Dropping off his load of plates and silverware, he went through the motions of being the attentive waiter and service provider that he normally was, but really it was all he could do to stay through his shift. He knew it would look bad if he left early.
Chad enjoyed his job, the people he worked with and the customers who came into eat. The Ram was a casual place to work, the hours were good, the people were generally happy and easy to deal with and he had a natural talent for making those around him feel comfortable. This easy going and friendly attitude was reflected in the tips he received as he went from table to table making sure everyone was getting the food and service they deserved. He was popular with the staff because all of his tips went into a common tip jar that was split equally among those working. Being one of the youngest managers in the chain's local market had both its benefits and drawbacks, contributing to the tip jar created a bond with his staff. That was one of the reasons that Chad felt the desire to be on the floor, interacting with the customers and filling gaps to help out the wait staff and kitchen, to provide the quality of service his restaurant had become known. He was happy to pick up the slack and make the job easier for everyone, tending bar or clearing tables, taking orders or delivering the meals, it was all part of the same machine and Chad had the knack for making the machine run smoothly.
Try as he might, today was different. Tomorrow was the beginning of a week of vacation and Chad was going to spend it in the mountains. He loved the mountains. Any time of year, there was a beauty and serenity that made him feel close to nature and God. During one of his hikes this past summer, Chad had found an area in the back country just south of the Crystal Mountain ski resort that looked like it was going to be a spectacular spot for snowboarding once the snows came to the Cascades. Not too much of a hike, but once they closed highway 410, it was a little for difficult to gain access to the area. The rainy September, one of the wettest on record, nearly 11 inches of rain, had literally flowed into a damp and wet November. The weather in the northwest didn't always work to his advantage, but a cold front had moved in and it looked like mother nature was working in his favor to provide an excellent layer of fresh snow for him to carve up. He always tried to schedule his vacation time just before the busy holiday season began, he would be back two days before Thanksgiving. It was a way to recharge his batteries and gear up for the non-stop hustle of the Thanksgiving celebration that continued non-stop all the way through the new year.
Mount Rainier had been covered in a blanket of white for well over a month after a fairly dry summer. The areas showing the grey/blue rocks slowly became smaller and smaller patches as the mountain donned it's winter white coat. He kept a close eye on the pass reports and looked forward to the time when the department of transportation finally closed highway 410 just passed the ski resort turn off, outside of Greenwater. The DOT had done just that almost ten days ago as the treacherous winding two lane road became too dangerous for travelers, as it crested the Cascades and turned east as it dropped down into Yakima. So now, it was just a matter of his schedule to find the time to get away from the hustle and bustle and seek out the space of solitary quite that only the back country in winter could provide.
Coming out of his revere and back to the din of a busy dinner service, he shook his head, the smile remaining on his face as he collected the remains of another table. The conversations and general noise of the crowded restaurant lulling him into his routine. It was just a matter of a few more hours and he would be alone and free to commune with nature at it's most exquisite beauty.
The morning dawned cold and Chad rolled out of bed ready to hit the road. He already had his gear packed in his Yukon and couldn't wait to get on the road. The sun painting the eastern horizon with spectacular hues of orange, pink and purple lent an almost surreal quality to the morning sky. The beauty that God created all around him, never ceased to make Chad feel so thankful and grateful for being able to perceive and acknowledge the greatness of God. It was one of the reasons that he so much enjoyed being in the wilderness alone. He was able to almost feel the forest around him. The taste of the pine scented air, the crispness it created as it touched his exposed skin exhilarated him to push deeper into the woods of the Wenatchee/Snoqualmie National Forest land that he enjoyed exploring so much.
The hike ahead was going to be a bit arduous, but the payoff at the end was well worth the effort. After scouting about this past summer, Chad had come upon a ravine that looked to be a natural half-pipe. Almost as if a large ice cream scoop had been used to carve out a bowl in the side of the mountain. Trees lined the upper edges, but the lower bowl was clear and ran nearly a hundred feet at a gentle incline of about thirty degrees down the side of the hill. Located just over two miles in from the road closed juncture of 410, Chad knew he would be essentially alone in the south eastern corner of the Mt. Rainier national park. He would be beyond the boundaries of the Crystal Mountain ski resort where few if any of the back country cross country skiers would attempt to traverse.
