The Trail

The Trail for me is a story that combines a few things that I truly enjoy in my own life. I fear bears even though I have studied what them to make sure I would be prepared if I encountered one on a trail. I find then fascinating and thus it was easy to add one in the story. I had intended to take the story in a different direction but was unsure I could fit it into a small frame for a short story. I purposely did not use any character names in the story as I was trying to leave it all to you imagination and focus more on the events. I think everyone would create their own vision of what Boston Detective looks like without a true description or a name. The Trail was going to be a story of murder on the mountain but it changed as I went on. For me writing is not a truly planned out process that follows an outline. I feel boxed in by outlines or page limits to be quite honest. I find for me the story I write is the story that unfolds at my fingers over the course of pages. I always will make notes as I go along to keep things consistent such as character names, relationships, or other details I think are important for later in the story. The creativity of writing freely is what allows me to get into the story and be excited about writing it. I am experience the story just like a reader as it unfolds. I have an idea where I want to go and what I want to say but I also remain open and let the story change as I feel the changes. This story had many changes within it. I personally have only hiked into the ravine on the Tuckerman Ravine Trail to watch skiers. Mount Washington’s summit is a goal I have had over a year now and actually has ties to my childhood when I would sit on the Western Prom in Portland and be able to see the white capped mountain in the distance. A fascination grew from that point onward. Stories of the mountain have always interested me. There are many stories I would like to write involving the mountain but I know the greatest story will be my conquering the mountain and reaching that very summit. So in The Trail I am able to take you on a little adventure to the mountain and have the character interact with the environment. It is his mind that leads him astray on his journey. He is lucky to have survived but also there is a sense of humility in the things that happened. In a sense they could happen to anyone.
The Trail
It was a morning like many others here at the AMC Center in Pinkham Notch. The sun was just rising as I sat outside on the wrap around porch. I would soon be on the trails again but for now I was content to be sitting here in the peace before other hikers began to awaken for their own journeys of the day. There was dew on the grass and the early birds were certainly finding the worms scattered among it. Crickets were still making their presence known but soon would be hidden as the sun continued to rise. It was a peaceful morning until I heard the scream come from the woods behind me.
It was piercing in every possible way that a scream can be and echoed throughout the valley. The hair on my arms stood and I immediately rose to my feet. My heart was racing and I headed towards to the trail. I ran hard but after 100 yards or so I had a flash in my mind that maybe it wasn’t really a scream but maybe just my mind playing tricks on me. I was out here to relax a little from my job as a Detective in Boston. I had just been involved in a case that took its toll on me mentally and this was a great place to get away. It had to be my mind playing tricks on me. I turned and walked back towards the seat on the porch. I began to feel a little embarrassed and hoped nobody else had seen my suddenly jump up and sprint towards the trail. I must have looked quite funny. I reached the porch and there was still only nature awake with me. I was very awake now though and the thought of sitting on the porch was no longer appealing to me. I went to my cabin to grab my gear and head for my day of hiking.
I started up the trail called Tuckerman’s Ravine Trail which had many other trails that branched off of it along the way to the summit of Mount Washington. I knew this was a very popular trail to the summit and the early start should help me stay ahead of the crowds which I have heard sometimes get quite large. I was soon at Crystal Cascades and paused to watch the water tumble over the falls. It was so very peaceful here with not a soul around. I headed back to the main trail and while it was never steep it was still going up and I was gaining altitude. The Pinkham Notch AMC center starts out at 2032 feet and the trek to the summit covers 4,250 feet of altitude gain in about 4.2 miles using just the Tuckerman Ravine Trail. The summit sits at 6,288 feet and is the highest peak in the Northeast. They often warn of the worst weather in the World happening right here on Mount Washington. It was a hike for sure but along the way there was peace. I had been to the ravine in the winter to see the skiers in action on the headwall. I was surprised at the size of the headwall and at how many people were there skiing. I think they are crazy but then again I am a homicide detective so maybe I am the crazy one.
I passed the cut off to the Hunington Ravine Trail and decided it was time for a rest. I was over a mile into my journey and surely ahead of the pack. I found a rock beside the trail and sat down. As I unwrapped my energy bar I noticed something across the trail from me. I couldn’t quite tell what it was from where I was but I decided I would check it out when I finished my bar. I was trying to decide what it was as it looked like fabric but that was covered by leaves in an unnatural way. I kept looking until I could stare no more. I went over to it and slowly uncovered it making sure that there was nothing else around it. I know that I was being overly cautious but I am a detective. As I brushed the leaves aside I was uncovering a fanny pack. I asked myself what a fanny pack was doing on the side of the trail and covered. My mind raced back to the sound I had heard this morning and I wondered if the two were connected. My mind was racing and I decided to mark the spot on my GPS and also take a snap shot of the fanny pack just incase. I picked it up and placed in a plastic bag that I had in my pack to keep things dry. I decided to keep going as there was really no reason to turn around.
