High Country Rescue

by Michael Skinner

  Everyone said or nodded yes, so Ruiz moved on. He followed the trail down and to the west. Soon he got the smell, he knew it was a dead animal, but was unsure until he got to the mine. Looking around before he went in, he saw what was left of the food catch and the trail going on down the hill. Then he went in to the mine where he saw the dead bear. Then he saw the coals of the fire. He held his hand close, and they were still warm. This confirmed that they had been there this morning. He looked around the area inside to see what he could learn. He could see the two bedding areas. He could see where someone had been dragged from the front of the mine back inside, and from the heel marks, he knew it was the man. On his way out, he stopped to look at the bear. Based on the wound that killed the bear, the bear died instantly, and from the smell of the bear, he was sure the bear was no more than two days dead. He went back outside and followed the trail downhill until he found a spot where he could see both footprints, they looked normal. He then went back up the trail to rejoin Jason.

  Reaching Jason, Ruiz said, “They were here this morning, but we have gained at least a day on them to get this close.”

  Jason asked, “What do you mean?”

  “Let’s talk as we walk.”

  “Okay, let’s go.”

  “There is a mine a little farther down the ridge. They used it for a campsite. Apparently, when they entered, probably the night before last, they came upon a bear. They killed the bear, but the man was hurt, and they were unable to leave until this morning. The tracks they left leaving tell me that he was not having any trouble walking.”

  “It’s too bad the bear didn’t kill them both then this would be over. How far are they ahead of us now?”

  “They were here when we heard the explosion. It has taken us, with the delay at the rock fall eight hours to get here, so they are eight hours ahead of us.”

  “How much daylight do we have left?”

  “About four hours till we have to stop.”

  As they passed the mine, Ruiz said, “There is the mine, and you can barely see the dead bear.”

  Jason asked, “Will we be able to get started tomorrow as early as today?”

  “That will depend on the trail, but I see no reason why not.”

  They continued downhill on long easy switchbacks until they came to the larger mine where the trail joined the road from the mine. They followed the old road downhill with Ruiz watching for tracks, leaving the road on the downhill side. After some time, Ruiz held up his hand signaling stop. Ruiz looked at a game trail joining the road from downhill on the right.

  Ruiz said, “They went this way.”

  Jason asked, “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  Ruiz turned down the game trail, and they followed. They continued downhill toward the valley below. Occasionally a smaller trail would join them, but they continued on. When they reached the creek below them, it was dry.

  Ruiz said, “No fresh water tonight, so go easy on the canteens tonight. We will push as hard as we can for as long as we have daylight up this ridge. Remember, any time we are traveling faster than they are, we are gaining.”

  Jason, “I am not sure how much farther we can go today, but we will go as far as I can.”

  “Okay,” said Ruiz.

  With that Ruiz crossed the creek and started up the trail. It was easy at first and then became increasingly more difficult.

  There was still daylight left, and they were short of the top of the ridge when Jason said, “This is as far as I can go today.”

  Ruiz turned and said, “Okay, let’s move up to the end of this switchback and have more area.” Once at the switchback he said, “Spread out the best that you can, and we will have some cold beans and hard tack.”

  Jason said, “I am going to spread my bedroll here in the bend of the switchback you’ll pick your spots.”

  Jay and Frank picked spots below Jason on the trail, so Ruiz picked a spot below them. Jay offered up his can of beans and Ruiz got the hardtack and bacon out. Ruiz was tired too, but he could tell that he was in better shape than them, so he opened the beans and spooned some into everyone’s cup then returned with the hardtack and bacon. They were too tired to talk, so Ruiz just set on his bedroll and ate.

  After everyone had eaten, he went to Jason and said, “It was a long day today and another one tomorrow. Will you be okay?”

  “I will be, I have no choice.”

  “If we start early, we might be able to see them sometime tomorrow.”

  “Good, I look forward to that.”

  “Goodnight.”

  Ruiz returned to his bedroll, but instead of going to sleep he began to think about all he had heard that day and what Rosa had said. He was sure that Jason planned to kill the man which he could understand if he was running off with his wife, but that was not the case, and now he thought he might kill the girl too. Ruiz didn’t like that, but he also was sure Jason would not want to leave any witnesses behind. He wasn’t sure about Jason’s plans for Jay and Frank, but he could not take the chance of talking to them. He decided to separate himself from Jason but tonight did not feel like the time to do it. He would have to wait until he had a chance to get some of the jerky and hardtack put aside and to get a little farther from the ranch. He needed to go back and get his horse. Even if he took it at night, he wanted to be a day or two ahead of anybody Jason might send after him. His thoughts faded as he dropped off to sleep.

  chapter 14

  Alice

  As they walked, Alice said, “That was louder than I expected.”

  “The explosion sounded loud because the dynamite was not confined, that is it was not in a hole drilled in rock or buried under a tree stump.”