The drive up through Buckley and Enumclaw was uneventful, a few patches of melting snow on the side of the road as he drove past the mud mountain dam and into the foothills toward Greenwater. Chad parked his truck off the side of the road in a turn out at the bottom of the hill at the base of Crystal Mountain drive. He figured the ski resort would be opening soon and he was only planning on spending a couple of days in the back country. His cold weather gear was fairly compact and provided an efficient means of protection from the elements once he was able to set his base camp.
Strapping his snowboard and backpack on, Chad stepped around the ROAD CLOSED barrier and started walking up the snow covered road. Taking deep breaths of the cold mountain air, filling his lungs with the freshness of a new day brought a joy to his heart and a lightness to his steps. At 23 years old, Chad was in excellent physical condition and the promise of the new fallen snow on the hill drove him to quicken his pace. Just being out in the snow covered forest made Chad happy to be alive. As he walked, he could pick out the tracks of small woodland animals who had been out foraging during the night. Rounding a bend in the road, a sight that few ever got to see delighted him. The dark brown and tan furry hide could just barely be seen. It blended with the shadows of the dark tree trunks and the moss clinging to the branches. It moved without making a sound as its feet broke through the crust of the frozen top layer of snow. Chad stood still not wanting to spook the majestic creature, he had only heard tales of animals this big that roamed the national parks in this area. He had seen signs of them during his hikes in the spring and fall, but he had yet to witness one up close and personal. Its back was nearly at his eye level, the enormous head was well over seven feet off the ground. As it moved among the trees the majesty and confidence it exuded was almost palpable.
Chad realized he was holding his breath. He had stopped in his tracks not wanting to spook the animal as he took in its splendor. The sunlight played tricks with his eyes as he tried to determine just how big it actually was. His perspective was skewed as he was on the hard surface of the road and beast was standing nearly knee deep in the snow some thirty to forty yards ahead of him amongst the Douglas firs. The stories of this kind of animal played through Chad's mind. Not one even came close to describing the beauty and raw power of seeing anything in the wild in person. This was why he so looked forward to these solitary excursions. Finally, the winds changed and Chad was given away by his scent on the breeze. The massive elk raised his head, the more than twelve point rack upon its brow swinging as it turned its head to look directly at him. Chad could almost feel that gaze, the intense stare of an animal that was not afraid. The flare of its nostrils taking in his scent, the expansion of its chest as the lungs filled and the elk stood taller and even more majestic. Chad felt as if he was being measured. The unwavering gaze of the creature held him transfixed into place. He could feel his heart rate speed up and his pulse quicken in his throat. This was an encounter with one of nature's most honorable creations. Chad blinked his eyes as he took a deep breath and just like that the elk was gone. No sound, no flurry of snow, just gone.
A quick prayer of thanks to God for the fantastic opportunity to view and interact with such a wonderful creature, brought out of his near trance and back to enjoying the world around him. He had been walking for almost two hours and it was nearing midday. The area he was looking for had to be around here somewhere near. His first order of business was to establish his base camp, get his tent set up and get the rest of his gear stored. Chad had everything he needed for a couple of days in the back country and he knew he would be tired after a long hike followed by the exertion of blazing his own trail on his snowboard in the fresh powder. Therefore, he was most anxious to get the tedious necessity of getting his camp set.
Chad spotted the rock outcrop on the the uphill east side of the road that he had designated his landmark when he had first scouted this area. There was a clearing in the woods just a few hundred yards due west of the road that would make for a perfect spot to set camp. The surrounding forest and slight dip in the topography made for a natural shelter from the wind and provided him an area where the build up of drifting snow would not be an issue. Chad had thrown up his tent so many times it only took him a few minutes to unload his burden of backpack and snowboard and stow the remaining items inside out of the weather.
Kicking out of his hiking boots and into his snowboard boots, Chad grabbed his board and went in search of his shredding ground. The anticipation of seeing the ravine filled with snow waiting for his arrival was almost too much to bear. The clear sky overhead meant a great afternoon of snowboarding but also that if conditions remained the same, it would get very cold. Treking through the old growth forest Chad felt his insignificance, the true smallness of one human being, compared with the vastness of all that surrounded him. As always, he felt like an intruder into the sanctity of a pristine forest. Thanking God for allowing him such a wonderful opportunity to be part of such beauty, Chad vowed to make himself appreciate all that he had been given.
Cresting a small hill, he knew he was close to the ravine he had come upon in the summer. Sure enough, the trees parted and there before him was the sight he had envisioned during the warmth of late August. The ravine had indeed filled with snow. The resulting half pipe flowed down and away from him beckoning to him. Here at the top, he was almost mid-thigh in powder and he wondered how deep the lower bowl was going to be.
