Chapter 12 10／Will know I need help

Dum Spiro, the official motto of sepro South Carolina.Literally: When I breathe, I hope.Or to put it more broadly: Where there is life, there is hope. * Kristi and Meghan left the meeting point at noon on Saturday.This is where they last saw me.Then go up to the West Fork of Blue Eyed John Canyon and sit down for lunch.The two young girls rested and chatted here for about half an hour, then packed up the trash and started their journey on the rushing water.For the next hour, they were disoriented.They stood in front of a 4.5-meter-high cliff at the bottom of the canyon, looked at the map but could not understand how to get there.After returning the same way, they returned to the upper canyon and spent another hour trying to understand the sign telling them to go around the cliff on the right side of the canyon.

If we go up to the right, it looks like we're going out of the canyon on the right.But I don't think one should go that route.From where they were, Kristi pointed to the two converging tributaries upstream of the canyon.Also, it looks difficult to get over that rock formation to the canyon to the left. yes.I don't want to climb on this protruding thing either.But what other way do we have to get there?The sandstone wall in front of Megan was too steep and daunting. She opened the guidebook and found the sign on the page of Blue Eyed John Canyon.The guide said: Follow a trail to the east, then find your way down two steep areas Do you think that's east?

I don't think either side is east.To the east is the canyon below, where we came from.We went up to the West Fork, so we went west.I don't know which is east, can I have another look at the map? Of course, here.Meghan handed the map to Christie, who flipped her fingers through the guidebook. I wish Alan was here.He'll figure out what to do right away.She sighed, and started looking for a route again.OK, so we put the bikes here, on the front end of the West Fork.And here we are, or somewhere near here.We haven't left the main drain yet.Yes, we have to go left. Why does the book say right?

oh!Megan suddenly realized.Kristi, we are such idiots.It is on the right as you descend into the canyon.But we're going up now, and the path is on our left.She points to the upper left. Ridiculous, how did we not think of that?Kristi felt defeated, and they made a rookie mistake (like holding the map upside down). Megan quickly found a sandy rock formation on their left. This rock formation is a Z-shaped slope like a wheelchair ramp, following the canyon wall.They went up the rock formation, passed the cliff, and continued up to the place where the current washed.It was two hours later, at 5:00 p.m., when they reached the main dirt road, and Kristi's bike was locked next to a pine tree next to the dirt road.The two play a game of contest to see who will ride their bike back to the truck at the Barn Springs trailhead, and Kristi loses.

Christie was also looking for my red mountain bike while riding on the plateau.If she had known where to look, she would have seen my car still leaning against a juniper tree about halfway to the trailhead, ninety meters to the left of the trail.By the time Kristi put her bike back on the roof rack of an SUV she had parked at the trailhead and drove back to pick up Megan, she figured I must have come and waited for them to wait so long in the canyon. They're dead, and they've already missed their appointments. Christie drove the car to the dirt road in front of Megan, rolled down the window, and jokingly said: Hey, do you want a ride?

They take a short break in their seats to fill and finish their water bottles.After the tiring hike up to Xichakou, it was time to rehydrate.Megan asks Christie: Should we go back to the Barn Springs trailhead and wait for Ellen? I think he should be out of the canyon before us. Megan didn't believe it.Impossible, he still has 16 kilometers to go, it is impossible to go out and come to us. But I looked for his bicycle, but I didn't see it.There's not much room to hide a bike there.I think he's gone, maybe partying in Goblin Hollow. Megan thinks Christie must have missed my bike and thinks I'll be around in an hour or two.Are we going to go back and see if he shows up?

But Christy was worried about the fuel status of the car, she knew that the nearest gas station was forty kilometers away.She hesitated.If we get around any more, we're afraid we won't get to Hanksville.We probably only have enough gas for another fifty kilometers. We should really go, get gas, and meet him in Goblin Hollow before dark. Megan didn't stick with it.So they drove to Hanksville to get gas and ate burgers and shakes at a cheap diner called The Stan. An hour later, about the time Brad and Leah were wandering the road behind the desert in Goblin Hollow, Kristi and Megan turned off the road and into the national park, looking for the party.A sign said the campgrounds were full.Christie stopped the car, thinking about their next strategy.

