Fatal Descent

by Beth Groundwater

  “Good thing its claws didn’t puncture any of the raft tubes,” Gonzo said while toasting bread on the griddle.

  Kendra paused in chopping onions, mushrooms, and tomatoes for omelets. “That would have set us back at least an hour while we patched and reinflated the tubes.”

  “Usually bears don’t come down to the main river,” Cool said while setting up a buffet line with plates and utensils. He placed a bowl of strawberries and jam and butter at the end for toast. “I’m surprised none of us heard anything.”

  As soon as the coffee was hot, Rob bellowed “Coffee!”

  Some folks had already started stirring in their tents and making forays to the screened portable toilet. While the omelets bubbled on the griddle, the clients queued up for coffee, which Cool poured into mugs through a strainer to catch the grounds. Within minutes, most of the group had settled into camp chairs around the folding tables to eat. The only one missing was Alex.

  “I guess Alex didn’t hear your call,” Mandy said to Rob with a raised eyebrow. Probably worn out after last night’s gymnastics.

  Being one of the last out of the tents, his sister Amy hadn’t filled her plate yet. “I’ll get him,” she said. “Where’d he bed down?”

  “Behind those rocks.” Mandy pointed toward the rock formation at the back of camp, and Amy trotted in that direction.

  Mandy had filled her plate and taken one delicious bite of hot, cheesy omelet when a piercing scream rent the air.

  Mandy leapt to her feet. “The bear?”

  “Crap!” Rob dropped his plate on the prep table, grabbed the camp shovel and ran for the rocks.

  Mandy snatched a couple of pots to clang together that she hoped would scare away the bear and followed Rob.

  Gonzo came running with a metal marshmallow fork and the largest of their camp knives. “Stay here!” he yelled to the clients, some of whom had stood and were moving toward the formation.

  After the three of them rounded the rock formation with makeshift weapons raised, they stopped dead in their tracks.

  Amy was on her knees by Alex’s sleeping bag, sobbing hysterically.

  No bear was in sight.

  “Amy? What is it?” Mandy asked.

  Amy said nothing, only shook her head, her eyes wide and distressed.

  Mandy stepped closer and looked over Amy’s shoulder. She gasped.

  Alex’s face was raked with claw marks. Where his head lay, a dark maroon stain spread out in the sand. One of the claws had ripped into his neck, opening the jugular vein. His body had been pulled partway out of the sleeping bag, but as far as Mandy could see, the head wound seemed to be the only damage. As the coppery scent of dried blood filled her nostrils, gorge rose in her throat.

  Murmuring “madre de dios,” Rob dropped to his knees by Alex’s head and felt his neck for a pulse. He looked at Gonzo and Mandy and shook his head. “His body is cold. This happened hours ago.”

  That brought another agonized wail from Amy.

  Mandy knelt beside Amy and put her arms around her, offering what comfort she could. She tried to pull Amy away from Alex’s body, but the woman wouldn’t budge. She looked at Gonzo. “Bring something to cover him with. And keep the others away from here.”

  Too late.

  Diana stepped around the rock formation, pushing her husband’s hand off her shoulder. “—and something could have happened to Alex,” she was saying to him over her shoulder.

  She turned to the scene in front of her and stopped. Her eyes grew wide and her mouth fell open. A keening wail escaped her lips as she stumbled forward and sank to the ground next to Amy. Mandy released Amy and let mother and daughter grasp each other. Tears streamed down their faces.

  Hal came up behind them and put a hand on each. His wrenchingly sorrowful gaze at Mandy was pleading, please don’t let this be true. “Is he—” He couldn’t finish the question.

  All Mandy could do was nod in horror. She could barely believe it herself and felt frozen and powerless, unable to think of what to do.

  Amy’s husband, Les, and her sister Alice appeared next and took in the scene with shocked expressions and “Ohmigods.” Alice grabbed her father’s arm, and he turned and took her in his arms. Les rested his hand on his wife’s shuddering shoulder.

  Before long, everyone in the group had piled up behind the grieving Anderson clan. They stood quietly, clutching each other. Silent tears dripped down Elsa Norton’s cheeks, as she held a hand over her mouth. But she wasn’t the only person outside of the Anderson family who was crying. Mandy realized with a shock that she, too, had wet cheeks.

  Finally Hal asked, “What happened here?”

  Rob got to his feet and looked around on the ground. He pointed to a bear print in the soft sand near Alex’s head. “We think it was a bear. But I don’t understand why one was here and why it attacked him.”

  “You didn’t tell us there were bears around here,” Les said.

  “They usually stay way up in the remote stream canyons,” Rob replied, “and don’t come down to the river. There’s never been a bear attack reported anywhere near the river.”

  “Why’d you let him sleep by himself ?” Alice asked angrily.

  Mandy was already wishing she hadn’t.

  “It was his decision. And we had no reason to think he’d be in danger,” Rob said.

  As the guide with the most experience in the area, Cool jumped in to defend the decision. “I’ve done it many times myself,” he said. “Yeah, we follow the park guidelines about storing food on the rafts, but no guide has ever seen a black bear anywhere near the river. We’ve only seen them while hiking in the high country.”

  “Did the bear go anywhere else in camp?” Les asked, his jaw set. “Were the rest of us in danger?” He looked around. “Are we in danger now?”

  Mandy’s chest constricted. Les didn’t seem to be worried just about his own or his family’s safety. She could see lawsuit written all over his face as his eyes narrowed in a calculating way. Sure, the liability waivers that all of the participants signed protected RM Outdoor Adventures legally, but that didn’t mean Les couldn’t get nasty about it.