It didn't take him long to find out. Cinching his bindings to his boots and dropping into the bowl with abandon, Chad felt at one with the mountain. His freshly waxed board gliding over the snow, the powder billowing up in his face nearly blinded him. The sharp edges of his board carving into the snow as he leaned from heel side to toe side, looking for the edge of the ravine as he headed up the inclined side of the half pipe. Gaining speed and launching himself skyward, a frontside 360 with a tail grab on the way down made him shout out loud. The sound of his voice startling even himself in the near silence of the forest. The unrestrained joy he was feeling, the almost overwhelming freedom of he experienced at these times brought tears to his eyes. Then he thought, maybe it was just the cold stinging wind on his face that brought the tears, but either way he was as happy as he could ever remember being.
Coming off the far side of the bowl, Chad noticed a small depression in the snow at the bottom of the ravine, directly in front of him. It wasn't a large hole, just a small variance from the accumulation of snow around it. He wasn't even sure why it caused him any concern, but for some reason his eyes were drawn to it. Before he could correct his course and swerve around the dip, the front of his board disappeared into the snow. All at once a feeling of weightlessness enveloped him. It felt as if he was falling, falling a long way down. He became disoriented as he tumbled through the hole, flipping end over end. His mind tried to process what was happening, the fall seemed to be taking forever. Finally, with a jolt of pain and the wind being forced out of his lungs Chad landed on his back, his board next to him in the snow.
At first he thought maybe he had fallen over a waterfall, but the light was not right. His vision slowly cleared as he raised himself up on an elbow to survey where he had landed. The light he noticed was all around him with just a small circle of blue directly above him. The blurry vision made it hard to determine distance as his depth perception was off, but it seemed the blue spot was way above him. Chad shook his head to try and clear the cobwebs a little. He rubbed his eyes and realized he still had his goggles on. Removing his eye protection he was astonished to see that he had fallen into a cave of some sort. The blue spot was actually the sky some thirty feet over his head and the hole he had inadvertently fallen through. Rolling over on his side, the jolt of pain was like and electric shock up his left leg and through his back. It was then that he noticed he was still strapped into the snowboard by his binding and his left foot was at a totally bizarre angle. It was like viewing something on tv, it didn't even look real the way his foot was turned around. If it wasn't broken, his ankle was seriously messed up. Amazingly, he didn't really feel the kind of pain one would expect from an injure that looked as severe as this one appeared to be.
The light filtering into the cave showed through one wall that looked like a curtain of ice. Behind him, the cave traveled back into darkness. It didn't look like any readily available route of escape from the cave was accessible. Using his snowboard as a lever, Chad was able to get himself into a more or less sitting position. From here he began to take stock of his situation. A few deep breaths made him realize that he had probably broken a couple of ribs. Once he had removed his boot from the binding and got his foot pointing in the proper direction, the pain in his ankle had subsided substantially and he decided that it was most likely not broken but sprained for certain. Out of the corner of his eye, Chad thought that he saw movement in the darkness of the tunnel. Fearing that he may have awoken some hibernating black bear, he tried to stand.
The wave of nausea and light headedness that nearly made him pass out, indicated that he probably had a concussion. Holding onto consciousness by sheer will power he brought himself upright so as to present a larger image. Using his peripheral vision, without turning his head he tried to locate the source of the movement. Not wanting to create a direct confrontation by making eye contact, he slowly moved toward the wall of ice in search of a way out.
Movement again caught his attention and he could feel a presence in the cave with him. The uneven floor made it hard to move with his impaired ankle, the snowboard providing him with a crutch to lean some weight upon. As he neared the light of the wall a cold draft brought with it an odor that renewed his nausea. The stench churned his stomach and made him reflexively grab for his nose. The sudden movement caused him to overbalance on his good leg and sent him sprawling to the floor. Just before his head hit the ground and darkness overtook him, the shadows took life and stepped forward. As his eyes involuntarily closed, he was sure that he saw a huge man standing there looking down at him with sympathetic eyes. He fought to remain awake, but the strain became just too much. He felt emotionally tired as well as physically drained. Incredibly though, the fear he thought he should be feeling at being trapped with a big black bear about to be eaten wasn't present at all. The comforting blackness of dreamless sleep enveloped him as he slipped from the conscious world.
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