  “Do you think they heard that?”

  “If they are anywhere on the trail behind us, they heard it. If it slows them down, then it was worth it.”

  Alice asked, “What is ahead of us today?”

  “We continue down this side of this ridge to the dry creek below and up the slope of the ridge in front of us. It will be slow but not too hard. Then over that ridge and down the other side to a creek with water. Then we go to the top of the next ridge where we will spend the night. But that second ridge will be steep and slow. There is a larger mine a little further down this trail. We should reach it soon, then continue down.”

  “That sounds good to me.”

  They continued down the trail and reached the other mine, then followed the old road down and to the east. Dan slowed looking for the game trail as they traveled down the road.

  Soon he spotted the trail he was looking for and turned to Alice and said, “We go back this way.”

  “Lead on, I will follow.”

  They followed the trail down through the switchbacks to the dry creek where Dan signaled a stop.

  He asked, “Do we need to stop here or are you ready to go on?”

  “Let’s go on, we can stop at the next creek.”

  “Okay.”

  With that, he crossed the dry creek and started up the trail with her close behind.

  As they approached the overhang, Alice said, “Is that going to fall?”

  “It will fall someday, but hopefully not today.”

  “I will feel better when we are past it.”

  They passed under the overhang and up to the top of the ridge.

  He paused and handed the canteen to Alice and said, “Catch your breath and have some water.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You, doing okay?”

  “Yes, I am fine.”

  “Then let’s get started there is water below.”

  “Good I need to clean up a little.”

  They made good time going down the south face of the ridge on the long easy switchbacks. They reached the creek by early afternoon.

  Dan stopped short of the creek and dropped his pack and rifle and said, “We will stop here for about twenty minutes before we start up the ridge.”

  “That will be good.”
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  He went to the creek and refilled the canteen, then returned to the pack and got out some Jerky and hardtack. Meanwhile, Alice had gone to the creek where she washed her face and arms and dried them the best she could on the tail of her shirt. She returned to the pack and sat beside him and picked up her food.

  He asked, “Do you feel better?”

  “Yes, it felt good to get some of the dust of the trail off me.”

  “You take your time and eat, and I will wash our dirty dishes.”

  “You don’t need to I can do that.”

  “It’s alright, you rest; this next section is hard.”

  Dan got the pans and plates from the pack and washed them in the creek. He shook the water off them the best he could, then he returned them to the pack.

  He turned to Alice and said, “Do you think you are ready?”

  “I am but it hasn’t been twenty minutes yet has it?”

  “No, but I want to be sure to reach the top before dark.”

  “Then let’s get started.”

  With that, he picked up the pack and placed it on his back and picked up the rifle and said, “Wait here, I want to take my gear across and then come back and get you.”

  “Okay.”

  After he dropped his gear on the other side, he returned to Alice and asked, “You ready?”

  “Yes.”

  Dan turned and prepared for Alice to jump up on his back. When she didn’t, he turned and said, “Is something wrong?”

  “No, I am sorry I was just thinking. Go ahead and turn around.”

  Dan turned, and Alice jumped on his back, piggyback style again. He crossed the creek and dropped Alice on the other side and turned to look at her.

  “Are you alright?”

  “Yes. I just wasn’t sure I wanted you to carry me piggyback, but then I realized if you held me in front of you as you walked you couldn’t see your footing.”

  “Why didn’t you want to ride piggyback?”

  “This is silly, but it reminds me of when I was a little kid, but now I am not. Like I said it was silly. Let’s move on.”

  He wasn’t sure what to say, so he just said, “That’s okay.”

  As he picked up the pack and got ready to go, he said, “You go first, and I will follow.

  She said, “Okay,” and started up the trail and Dan followed.

  The trail was steep with many switchbacks. Some places the trail was so steep that Alice had to put one hand down on the ground for support and balance. It was getting later in the day, but they were near the top.

  Dan said, “Stop at the end of this switchback.”

  She only nodded which told him she was winded.

  They stopped, and he said, “You should have asked me for a rest stop earlier.”

  Alice breathing hard said, “I am okay, just winded.”

  “Catch your breath and have some water. We are at another shortcut or maybe just a way around a bad section of trail.”

  She looked around and said, “I don’t see anything.”

  “We go west at the end of this switchback and then up. It is not easy, but it is better than continuing on the trail. Let me know when you are ready.”

  “Give me a couple of more minutes.”

  “Whenever you are ready.”

  Shortly she said, “I am ready.”

  “Follow me.”

  Dan traveled up and to his right as he left the switchback.

  When he came to the ledge, he was looking for he turned to her and said, “We are going back to the east on this ledge. I want you to go first because I will not be able to get around you once we are on the ledge. I will tell you when to stop.”

  Alice moved onto the ledge with help from Dan, and found she had to turn sideways and shuffle her feet along the ledge. He followed in the same manner. Soon they reached the spot where the railroad spikes started.