I was making good progress but my mind was racing through scenarios of what I had found on the trail and how it had got there. I was coming up on the Lion Head split off at 3,875 feet. I was winded and a little tired as I had been going for two hours now and the sun was up high enough to warm the air. I needed to catch my breath and stay hydrated as I was only a little past halfway. As I tried to find a place to sit I noticed a broken branch and went to look at it. I soon discovered other branches that were freshly broken as well and the leaves on the ground were disturbed. I looked closely and saw hair on a branch. I took a picture and marked it on my GPS before using some duct tape that I carry on hikes to collect the hair. I then put it in the plastic bag. There seemed to have been a struggle here and my mind tried to picture the struggle that must have taken place. I wondered if this was when the scream had happened. I decided to forget my tiredness and keep going up the trail. I was running on adrenaline now as I approached the Herman Lake Shelter.
At the shelter I stopped and looked around but it was very quiet here. I wasn’t sure if there was supposed to be people here or not. I remembered reading that sometimes the shelter was open and there were basic supplies therefore purchase but maybe the keepers of the shelter were on their own early morning hike. Or maybe they were in trouble. I looked around the shelter and could feel my pulse racing. The doors were locked and I tried to look in the windows but I could not see anything inside. I was debating on rather to break the door to make sure there was not anyone in trouble and stuck inside. Then I my mind called me an idiot and I stopped in my tracks. I thought about it and maybe I was over reacting to these things. I had heard the scream though but it could have been a flash back of some sort. I just didn’t know what to think at this moment. I was possibly going crazy or I was possibly stumbling into a crisis. I decided to leave the shelter as it was and move on the trail into the bowl of the ravine. It was a short twenty minute hike and it would leave me only another mile or so from the summit of Washington.
I headed out towards Herman Lake. The lake itself really is at best a pond that is at the base of the trail to the bowl. I stopped and admired the view before heading upward. I needed to let go of these crazy thoughts and keep on moving. I was here to relax and that is what I wanted to do. The case in Boston had involved a serial killer that was targeting college women around the city. They were disappearing right off of campus. We eventually found a clue that unraveled the case but not before ten women were murdered. We ended up catching the killer who happened to be a professor that traveled from campus to campus. He had wanted more from these woman but they decided the grade wasn’t worth what he wanted and he had killed them to keep them quiet. Others have come forward since then and he is never going to leave jail. It was a trying case and a long case. Seeing ten bodies that had been raped and beaten to death was hard to take. I mean sure I see deceased all the time but the age and the brutality wore on me. I couldn’t sleep or for that matter think of anything else. If I had been smarter or done my job better then maybe all of those women would not have died. I had interviewed the professor as he was a link to all of them but I was convinced he was a good man. I feel bad about that as I misjudged him and he continued to kill. I needed to get away. This is away and now my mind was racing to find something here that was wrong. I was afraid to miss something and be the reason for death again. I am thinking that maybe what I need is to get some professional help. I am on Mount Washington and I am searching for something that just can’t be here. Sure people die on the mountain but it is from mistakes or injuries that happen during their hikes. I am sure some have died skiing down that ravine headwall that is now before me.
I paused to enjoy the view of the headwall as I was now in the bowl. It was lush green with a river running the side of it. There were birds chirping while they flew around the ravine searching for something to eat. It was such a beautiful place that I wanted to take my time and take it all in. The last time I was here the ravine was all white with feet of snow all around. The ravine fills with snow that blows off of the mountain around it and has snow sometimes till the middle of summer. I actually fell up to my waste near a large rock during my last visit. This was as far as I had made it last time but this time I was heading for the summit. I decided I would head over to the lunch rocks and take a break and well….. have my lunch. In the winter many people pack lunches and eat on the lunch rocks while watching the skiers take their tumbles down the headwall. I was tired but felt better now that I decided I was just going crazy and nothing was going on up here.
