Chapter 5
They headed toward Old Baldy. It was tougher than Tobal had thought. The terrain was broken and uneven making it impossible to walk in a straight line. The snow shoes were awkward and Tobal’s legs ached from the unaccustomed effort. He didn’t need the compass but headed as straight as he could toward Old Baldy and tried to keep track of his paces.
Most of the time he could keep the mountain in sight but sometimes there was deep brush and trees so thick he couldn’t see. That was when he pulled out the compass and used it as a guide to keep going in the right direction.
Rafe made them both snow goggles to protect their eyes from the fierce blinding glare of the snow. These were simple strips of gray fabric with narrow slits cut in them and tied over their eyes. Without them they could have suffered snow blindness.
It wasn’t long before Tobal completely lost track of how many paces they had gone. Rafe told him when they reached the first half mile. Tobal kept better count after that and by the second mile his count was close to Rafe’s. He was in the lead so he could use the compass and find his direction. It allowed him to set the pace.
The terrain changed the further they traveled. It had been meadow around the city-state but as they got closer to the mountain it became more forested and rocky. Rafe cut a walking stick for Tobal and showed him how to use it to save his balance and help get over some of the rougher spots.
“Uneven ground like this is really dangerous,” Rafe said seriously. “You could break a leg or worse. A walking stick can help keep your balance and test for weak spots in the snow and ice before you step into them. With a heavy pack you are top heavy and the walking stick gives you something to lean against.”
They stopped a few times to rest and drink water from the canteens. The water tasted terrible, but Rafe made him drink it anyway.
“It’s easy to get dehydrated out here. You should drink about two gallons of water a day when you are living outdoors like we are.”
Later Tobal realized he was so thirsty he didn’t mind the weird taste. It just felt good having something wet to drink. The afternoon wore on and getting toward sunset. He had just finished tying his eighth knot and looked around uneasily. Theoretically he should be close to where they were going to camp for the night. He said as much to Rafe.
“Hey, shouldn’t we be close to the creek? I have my eight knots. I think we’ve come four miles. Where is the creek?”
“You do, do you?” Rafe said, grinning widely, “Do you see any place that looks like it would make a good campsite?”
Tobal looked around more closely. There was a clearing ahead, a small open area off to the left that sloped down toward a line of thick brush. Then he saw it.
“There’s a creek!” He pointed excitedly toward the line of brush. He could hear the water in the distance.
Rafe chuckled, “Right where the map said it was, isn’t it? You did a good job for a newbie, only a quarter mile off. That’s not bad at all.”
Together they hiked over to the creek. It was a small creek with clear icy water that was run off from Old Baldy. It tasted fresh and clear. Tobal asked why the creek was not frozen.
“It was frozen earlier,” Rafe said. “Now it gets above freezing during the day and just below freezing at night. Because the water is moving so fast it does not freeze anymore. It will remain flowing now until next winter.”
They emptied the old water and refilled their canteens. The air near the creek was fresh with the tang of spring thaw but Tobal knew it was going to be a cold night. He felt elated but also tired and exhausted from the day’s journey. He was hungry and asked Rafe when they were going to eat.
“First thing is to set up camp,” Rafe told him. “Then you can eat. Set up a shelter, get your fire going, and then you cook food if you have it. First we’ve got to find a good place for a campsite. I’m going to take it easy on you tonight. It’s not going to rain so we can sleep out under the stars. Our sleeping bags will keep us warm enough if we set up our fire near a boulder or rock so it reflects the heat back onto us, We will need to keep it going because it’s going to get cold tonight.”
“This will make a good spot.” He said walking over to a rock out cropping on an otherwise fairly level area clear of brush. We build the fire here. First dig a trench in the snow so we are down out of the wind. Use your snow shoes to shovel.”
Together they scooped an area clear in front of a rock outcropping and set their packs down.
“Now we’ve got to find some firewood before it get dark,” Rafe told him. “Look for old dead branches that are not lying on the ground. We need wood small enough to cut up or break by hand.”
ogether they gathered quite a bit of wood including pieces from a splintered log that had fallen against another tree and not touched the ground. The wood was dry and they were able to break off some of the bigger branches. This would help hold the fire overnight.
