From: Chuck Rossier <survivor@...>
Subject: [cancer_survivors_gathering_place] Idle Thoughts
To: cancer_survivors_gathering_place@yahoogroups.com
Date: Monday, September 22, 2008, 5:02 PM

This morning I read a story about two men who went on a day hike in
the White Mountains of New Hampshire in February. A severe weather
front moved in on them. Despite the temperature drop, the wind, and
the snow, they continued to climb only to be trapped on the mountain
overnight. They had brought nothing with them to survive an overnight
stay on the mountain. One died of exposure and the other lost a leg to
frostbite. It reminded me of a foolish hike my father and I made 40
years ago.

My father was a former scoutmaster and hunter. I had recently
completed an enlistment in the USAF during which I had been trained in
survival techniques with extended hikes and without the gear a
prepared hiker takes. One hike was in high altitude desert conditions
and the other was in Arctic sub-zero conditions. For this hike we went
to an outfitter and bought backpacks, sleeping bags, a tent, canteens,
and other gear. We packed canned food (dumb) for a week in the woods
and drove from the city of Boston to the Adirondack mountains. We had
no maps and no idea where we were going to hike. After arriving in the
Adirondacks we stopped at a gas station and bought a map of New York
state. We found on the map a road that led into the Adirondack state
forest. We drove along the road, spotted a dirt road and a sign that
pointed the way to a forest ranger station. It stated "Visitors
welcome." We were pleased, turned in, and soon found a parking lot. A
short hike to the visitors center would give us information about
hiking trails and guidance. We left all our gear including our hiking
boots in the car and trotted off down the trail wearing street shoes.

After 30 minutes of walking we began to suspect we had made a mistake.
But then we spotted another sign directing us to the ranger station
and we quickened our pace. Little did we realize the signs were
strategically placed to lead us into danger. Another half hour and we
were getting tired. We stopped and considered our options. We had come
a long way and we really needed the trail information from the forest
ranger. If we turned back it would be a wasted two hour trip. We
guessed that we must be nearly there and decided to forge ahead. An
hour later we noticed a frontal weather system rising behind the
distant mountains that we were slowly approaching. Without foul
weather gear we worried about exposure. We were faced with a guess as
to how long we had before the storm reached us and sunset turned the
woods into a black pit. We had to choose between a two hour hike back
to our car or a dash up the mountain to the ranger station. We decided
it was too late to turn back. The ranger station HAD to be closer.
With increasing anxiety we pushed on as the thunderstorm grew closer.
We hoped to find shelter at the ranger station and wait out the storm.
Then we would return down the mountain to our car.

As we continued to climb we looked up at the storm clouds and hurried
more with each step. We were in a race with the clouds. They were
racing to catch us before we could reach safety and we were determined
to win the race. The climb got steeper and we realized the ranger
station must be near the top of the mountain. After four hours of
hiking we entered a clearing. At the other end was the holy grail of
our search – a cabin. One step into the clearing and the skies opened
up with rain, hail, thunder, and lightning. We sprinted across the
clearing to the shelter of the cabin porch. Then we noticed the
padlock on the door. The cabin was closed. We quickly checked the
windows on either side of the door and found them covered by screens
nailed to the outside of the cabin. We were trapped on the porch,
slightly damp, and forced to watch as mother nature put on a
frightening display of fury. I turned to my dad and asked, "What are
we going to do now?"

In a prelude to the "MacGuyver" television series that would fascinate
my children in years to come, my father pulled out his swiss army
knife that Boy Scouts who lived by the motto "Be Prepared" carried at
all times. Using the screwdriver attachment he removed each of the
rusted screws on the hinges of the padlocked screen door. While he
worked I examined the inside door and was elated to note that there
was no keyhole for a door lock. Soon we were inside the cabin warming
up and drying our damp clothes. We watched out the windows and waited
for the storm to pass over. In less than an hour the skies cleared. We
realized we were in a forest fire rangers cabin and we could see a
lookout tower on the peak of the mountain. Continuing our
single-minded stupidity we decided to climb the steep trail to the
tower where we were certain the ranger was. The steep climb over rain
soaked rocks was difficult in street shoes, but we soon found
ourselves at the base of the tower. I quickly climbed the ladder only
to find the padlock that secured the trapdoor of the lookout tower. We
had been fooled again. >From our vantage point on the peak we could
see another line of thunderstorm clouds approaching. We scrambled back
down the trail to the cabin winning the race by only a few seconds
before the skies resumed their attack.

Already dark from the storm the sky got even darker as night
approached. We knew that we were trapped in the cabin for the night
without food or water. We found a single cot, a candle, and a tin of
biscuits. Using a cigarette lighter (we were both smokers) we lit the
candle and made ourselves as comfortable as we could. We also found a
topographic map of the area with the trail information we were
seeking. With nothing else to do we studied the map and planned our
camping to begin once we got back to our car and retrieved our hiking
gear. We divided up the biscuits and prepared to sleep. My father as
protector of his child, even though I had already been to war and
back, gave me an extra biscuit and insisted that I take the cot while
he slept on the floor. It rained constantly all night waking us often
with loud thunderclaps that echoed off the surrounding mountains.

In the morning the skies cleared again and we prepared to return to
our car. First, we reviewed the map to memorize the trail system we
planned to use then we cleaned up the cabin. After replacing the
screws in the hinges of the screen door we began our hike down the
mountain. As we hiked toward the sunrise we took one last glance at
the cabin that had been our protection from the elements. Hours later
we arrived at our car. As soon as we backed out of the visitors
parking area the storm that had been sneaking along behind us began to
pound on the roof of the car reminding us that only by the grace of
God had we escaped punishment for our foolhardiness.

Shalom,
Chuck

P.S. Last Saturday I got my 3rd race win of the year (1st place age
60-69) and another very fast time for me.