We met up with a small stream that further down fed into the larger one that we had crossed earlier. Our directions had been to proceed to the stream and then continue left, going upstream for another 300 yards.

The hiking was easy in and amongst the towering pines as the thousands of years of needles falling had made a somewhat flat forest bed. The stream was ten feet wide and probably a foot deep in the middle. The downhill grade was steep enough that the water rushed endlessly by on its way out of the paradise that Yosemite was.

We then came into a clearing and were greeted with a grand view of a 30’ waterfall. It dropped straight down into a naturally dammed pool at the bottom. The pure blue sky once again made the views undeniably incredible. Three deer went bounding off into the woods on the other side of the pool as we approached.

Susi snapped a picture of the waterfall and then lined us up for a group photo. Her fancy camera had a timer on it that allowed her to press a button and then sneak into the picture before it was taken. We took two more just to be certain we had a good shot as it wasn’t likely that we would all be back this way again. A couple of clicks of the camera later and we were all released to wonder about to take in nature’s rewards.

As we stood around gaping I got the crazy notion that I wanted a picture taken with me standing at the top of the waterfall. I wanted my own little piece of the story to be told that was not a whopping disaster. I could see a path through the rocks over to the left that looked easy enough for me to climb. The others thought it was not such a good idea given my prior mishaps, but as the injured party, I insisted.

I made my way over to the boulders and began my climb. They were much bigger than they had appeared from our stream-side viewpoint, but there was no way I was going to turn back. After a few shaky handholds and slips of my boots I was still able to make it to the top. It provided a feeling of accomplishment that the trip had so far lacked.

I walked over to the falls and made my way onto a flat rock that jutted out on the left hand side. A fir tree stood on my right and the stream went over the falls on my left. I yelled down to Susi to get her camera ready. When she waved her hand I thrust my arms out to my sides in a victory gesture. Despite my earlier troubles I was finally having a bit of fun.

Had I been paying attention to my surroundings I would have noticed the large hornets’ nest in the fir tree to my right. I bumped a branch with my right arm as I stretched out for the shot. It was like an instant black cloud of angry bees formed as the nest emptied and the steady hum of beating wings grew.

Being of the keen emergency mind that I was my reaction was slow. As the first two bees jabbed their stingers into my right arm the pain was enough to make me scream like a little girl. I then proceeded to drop and roll away from the nest. It was my only good instinctive move of the day. My roll sent me backward into the rushing stream and then over the waterfall to the grand pool below.

The water was once again icy cold and in my initial reaction to it I again took a swig of it into my lungs. I was lucky that after falling the 30’ I landed square in the center of the deep pool. I was also lucky that the hornets did not follow.

This time it was Allie who dove in and pulled me to the surface. As she dragged me to safety Bull and Kyle clutched my arms and began to run. With one big pull they had me out of the water as they ran us away from the pool.

When they stopped I sank to my knees and spat out several ounces of icy mountain water. The day was only half over and I was now on my third major mishap. Only due to Allie’s quick thinking had I managed to once again not drown.

As I began to get my breath back my right arm began to swell. We made our way back to the Jeeps as hurriedly as we could as none of us knew just how allergic my reaction to the stings was going to be. Thankfully, by the time we got to the vehicles, the increase in swelling had stopped and was beginning to subside.

We sat by the Jeeps for another 20 minutes. The others once again offered to turn back towards the safety of civilization. I again would have none of it. As the wheels of the Jeeps once again began to roll I sat back and held onto my leather strap to further contemplate my miserable existence. The final hour on the trail was uneventful except for the constant bumping and bouncing that I had come to endure. By the time we rolled into Basecamp my arm had almost returned to its normal size.

I had been stung in the bicep and on the outer forearm. The swelling had given my arm a Popeye look. It was actually amusing as many times in the past I had been accused of being Popeye’s cousin. I sometimes had one eye that would be wide open while I appeared to squint with the other. It wasn’t something that I had trained myself to do, it just happened naturally.

It was probably the only time in my life where I would look like I had some muscle to me. So, I posed for a picture from Susi. I felt I would be able to pin it up on my wall of shame at home later, along with pictures of my prior three wives.

I didn’t know it at the time, but Susi had also snapped images of my cliff rescue and again of my rescue from the stream crossing. She had brought a limited amount of film as on the ten day hike portion of the trip we would have limited space. If not for the usefulness of the images for promoting the business the camera would have been left at home, completely missing a chronicle of my misadventures.

As we rolled into the clearing at Basecamp there was a small wooden sign that said “Welcome”. The Jeeps were packed heavy with several large tents and a horde of other supplies. We would spend the next night and half the next day relaxing at Basecamp before beginning our long hike on foot.

Within an hour the tents were set up, a campfire was going and the supplies had been unpacked. I felt a bit like a heel sitting over on a log watching the others make camp. My usefulness was limited and they were insistent on my resting. So, I watched as the four people who made up my little world moved about preparing for the day’s end.

With the daylight waning Bull retrieved two fly fishing rods from one of the Jeeps and asked if I wanted to join him. I would have trouble casting and with my lack of fly fishing experience I declined. I found a large flat rock to sit upon while Bull and Allie waded into the ice cold waters. This time, they had tall rubber boots on that would protect them from the cold. I was sitting in the last spot of sun as it began to fall behind a ridge. Once again the peaceful beauty that was Yosemite National Park let itself be known.

As I sat back and listened to the sound of the rushing stream I could hear not too far behind me the call of a California Pigmy Owl. That call was immediately followed by the call of a Great Horned Owl. I had no idea of what birds they were at the time other than being owls, but it brought a calming end to a day where I had been bounced, bruised, nearly drowned… twice, and stung by hornets. As I rested the sounds of nature and the beauty of Yosemite brought me back to the place of happiness that I had achieved earlier, if only for a moment, as I stood on top of the waterfall.

After 15 minutes in the stream Bull and Allie came out with four large trout. They proceeded to gut and clean them along the edge of the stream. The filets were then brought back to the campfire to cook for dinner. Our friend in Sacramento had supplied us with steaks packed in dry ice, along with the trout we had a feast fit for a king.

I was stuffed and satisfied as the darkness overtook the small meadow. During the next half hour the temperature dropped almost 20 degrees making the campfire that much more appealing. We sat around the fire laughing at the day’s events which were mostly at my expense. Bull quipped that I would have plenty to tell everyone when I got home… if I got home.

As the fire slowly burned down to just embers first Kyle and Susi, then Bull and Allie and finally me each made our way into our respective tents. The pine needles and the extra bed rolls that we had packed in the Jeeps made for a comfortable first night’s sleep. I was normally a light sleeper, but the day had fatigued me. As soon as I hit my sleeping bag it was lights out until dawn.