  He said, “Climb these railroad spikes like the last ones, one foot a time until you can reach the game trail above.”

  She started up, but it was slow. She was careful with her step because even though her foot was small, she was so close to the rock face that she couldn’t see her feet, so she had to reach and feel with her foot to find the next railroad spike. At last, she reached the top and just leaned over the edge and onto the trail.

  She no sooner moved over and stood up when Dan came up, and he asked, “How was it?”

  “It was harder than the other one, but shorter.”

  “Good, we will have one more shortcut tomorrow, but it will be easier.”

  “Which way?”

  “It just looks flat here, but up is to the west.”

  They continued up through the switchbacks to the top of the ridge and along the other side until Dan said, “Here we are for the night.”

  “I am really glad to hear that.”

  “I will drop the pack here, and we can roll out our bedrolls there on the flat.”

  She sat down on the log that edged the flat and said, “I think I just need to sit here for a little bit.”

  “Go ahead, I have a food cache here, and firewood gathered.”

  “You are a man after my own heart.”

  Dan didn’t notice, but Alice realizing what she had said started to blush a little and turned her face away. He gathered and then spread some pine needles for the bedrolls. Next, he lowered the food cache and opened it up and took out a can of beans and a can of canned beef. He transferred the jerky and hardtack to the pack.

  As he finished, he turned, and Alice was standing there, and she asked, “What can I do to help?”

  “Why don’t you roll out the bedrolls and get them ready.”

  “You sure I can’t help you with the cooking?”

  “No, I will get this. You have had a long hard day.”

  She carried the bedrolls over to the flat area, and Dan started the fire. Once the fire was going, he added a pot of water to heat for tea. He opened the canned beef, poured it into the small pan and opened the beans and just set the can in the edge of the fire. While everything was heating, he got the plates, cups, and forks out for dinner.

  Alice returned and said, “Can I help?”

  “You can get the tea from the pack and add it to the water. Then take a seat on that log, and I will bring dinner.”

  He was stirring the meat when she added the tea. After she was seated, he took up the food and poured the tea.

  He carried a plate and cup to Alice and said, “Here you are.”

  As he turned to get his dinner from beside the fire, Alice said, “Thank you” “As Dan sat beside her, he said, “I was glad to do it.”

  At first, they ate in silence because they were very hungry, then Dan said, “I was waiting until we reached this camp before I told you, but if nothing goes wrong by this time tomorrow, we will be back at camp with the horses.”

  “That’s wonderful! I can’t believe that we are that close.”

  “We still have a lot of trail ahead of us. There is a whole ridge between here and camp with the hardest part in the morning. But we should be at camp in ten to twelve hours.”

  “I am so happy I don’t know what to say.”

  “We will celebrate when I get you home to your father.”

  Alice looked off into the fire, and after a minute Dan asked, “What are you thinking about?”

  “About my father and how bad I thought it was back home and how much worse it was away from home.”

  “What happened to you was not normal.”

  “I know, but I was not happy before I was taken away, but came to realize how much my father and home mean to me.”

  “I do understand, because I left home too, but I didn’t realize how much I missed it until I returned home and then my father died.”

  “Are you going back there after this is over?”

  “I will, but not until I know how this will play out when we get back.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “When we get to the Colonel’s
ranch your father and Judge Parker will be there. The Judge will want to hear your story, and then he will decide if we can bring the Reynolds to justice.”

  “I hadn’t thought that far ahead. I want them punished, but I just hadn’t thought about the process.”

  “I am not a lawyer, but it is clear to me that what you have been through was a crime.”

  “Will my father, and I be safe, won’t the Reynolds try to kill us!”

  “I can promise you that the Colonel and I will be able to keep both of you safe.”

  “I am sure of that, I just haven’t thought about all this. All I ever thought about was being rescued or escaping.”

  “I am glad that I was able to get you out of there and I look forward to reuniting

  you with your father.”

  “Thank you again, this has been my dream and my prayer for a long time.”

  They finished dinner, and Alice asked, “Do we have enough water for me to wash the dishes?”

  “That’s all we have until we reach the camp, but we have enough water for you to rinse off the dishes, but I can do that.”

  “No, you cooked, let me clean up.”

  “Okay, then I will take what’s left in the food cache and rework the pack for tomorrow.”

  The pack had gotten a little heavier on the left side because the weight had shifted as they had used some of the food. With the food from the food cache this was a good time to rearrange the load on the pack frame. He went over to the pack and took everything off the pack frame. Then he redistributed the items including the additional food. He set aside some jerky and hardtack for breakfast and lunch. He added the food for lunch to the leather pack which he would attach to the top of the pack frame.

  Alice brought the dishes over and said, “Here are the dishes for you to add to the pack.”

  “Thanks. We will just have jerky and hardtack for breakfast and lunch. It will just take me a few minutes to get this pack back together.”