I stopped and let my chin fall to my chest while I took deep breaths and closed my eyes. As I opened my eyes I noticed a red spot on the ground before me. BLOOD!!! My mind shouted at me. I knelt beside the spot on the ground and looked closely at it. I was not a CSI type of detective but I knew blood or thought I knew blood when I saw it. This was definitely a possibility on the ground before me. It was dry but it didn’t look old at all. In fact it had rained a couple of nights ago so it had to be new. Why would there be blood here? Did someone have an accident? I guess that is possible but that blood curdling scream was more of a possibility. I lifted my head and scanned the ravine around me. I didn’t see anyone on the top of the walls looking at me and no one else was in the bowl with me. I looked for more and found a trail that seemed to lead up towards the top of the headwall. I had a sudden sense of urgency and dropped my pack and took off up the trail as quickly as I could manage. I was soon slowing as my lungs struggled for air. I just couldn’t get enough in to satisfy the needs of my body. The headwall was very steep and I suddenly thought back to when I was watching people hiking this with skis and in ski boots during my last trip here. I wondered how they did that and why that did that as I put one foot up and in front of the other. I was at 4325 feet according to my GPS unit and still just over a mile from the summit. I reached the top of the wall and looked around. I did not see anyone here as I scanned the rocks around me. The lush greens of the ravine were below me now. I scanned left and right for a few minutes but could not see anything. I continued to follow the trail and spots on the ground upward.
My legs were beginning to feel like jelly and I felt like I needed a break. I desperately needed some water. I sat on a boulder just off of the trail and suddenly remembered that I had left my pack and supplies at the bottom of the ravine. I needed a drink of water and could use some food for fuel as well. I had a choice of going back down the trail to my backpack or traveling onward and following the trail. I was torn as the safe thing was to go back to my backpack but my heart was for going forward to help the bleeding person. As I sat and rested I noticed a storm cloud on the other side of the mountain. It was barely visible to me as I was on the mountain and could not see over the top of it. I was warned before that storms can come upon you quickly here because you can’t see them till they are on top of you. I was exposed to the elements that were coming and could escape to the safety of the ravine below if I chose to do so. I didn’t though and decided to follow the trail of blood.
I kept moving and with each step I knew I was getting closer to the summit and people but yet it did not seem to be getting closer. The GPS unit said I was at 5,327 feet and every couple of steps seemed to change the number upward….. 5,328…..5,329. I could feel my legs growing weaker with each step as well. My body longed for water to quench a deep and growing thirst. I was no longer sweating and I knew that I was in danger of heat stroke. The trail of blood stopped suddenly and I looked around trying to find it for a few minutes at 5,543 feet. All I found was a popsicle stick that was red and blood red!!! How did someone get a popsicle way up here? I thought about this and decided it must have come from the Herman Lake shelters as they must have a fridge in the building. It didn’t matter really as I fell to my knees and wanted to pull my own hair out. I realized that my mind again had taken me on a journey to no where. I was chasing what just wasn’t there and now I was in danger myself. I slumped to the ground and put my head down in hopes of clearing my head.
BOOOOOOM…Booooommmm…….snap…crackle and then came the flash of lightning that was way too close for my comfort. The hair on my arms stood at attention. My heart jumped into my throat as the lightning struck only 100 yards away. The rain let loose now like the flood gates from heaven had suddenly broken. It was instantly impossible to see anything. I was soaked to the bone now as I sat on the ground. I had a decision to make and was aware that it had to be the right decision. Should I head for the top or back down to my backpack in the ravine?
I knew at the top there were at the very least people manning the weather observatory. It is manned year round and it is only around 700 feet above me. I look up but I can’t see anything except rain. I know the path is mostly marked with cairns from here on up. I am not sure that I will be able to see the piles of rocks used for cairns and if I miss them then I will be in trouble. My GPS is going wacky as the satellites appear to be having a hard time sending a signal through this storm. I guess that only leaves down towards my backpack but I wonder if I can make it over the steep terrain in the rain. There is no place to hide here and that means I have to move one way or the other. BOOOOOOOOM !! The air crackles above my head and my hair resumes it’s standing on end position. I decide then to head down the trail towards the ravine. I move as fast as I can and yet I am feeling cold from the rain. I still need water to hydrate my body which is dehydrated from the hike up and not taking in enough water. What was I thinking? I am cursing myself now as I let my instincts lead me when I should have taken the time and did the right things. Now I am dehydrated, cold, and away from all my gear on top of a mountain. Well, I guess technically I am on the side of the mountain but either way I am still an idiot. The going is slow but I am now at the top of the ravine. All I have to do is get down the ravine headwall to my backpack.
