(i am working on my stories for jack. this is my rough draft… i’m just trying to remember all the details at this point. i will continue adding on, so keep checking back!)
The day neared 100 degrees. These were the good ‘ole days when air-conditioning wasn’t something Oregonians even considered. Summers generally were mild in Oregon, but this summer in 2000 we reached several record highs. Because we had no air-conditioning at home, Tim, JoDana, Nate, and Charlotte discovered other ways to deal with the unusual weather. Some days it was a trip to the mall or the movie theater, but on the special days, Nate’s favorite days, we traveled to the coast or even the mountains to find cooler weather. Early one morning Nathan approached Charlotte with one of his grand schemes. It was to be another hot day, but the folks were too busy to go out, so Nate took the opportunity into his own hands. He found a trail on the majestic Mount Hood he wanted to hike “to find the beautiful meadows covered with Oregon wildflowers. Just like in the Sound of Music.” Nathan enthusiastically talked through the beautiful, easy hike with Charlotte and convinced her she wouldn’t want to miss out. And besides, he reminded her, he couldn’t go alone. And so it was settled. Because it was to be nearly 100 degrees this particular day, they decided to dress in shorts and t-shirts, in case the hike got to be in any way strenuous. And knowing Nathan, Charlotte figured he made it sound a little more simple than it really would be. So the two packed a few sandwiches and some water and were off, up to Timberline Lodge. The drive to Timberline took nearly two hours and in this time Charlotte realized what she was really getting herself into. Nate began discussing the plan if they got lost, or encountered a wild animal, or a crazy hiker, or even Sasquatch. And with the Taylor boys, anything could happen. So she listened intently to the Boy Scout’s input on surviving the wild outdoors. She grew excited when he talked about wild animals like bears and wolves.
“Don’t ever run,” he said, “they can run faster. You’ll have to climb on my shoulders so we look bigger than them, that way they’ll be intimidated and leave.”
When Nate and Charlotte reached the Lodge, they grabbed a map and were off. Their hike began like most. Beautiful Douglas Fir trees, wildflowers, and the occasional forest squirrel. The trees were large and mysterious and they strolled along soaking in majestic Oregon. But as they went, passing by several other hikers, Charlotte noticed a pattern. All the other hikers were trekking back to the lodge. Many of them wearing gear used for intense, several day hikes. “I thought this was only supposed to be a 4 mile loop back to the lodge,” she thought. But she trusted Nathan’s abilities to read a map, and left it at that. Soon the landscape changed and they reached a clearing from the trees. There Nathan found a lookout point, and the scene was beautiful. He climbed down a small drop to see the entire view, looking down into the mountain’s steep ravine. He coaxed Charlotte to follow. As she slowly lowered herself the three feet she heard panting near her head. And she looked up only to find what she initially thought was a dog. “Aw, what a pretty dog. He seems nice,” she thought as he faced her, tail waging, panting with playfulness. But she soon realized this was no dog… it was a WOLF!! She began chuckling with fear and could only remember Nathan’s plan for her to climb on his shoulders. “Uh, Nathan… uh…” Nate turned around to realize her same fear. For a moment they both paused with astonishment. But sooner than she could speak, Nathan rose to save her. He told her to slowly stand up and act like they didn’t notice the wolf. They climbed back to the trail and began slowly hiking down the long steep ravine, all the while Nathan coaxed Charlotte in staying calm. But the wolf kept on their trail, following along at their heels like a dog, so Nate grabbed a stick to protect them. The wolf seemed to want to tag along, but Nate and Charlotte weren’t game for the idea. After several zigzags back and forth, the wolf became antsy. He grew tired of being ignored. And so he began to lag behind. Thinking they were out of harm’s way, the two became slightly at ease with the wolf trailing off. Nathan also noticed on the map that soon after the ravine ended, they would find a hiking shelter. Charlotte couldn’t wait. The weather turned colder and all she could imagine was a cup of hot chocolate in front of a blazing fire away from the big bad wolf. But their hope soon faded with the actions of the wolf. He began rushing towards Nate and Charlotte at full speed, nipping at their heels. Nate immediately put his stick to use, which agitated the wolf. He continued trailing off and rushing at the two for several minutes, barking and growling, showing his large sharp teeth. But when that didn’t work, he climbed above their heads and began howling. To their dismay, a pack of wolves responded at the bottom of the ravine, where they were headed. And now they were both terrified. They were at the point of no return. To make matters worse, the wolf began trying to jump on Nate and Charlotte from above. But of course Nathan wouldn’t have that, and he chased it down with the stick, telling Charlotte to get out of harm’s way. Eventually, after probably 20 minutes with the wolf, he grew tired of chasing and menacing and decided to find dinner somewhere else. But the two weren’t at peace yet. They still had the pack of wolves to face.
As the two (i’ve got to figure out another way to refer to them, maybe the siblings)….
As the siblings continued their trek down the zig zag canyon, Nate kept a close eye out for the pack of wolves. He still carried his stick, but Charlotte knew they didn’t have a chance against a whole pack. They soon reached the bottom where the trees cleared and left a shallow rocky stream. All Charlotte could hope for was the shelter they neared. The two were still panicked on high alert, waiting for the wolves to jump out from a grove of bushes or trees. But the landscape changed drastically into smaller plants with a rocky path, and almost a few trees. And they finally and safely found the shelter. But wait! Where’s the shelter? “Is this it?!!” Charlotte cried. “According to the map, this is it.” Nate mumbled with disdain. The shelter was but once a stone building, completely obliterated save the rocky foundation. Charlotte sat down on the rocks and wept. Nate followed trying to console her saying they would be alright and he would protect them from the big bad wolves. And Charlotte found comfort in his confidence, but she could also see his fear, and that scared her more than ever.
Soon they continued their journey through a woodsy meadow, with thick woods on one side and a meadow on the other. They heard the occasional animal growls and grunts, which left the two in constant fear of what may be on the other side of the trees. At one point a bird darted out from the trees in front of them, scaring the two half to death, leaving them still from fear for almost a minute, unable to move. Soon afterwards two deer darted right past them at full speed, obviously running for their lives. Once again the siblings stopped to look at each other and listen. In his fear, Nate laughed from disbelief. He knew they would be next. But nothing approached.
Soon they continued their journey on the rocky path, climbing higher up the mountain. They had passed the timberline at this point and were completely surrounded by rocks. Large boulders were their only hope for safety as they were completely out in the open. The temperature dropped even more and rain began falling, with the occasional snow flurry. The only thing they could do to keep warm was to keep moving. Nate consulted the map and soon realized he had no idea where they were. They were lost. Lost, and completely alone. So he sat Charlotte down on one of the large boulders and told her they needed to eat. “But only a little,” he said, “we might need it to last as long as we can.” Nate was very careful about keeping his companions in the dark regarding the gravity of their situation in order to keep them calm. But with this said, Charlotte understood they were lost. And once again she started to cry. She looked down at her peanut butter and honey sandwich, thinking it may be her last sandwich ever and took small bites trying to convince herself they were filling. Nate consulted her once again on how to survive the wild and soon enough Charlotte decided to be brave for her big brother and take it like a man. So with their new confidence, they were off. They followed the trail to snow covered rocky cliffs and had to maneuver their way through the snow in order to find the trail again. But the adrenaline was pumping and they were determined to survive their journey. After all, it would make a great story.