Should we go to camp and look for the party venue?Megan asked. I have no idea.Christie smiled wryly, then went on: Weird, having been making decisions all day: should we wait or should we go for gas?Should we go this way or that? Makes me so tired. Me too.At this moment, Christie rethought.But the party will be fun. Do you know what will happen?Everyone would drink there, and we would party together.Then it got dark and the campsite was full and we had to drive around the desert looking for a camping place drunk.Megan said. Kristi and Megan thought they'd find me at Little Mustang Canyon the next morning, so they turned back up the road to Little Mustang where they stopped at a side road and camped there for the night .Taking their time Sunday morning, they got ready and drove a short distance to a Toyota in the Mustang parking lot.It was Christie who noticed the car first.

Hey, what kind of truck do you remember Allen's? I don't remember him saying that to us.Megan said lazily.She was still tired from the heavy physical activity at Blue-Eyed John Canyon the previous day. Christie said: "That Toyota looked like it might have been his.There are skis and bicycles.And it had a Colorado license plate.I think that's his truck. He might already be in the canyon.Megan said. Christie agrees.Yes, it's half past eleven.He may have gone in. Should we put a note on his windshield with our email address in case we don't see him at the party? But what if that wasn't his truck?

Megan has a habit of exchanging e-mail addresses so she can arrange future trips and invite friends to Moab.She was surprised that she forgot to exchange email addresses with me the day before.Well, if that was his car, he would have our e-mail address, if not, they would have thrown it away. However, there is only one entrance and exit to the canyon.If he's inside, then we'll see him when he comes out. Well, well.We're going to have lunch before we head out to see if we'll meet Alan? Well, I'm not that hungry yet.Kristi is ready for hiking and adventure. As they walked, Megan wondered if they'd see me at the little Mustangs.Do you really think Ellen has come and gone?