I try to see below me but the rain and wind prevent that from happening. I can see the trail or at least what I think is the trail. I decide I have no other choices left and now it is time to try this decent. I try to stand but as soon as I shift my weight I can feel my right foot slipping. I grab for a rock but it doesn’t hold and now I am tumbling down the headwall. I am thinking I am going to die on this mountain today. I have no control over my body and with each tumble I seem to be picking up speed. I hit a rock with my left arm and felt a pop or maybe I heard too. Do you really know when you are flying and bouncing off of everything in your path? I just knew it hurt and that it was a sharp pain. It seemed to last forever but I remember seeing the skiers fall and it was pretty quick but those lucky bastards at least were on snow. They were like snowballs and here I was like a mud ball at best. I hit one last boulder and came to a stop against it. I tried to breath but my breath seemed to have left me and the ability to take in air was gone too. I wondered if I was dead but then I opened my eyes and it was still raining so I figured I must be alive as neither vision I have for heaven or hell includes a blinding rain. I soon am able to suck in some air and slowly my breathing returns to me. I gather myself and try to sit up against the boulder but when I try to use my arms to lift myself only the right one works. They left failed me and I fell forward onto my face. The mud felt good and I was tempted to take a drink of the pooled water. I finally sat up and the thunder had seemed to move on to somewhere else as even the rain began to let up. The surroundings all looked the same to me. I was not on a trail and while I could tell I was still on the same side as the trail it wasn’t something I could see from where I was now. I stood and despite the pain that flowed through my body like the blood in my veins I managed to move in the direction of the trail or at least where I thought it was at that point. I soon was on the trail and quickly determined I was lower than where my backpack was on the trail. The sky was clearing which I thought was a good sign but was that the only break I was going to catch today? I wasn’t sure I wanted to try and make it up to my bag just to turn around and go back down the mountain but I also knew I needed my bag. I began to move up the trail towards my backpack. Finally I saw it and went over to it and collapsed beside of it. I immediately began to drink from my Camel pak and soon moved on to some of the snacks I had inside. I felt pretty good at this point despite the fun I had tumbling down the ravine wall.
GROWL!!! GROWL!!!! The noise came from above me and as I looked up I could not believe my luck as up on top of the ravine headwall was a black bear looking down at me. I thought and remembered that you are told to yell at them. So I yelled but the bear seemed to be getting the wrong message from me as he moved down the trail towards me. I scrambled as best I could and headed down the trail. I knew the bear could catch me but he just seemed to be keeping his distance and following me. I kept yelling and he kept following me. Where was everyone else? Isn’t this a popular trail? I was now at the trail down to the Herman Lake Shelters but wondered how I would manage this without the use of both my arms. I had to leave my backpack here as I couldn’t balance myself with it anyway. I dropped the pack and grabbed a candy bar from it before moving on. The bear made his way to the pack and as I continued out of sight I think I heard the bag ripping as the bear decided he liked candy too.

Finally down at the shelter I knocked on the door but nobody was home again. Was there a point to having a shelter if it didn’t provide shelter? I kept moving to make sure I stayed ahead of the bear. It was not a pleasant walk and I really needed more to drink but I was at least sweating again. I was coming up on the Lion’s Head cutoff when I saw something on the trail below me. I stopped and soon was able to determine it was other hikers. I yelled to them and as I made my way towards them they came towards me. There were two rangers and two others hikers. They noticed the shape I was in and asked what had happened. I explained to them that I had fallen and left out all the idiotic stuff I had thought during my hike. They agreed to help me down the trail to the AMC hut at the bottom. We moved past were the broken branches and hair were so I decided that I should at least point this out incase I wasn’t crazy. So I stopped and asked why the branches were broken and to some of the hair still there on the branches. I told them I was a big city detective and this seemed odd to me. The rangers exchanged a look as if trying to decide who was going to explain to me what this was all about. Well they told me and I am ashamed to say that it was a bear that had made the mess there. Apparently there was a nuisance bear on the trail the last few days and he would hide on the side of the trail and come out when he heard hikers coming. He would growl and huff but never charged. He just wanted the hikers to drop their packs and he wanted the food. They told me in fact a lady this morning had come across him and dropped her fanny pack and tried to bury it off the trail so the bear would pass it. She thought she could pick it back up later but the bear continued to follow her and she screamed. The scream made the bear scamper off up the trail towards the ravine. The rangers and other hikers asked me if I had seen the bear or had heard her scream this morning. I told them my story on the way to the hut. The big detective out to save a life in the woods of New Hampshire only found himself over his head on the trail. I wasn’t sure this was as relaxing as I had intended it to be. I had broken my forearm in the fall and decided that maybe I needed a new hobby. I hear the fishing is good in Maine.