“Next the fire,” Rafe said, crouching in the snow near a small pile of the wood they had found. “We’ve got to have tinder to get the fire going.”
He pulled some tinder out of his pack and Tobal watched as he skillfully used the fire starter, shaving pieces of magnesium with his knife into the small pile of tinder. Then he struck sparks along the side of the fire starter by rubbing it with his knife blade. Some of the sparks landed in the pile of dry tinder. Rafe blew carefully on those sparks and they brightened and turned into a small flame. Carefully nursing the flame with small dry twigs, he slowly added larger pieces until there was a roaring blaze.
“We’ll let that burn for awhile,” said Rafe with satisfaction. “Now we’ve got to get our beds made. Got your knife? Cut some small branches from these pine trees to sleep on. No one in their right mind sleeps on the ground if they can help it. Make a mattress about one foot deep. It will create an air cushion underneath so you won’t get so cold. If you do it right, it’s like sleeping on a bed.”
Tobal had never heard of anything like that. He had his doubts but went ahead following Rafe’s lead, cutting pine boughs and lacing them together into an enormous mound that smelled of fresh pine.
“Now take the blanket you are using as a poncho. It won’t matter if it gets dirty. Lay it down over the pine boughs to keep the pitch from getting on your clothing and sleeping bag. Put your sleeping bag on top of that and use your last blanket if you need to.”
Tobal did as he was told, sat down and stretched out over his blanket and sleeping bag. An incredulous smile raced across his face.
“Hey, this is great!” He bounced up and down. “This is just like a bed.”
Rafe chuckled and started fixing the evening meal. He took both canteen cups and filled them with water. Then he put some jerky in them and made a stew adding wild onions, wild potatoes and other herbs that he pulled out of his pack. The smell of cooking stew made Tobal crazy with hunger. All in all, Tobal thought as he finished the meal, licking the last drop out of the canteen cup, it was one of the best meals he had ever eaten. It was filling and really hit the spot as well. He thanked Rafe for sharing his rations.
Rafe said, “Tomorrow, you’re going to find your own food. The next meal will be on you, but we did enough for today. Better get some sleep.”
Tobal crawled into his bed. It was against the rock face and heat from the fire reflected back from the rock and warmed him from both sides so he was toasty warm. The melting snow lay somewhere hidden beneath the thick pile of pine boughs. His eyes closed and he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pack. He sank into a deep dreamless sleep.
The smell of baking fish woke him up. Rafe had gotten up ahead of him and managed to catch some fish.
Tobal laughed and asked, “How did you catch fish?”
Rafe just shook his head, grinned and said, “I set some traps last night and checked them this morning. We got a good batch of fish for breakfast. You got lucky today,” his eyes twinkled mischievously.
“Will you teach me how to catch fish?” Tobal asked.
Rafe looked soberly at him. “There is only so much you can learn in a day. Relax a little. It will come at it’s own pace. We’ve got to take it easy, but we will get there. The way I figure, it will take a month to learn what you need. Then you can solo for a month. We’re doing pretty well right now. You go ahead and enjoy your breakfast.
The first week of being in the woods will wipe you out. It will take awhile to build your strength and stamina. So these first few days I’m going to take it easy on you. After that, you better look out.”
The fish were wrapped with herbs and baked in the fire. He tore into the trout and washed it down with water from his canteen. He couldn’t remember anything that tasted so good and he really felt alive. The morning air felt crisp and chill with a slight breeze. It was going to be a good day.
“What are we going to do today?” He asked.
“Well,” said Rafe, “I don’t know if you noticed last night but it is almost the full moon. Every full moon we have a big get together.”
“How many of us are out here?” Tobal interrupted.
“Oh, it varies. There are somewhere between 150 and 200 of us out here. Sometimes we see each other and sometimes we don’t,” Rafe answered. Then he continued as if Tobal hadn’t said anything, “We have our meetings, social time, get-togethers and parties. We share stories and connect with each other. We also share the latest gossip.” He laughed. It’s also when we initiate newbies like you.”
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