Christie thought about this question carefully for a few seconds.I figured he either woke up really early and had already finished the trip, or he was too hungover and sad, and maybe gave up hiking today. Why didn't we ask him for his phone number? Yeah, it's weird.I usually exchange phone numbers, emails or whatever, but I didn't do that this time.Allen is really nice.It was really cool that he met us in this canyon and did a walk together. They had had a good time all morning, exploring the canyons of the little mustangs.Finally, they turned back the same way they had come in, back to the parking lot.On Sunday afternoon, they packed up what was left of their weekend off-road adventure and drove across the Green River to Moab. Although Megan was a little suspicious about my whereabouts, she didn't notice that it was particularly unusual. After all, there were too many reasonable explanations. After my friends Brad and Leah helped me get the truck out of the ice and mud on Thursday afternoon, I left the Thorperace Mountain area near Carbondale, Colorado, on the Scenic Highway to the forested McCuller Pass, heading for southwestern Colorado.It was early dark when they turned off Highway 550 and into the picturesque mining town of Silverton, and they slept in the back of the truck. Leah was four months pregnant, so the next day she and her mother decided to hitchhike to Durango to shop, while Brad and a few colleagues from the slopes shop in Aspen drove to Silverton. Dunshan skiing. Brad and his colleagues save tips throughout the season to pay for travel to the recently opened resort for experts; lift tickets cost over a hundred dollars each, though that includes a guide and a one-of-a-kind off-road experience, this is a favorite among skiers. That night, Brad and friends stayed in a hotel room in Silverton to catch up on sleep after a hangover from a local Oktoberfest.The next morning, Brad went to Durango to meet Leah.They drove the 666 Highway, known as the Devil's Highway, into the Utah desert.As they drove north on Route 95 past Lake Powell on Saturday afternoon, Leah checked her cell phone every now and then, waiting for me to call and confirm the meeting point for that evening's trip to Goblin Hollow. At seven in the evening, they headed west on Route 24 toward San Rafael Hill.As they made their way along the flat road, Lia watched the signal indicator disappear on the mobile phone screen. The signal here was very unstable. Why don't we call Alan?Leah asked. Allen doesn't have a cell phone.He said he would call and ask how to get there. The signal was completely lost before we got here, we should go back to the place where the signal is and check the message.Brad made a big U-turn and came back into signal range. Well, stop right here, on this hill.Leah checked three messages on the phone, but none of them were mine.Allen didn't call, which was really weird.Did he say he was sure he would come? Brad replied: Well, he didn't say for sure.I'd mentioned the party to him and that we'd be going and that he knew people from Aspen.He seemed very interested. Maybe he just decided not to go.Are we going to wait here to see if he'll call? Before he left, he didn't give a clear plan. He just wanted to go climbing and hiking, and stay away from troubles.You know, off-season.I didn't make him swear to come.I think we should keep going, so we can find the sign with directions.A friend of Brad promised to stick more specific party directions on a sign at the entrance of the state park, which would serve as a connection board. Within five minutes of leaving the knoll on the road, the left rear tire of the truck was flat, and Brad discovered that the spare tire was also underinflated.The two continued to head towards Goblin Valley National Park at a slow speed of eight kilometers per hour.Brad regained his bearings, making a left turn first at a juniper tree with a Scooby-Doo doll nailed to it.The evening sun shone directly into Brad's eyes, turning the dust-covered windshield into sandblasted glass.They missed the turnoff to the party and drove for about an hour as the sun went down and the desert fell into darkness. Tired from all day in the truck, they quickly grew impatient at cruising at eight kilometers an hour on country trails in the state park, so Brad pulled into a car park just off a side road. In the small canyon, I found a flat parking place and spent the night in the camper.For them, missing the party is no big loss.They're a very laid-back couple, and besides, there are lots of parties throughout the off-season. By Sunday morning, with the help of the sun, Brad and Leah wandered around until they found the after-party scene with friends lying around in the desert, as if a plane had crashed into a nearby ravine.One of them, who was refreshed enough to drive, took them into Green River to fix a tire. Brad and Leah figured I was either at another party or had something more interesting to do, so they weren't alert when they didn't see me.They had a lot to do on their honeymoon in the Bahamas two days after they got back to Aspen, but they figured they'd see me at the party on Cypress Street on Monday night. On Monday, my house was noisy.Roommates are getting ready for their first off-season party, and throwing a big celebratory feast has become the norm when the seasons change and roommates change.The season is officially over with the closure of four Aspen ski resorts.Leona.After working with me in Ude all winter, Sandy was heading to Big Boulder, where she planned to work as a landscaper.Eliot.Larson is moving in with his mountain bike teammate Joe.Wetton lived together, and with Brian and I it was a group of four.Brian returned from injury after a skiing accident in January that forced him to move in with his parents in Ohio, and I was supposed to be back on leave. It's rare that we all get together. On Monday evening, friends began showing up, including Brad and Leah, and Rachel.Bulver, when the sun blazed down on Mount Thorpes, the meals each had brought had been swept away.Rachel thought it odd that I wasn't at the party, given my usual appetite, but Leona reassured her that I'd be back from Utah in time for the party.As the party progressed into the evening and the music blared beyond the walls with impunity, my roommates yelled at me about my no-show. Elliott asked with a glass of beer in his hand: Hey, Bligg, have you seen Allen?Isn't he going