48 Hour Short Story Contest

Have you ever walked in the dark with only the moon to see by? I have, it can be peaceful, calm and a bit scary all at the same time. Of course whether it's scary or not is determined by where exactly you are walking and how close you are to other people.

In nineteen eighty four, about this time of the year, winter was finishing up and spring was about to start.I was in my first year of a bible college. One of their programs was that each student went on a ten day trip to the mountains of New Mexico, to hike, climb and learn how to trust God more. Everyone went on this trip twice in their training.

Their training consisted of two years in a work study program, with one year in between working on staff at one of their locations or going into a community and working with people.It was during the first and last years that the students knew they would be taking this trip.

Towards the end of the current year I knew it would soon be time for me to go, since I hadn't been yet. One of my friends Staci, whom I met just that year had not been yet either. The only thing was, she had fallen on ice at school several weeks previously and would not have the cast removed until they all left for the summer. Although Staci broke her leg in more than one place, it was healing nicely, and the leadership decided since she wouldn't be able to hike, she could go along and help out in the staff home until our trip was complete.

I along with eleven others were picked to go to on a trip to hike and climb Mt. Capitan. One part of the trip was hitching a ride from the campus we were at to the location near Roswell, New Mexico. Staci would be taken there by car so she could help with the preparations for the rest of the students coming in.

Usually the students hitched in pairs, but Staci's would-be partner went with two other students. We all were given ten dollars each so if we were stopped by the law, they couldn't arrest us for vagrancy. Two vans took us to a drop off point near the highway, where we began our trip. We were expected to get there within thirty-six hours or we'd have to return back to campus with our tails between our legs.

From what I heard throughout the year, most students made it to New Mexico with time to spare. There were variations, though on how much time to spare each group had. Some made it just under the wire, while other groups got there within twenty-four hours or so. Not very many had to return to campus.

Stories were always being told about what took place there. First I should mention that before each of us went to the campus before school began, we were given a what to bring list. Most of the things on the list were things to take during this trip to New Mexico. Things like a large backpack, real hiking boots, what types of clothing, how many pairs of socks and underwear.

I had prayed that I wouldn't have to go in the deep part of winter, as I heard many stories of students running from the tent in the early parts of the morning when icicles were dangling off trees to go to the bathroom in the woods. I have low blood pressure, so I'm always cold. I've always joked about being cold if the temperature is below 79 degrees Fahrenheit.

Even though it was mid-February when I found out I would be on the next trip, when we got there it was almost balmy. No snow on the ground the first year at all, praise God.

While there I would learn how to rappel facing the rock and facing away from the rock. I would learn the calls for climbing, and how to handle the rope when another student was climbing. The students and I would also be making a decision on whether we wanted to hike up to the mountains peak with full gear, or whether we would just make a short day of it with food and canteens.

We were paired up, two by two. A guy and a girl together. It was usually with someone you didn't really know very well previously. We all, (all eleven of us) left campus together. Honestly, it was so long ago, I don't remember how quickly we got there. I know I was worried about not making it, because I used to worry about things, but I'm sure we got there within at least a couple of hours to spare because I remember everyone worrying about the last pair that had yet to arrive. But they did arrive, finally before the final deadline.

We transferred our backpacks into several vehicles that would be taking us up the mountain partway to where the staff housing was located. The first thing they had us do is exchange our backpacks for ones they were handing out that were a bit larger than the ones we brought. Their backpacks would be big enough to carry not only what we brought for ourselves, but also kettles, cook stoves, utensils, anything related to cooking. And then they divvied up the food we would be eating while there. Once were were done, all the backpacks were so full, not even a wad of Kleenex could be stuffed inside.

The other girls and myself felt like it wasn't a fair distribution, because we had the cook stove, kettles and such, but we found out shortly thereafter that the guys would be carrying the ropes, hiking gear, and a couple of shovels.

We thought maybe we would be sleeping on cots our last night before heading out for our adventure, but we were informed that we needed to be at the campsite before dusk fell. We went inside the staff house as instructed as we were going to help put together the trail mix. Inside was Staci, welcoming us in. In her hand was a felt tip pen, which she said we could sign before we left as she got a call from the doctors that her cast would be taken off the next week before our portion of the trip was complete.

After that we headed out towards one of many camping areas that were utilized for these training camps. The pace was brisk, some of us had a hard time keeping up without falling on the uneven terrain and odd looking plants and cacti. When we did arrive we were told we would be sleeping under the stars that night as that would not be our final resting spot and we needed to find wood and potty areas before night fell.

The wood was found for a small fire, we ate the trail mix and food bars that were prepared for us by Staci and the staff, pulled out our sleeping bags and tried to get some rest before the long day tomorrow.

The next day after breakfast we were taught a few of the basics of living in the woods, such as being careful and taking care of the natural surroundings all around you.The men and women were divided up and going in two different directions, each group with a shovel in hand went to learn how to deal with going to the bathroom in the woods, covering it up and marking the spot in some way to eliminate (pun not intended) another person utilizing the same location.

The next day after hauling water, cooking and eating breakfast, brushing teeth, and putting any equipment that was used to make breakfast back into the sleeping bags, we began our hike towards the area that would be 'ours' during that span of time. Once we arrived, we all had to help put up the tents, then we gathered wood and twigs for that evenings meal and fire.

For the first tow to three days we went to a large outcropping of rock that had a fairly gentle slope upward. Sort of like a driveway would be that was up on a hill. There we practiced the terms or calls used when climbing a mountain rock, using the ropes and climbing equipment.

I had a hard time at first. I purchased my hiking boots dirt cheap at a store that was running a sale. I couldn't afford the full priced boots, but I asked others that went before me and found mine looked just like theirs did. But once I was using them, I was a bit afraid that they weren't made correctly and I wasn't sure whether they would do their job and hold me on the rock.

By the third day, we all were making progress and were learning the different calls. We found out that the next day we would see how well we really learned them. We set out early to climb a sheer precipice, which wasn't considered hard at all, but looked foreboding to most of us. Right before I was supposed to begin, my nose started to bleed. The staff assumed it was because I was chickening out. But I had always had a problem with nose-bleeds and I'm sure it was the high altitude. Within a half hour it finally quit and it didn't bother me the rest of that trip.

I would love to tell you all about the whole time spent there. Even though I wasn't totally happy with all the events, it was a great time of learning. On one of our return visits to camp, we left a bit later than we wanted to and by the time we got half way there night was already falling. Flashlights was on the list of what to bring, so everyone could see to some degree, but when the moon came out it changed everything. There have been other times that I've walked by the light of the moon, but that was one of the most exquisite ones. I felt like I was on God's mountain, his hand in mine. I didn't really need the flashlight anymore, The moon lit night far surpassed anything man made.

I rappelled while facing the rock, and while facing the scenery. Both of them are a bit scary, as you have to keep your wits about you. One of the students got so flustered that he ended up upside down, but no one could help him. He had to calm down and turn himself around on his own.

The day before our time was up, we headed back to the staff housing and found out that Staci had been taken back to campus the week before to have her cast removed. After hitch hiking back to campus, she was waiting for me at the head of the driveway wanting to know about my experiences. I discovered that even though her leg had healed enough for them to take off the cast, she still needed to use a ca for at least a week to make sure she didn't over due it.

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