to work tomorrow? He may not have finished his journey yet.I haven't seen him since Wednesday.Does he know about the party?Brian asked Leona. Leona repeated what she had said to Rachel earlier.Yeah, he left saying he'd be back for the party.I told him I was leaving on Tuesday and he said he would be there.It's my farewell party and he better not miss it, I'll be mad. What time is it now?If he's really late, he's probably going to come in and fall asleep.Elliot worried that if I came home and wanted to go to bed, they would have to turn down the party volume.It's going to be hard for him to sleep with such a big party.Perhaps he had expected that and slept somewhere. That's better than kicking everyone out.Looks like the party is going to last a while. Brian was right, the party did go on for a while.Although he went to bed before midnight, it was after two o'clock in the morning when Joe and Leona saw off the last guests. However, it was 8:15 on Tuesday morning, and I hadn't arrived at Ude's office yet.Manager Brion.Yaft called home.Leona had just woken up, her eyes were glazed over, and she was still drunk. Hey Leona, I'm Brion.Is Alan there?Brion's voice sounded a little anxious. he is not at home.Did he not go to work?Leona woke up immediately with worry. No, Alan didn't come into the company and didn't call.I'm still thinking he might have overslept on vacation.Is his truck there?Leona walks around the house with the radio in hand, looking out the kitchen window to see if my truck is there.She understands that I'm used to packing my holidays, thinking I might drive at night and go straight to work that morning.Then she went to my room to see if I had been back, but nothing had been touched in my room.Something is wrong. Has Ellen turned into Leona?Maybe he forgot he had changed shifts. Brion and Leona giggled together.Leona once forgot to go to work when she was supposed to, only to show up a week later when she wasn't on the schedule, earning her a reputation for carelessness. It's possible, but when he was about to go out, he said see you on Tuesday, which shows that he knows that today is his day to go to work. Then he must still be on his way back from Utah.Leona said.Maybe he will arrive at the company in about an hour or so. maybe.I have to hang up, but I'll check again.when are you leaving An hour later, I packed up and left. OK, if you see him, call me. I will.Bye-Bye.Leona hung up the phone and walked up and down with a heavy heart.She started packing her luggage into the car to drive to Big Boulder, but the more the car got full, the more worried she became. Knowing that I was never more than fifteen minutes late for work, Brion began to worry too.He walked over to the sales department at about 8:30 to meet another employee, the mountaineer Sam.Orton talks.Did you see Allen come in? Sam, who had been arranging trail running shoes in the showroom, looked up.Well, no.He's supposed to be modifying the walls of his camping equipment this morning, right? Brion didn't answer Sam's question. He asked again: Did he call back? Sam felt the tension in his voice.No.what happened? I have no idea.I just asked Leona, Ellen isn't home.She said it looked like he never went back at all.The only time Allen was more than a few minutes late was when he was at Pearl Pass.Brion remembered that a month ago I was trapped on a high mountain of more than 3,600 meters, and slept in the snow cave dug by hand for one night.He believed that unless I was in serious trouble, I would show up. Knowing between the lines, Sam asked: Do you think he had an accident? Oh, I do not know.The only thing I'm sure of is that he won't leave his job alone.Something might have happened. He may be lost or injured.I doubt he will get lost though?Allen always had his compass and altimeter with him, and he knew how to operate them.Sam said.I mean, if something happens, Allen is strong enough to get himself out of it.Nothing is going to slow him down unless his leg is broken.And even if his leg breaks, he'll crawl back, maybe it'll take him a little longer, but he'll come back.We're going to give him twenty-four hours, wait and see.That was Brion's conclusion, and Sam agreed. Leona calls every hour to Ude's office to Brion and the general manager Paul.Polly.She mentioned that the last time she saw me was almost a week ago on a Wednesday.Allen gets out his boxes of climbing equipment, as well as his bike stuff.He said he was going mountaineering, canyoning, and possibly mountain biking. Time passed imperceptibly, and Brion told Paul his decision again.We have to give Allen more time.Any expert mountaineer would love to have a chance to free himself before the helicopters come to rescue him.If he still doesn't show up at work tomorrow, I'll call his parents and start a search operation. Around 6:30 on a Tuesday evening, roommates Brian and Joe sat in the living room after get off work, relaxing and drinking what was left of the keg. hey where is allenJoe asked. He hasn't come back yet.Brian replied.Leona called Ude this morning, and he wasn't at work. Do you think we should call the police?Joe wasn't sure if he should do it, but it made Brian think the same. We should probably call the police.After thinking for a long time, he said, then looked through the phone book to check the number of the Aspen Police Department, and called.A friend of ours went on a trip and was supposed to be back last night but didn't, it's been a day. You can create a missing person profile first.You said you've been missing for twenty-four hours? Yes, he was supposed to come back from Utah yesterday, but he didn't go to work today. Brian provided my name, age, approximate height, weight, and description to the dispatcher, who typed the information into the police computer system. Do you have his license plate information? Brian walked into my room and found my old climbing route planner from my solo climb of Mount Malangjong two months ago.That travel log has my license plate number on it, and the year and model of my truck.Where do you think he went? I know he's going skiing at Sopress Mountain on Thursday, but he's packing everything for the trip.I think he said he was going to Moab, Utah. Is there a more specific location? That's all.He usually leaves travel itineraries, but this time he didn't. What the dispatcher didn't tell Brian was that I hadn't been missing long enough for the police to take any action.