  “We saw signs this morning that a bear tried to get at the food on the rafts,” she said quietly, trying to set a calm tone and keep others from raising their voices. “But it didn’t succeed. And we checked everywhere in camp. We didn’t find any prints.”

  Betsy Saunders inched her way toward the bear print. She examined it and a couple more on the surrounding ground with a frown on her face.

  “How are you going to protect us?” Les asked, his face turning red. “You don’t have any guns, do you?”

  Rob raised his hands, palms out. “I’m sure the bear’s long gone by now. It didn’t eat—”

  Mandy cleared her throat loudly.

  Rob looked at her, then back at Les. “It didn’t do anything else to Alex. Something made it run off. And we’ll be leaving here, too.”

  “But what about Alex?” Diana wailed.

  Silence.

  Time to act. Mandy turned to Gonzo. “Gonzo, could you take everyone except the Andersons back to camp and pack up?” Then she faced Cool. “Cool, please get the first-aid kit and a jug of river water.”

  Cool, Gonzo, the Nortons, and the three female friends turned and silently walked away.

  Alice gave Mandy a quizzical look, “First aid?”

  Mandy wasn’t going to drop the bombshell that the large first-aid kit also contained a body bag. “We’ll clean him up as best as we can. You all can stay or leave while we do it, or take care of him yourselves, if you want.”

  She took a deep breath and faced the Anderson family. Her arms hung at her sides. She had never felt so helpless. She had no freaking idea what to say next, but from some reserve of strength the words came.

  “We’re deeply, d
eeply sorry that this happened to Alex. We’ll do whatever we can to help you, to respect your grief, to—” Here the words failed her.

  She glanced at Rob, who gave her a nod of support and added, “This has never happened to us on a trip, so we’re feeling our way here.”

  “But please,” Mandy said, “know that we care—about Alex, about you and your feelings. So if you need or want anything, anything at all, please ask.”

  Diana reached out to stroke Alex’s cold face. Hal bent down to wrap his arms around her.

  “I want my son back,” Diana sobbed.

  _____

  A half hour later, Rob, Mandy, Hal, and Les each picked up a corner of the black PVC body bag with Alex’s rinsed body inside. They carried it through the campsite, with the three Anderson women forming an impromptu funeral procession behind them, and laid it gently on the ground by the rafts.

  Before cleaning Alex’s body, Mandy had taken photographs of the scene, in case any questions arose later. She and Rob also had a short discussion away from the Andersons about what to do next. Their options were very limited.

  While they had been preparing Alex’s body, the others had packed the tents and sleeping bags and were washing dishes. Half-eaten omelets and toast went sliding into the trash bag. Obviously, after the shock, no one felt like finishing breakfast. Gonzo had made another pot of coffee, though. He refilled cups and handed them around.

  The sun was up over the canyon rim now, warming the air, so many of the campers were shedding their fleece jackets. People hugged the coffee cups, though, as if hoping the warmth could make the horror go away.

  Mandy took a grateful sip, then said, “Everyone gather ’round, please. First of all, we want to warn all of you to stick together in camp. We think that bear is long gone, but just in case, no one should go off by themselves. Now, I need to ask, did anyone wake up during the night, maybe because they heard something?”

  Elsa raised a tentative hand. “I woke up, but it was from a hot flash, I’m sure. I didn’t hear anything.”

  “Anyone else wake up or leave their tent for any reason? Maybe you scared off the bear without realizing it.” Mandy looked around and was met with head shakes.

  Rob glanced at her to see if she had any more questions, then addressed the group next. “Mandy and I need to tell you what we plan to do next.”

  “Can’t we just go back to the put-in and call the whole trip off ?” Hal asked.

  Rob shook his head. “We don’t have a motor, only oars and paddles. A powerful motor is the only way to make your way upstream on the Colorado River. The current’s too strong.”

  Paul stepped forward. “Can you call for an emergency helicopter pickup?”

  Again, Rob shook his head. “Cell phones don’t work in the Canyonlands. And the bear destroyed our radio. Besides, there’s no repeater here, so we wouldn’t have been able to call from here anyway.”

  Hal tried another tack. “Can we hike out?”

  “There’s no trail out of this side canyon,” Mandy said, stepping up next to Rob. “The cliffs are too steep. There is a trail out of Lathrop Canyon, about six and a half miles downriver. It used to be an ATV trail, but a flash flood washed out a section last spring and only hikers can use it now. Our best hope of finding someone who can get word to emergency services is meeting another group on the river. But there’s a chance someone might be on that trail, too.”

  Rob took a sip of coffee. “Mandy and I have put together a plan. We propose that I take Alex’s body in my oar raft, along with two strong paddlers. We’ll head to Lathrop Canyon as fast as we can. We may find some hikers at the campsite there. If not, I’ll hike up the trail for at least a half hour, looking for someone before turning back. The rest of you can follow at our regular pace and meet us there. If we don’t find anyone there, we have no choice other than to continue down the river.”

  Mo looked concerned. “Why can’t you hike all the way out of Lathrop Canyon?”

  “It’s a four-mile steep uphill trek to the White Rim Road from the beach,” Mandy said. “And there’s no guarantee Rob will see any four-wheel drive vehicles on the road when he reaches it. Hardly anyone’s on it at any time of the year, and it’s even more unlikely now. And from there, it’s another long seven-mile hike to the park road. Our chances of seeing someone on the river are much better—and quicker, we think, especially at the confluence. But we’re going to try scouting the Lathrop Canyon trail, just in case.”

  Diana covered one of Hal’s hands with hers, then looked at Mandy and Rob. “I know you’re trying your best. I just hope we can take care of Alex soon.”

  “It seems likely that we’ll have to keep on going,” Alice said to her mother, “maybe even all the way through Cataract Canyon.”

  Mandy saw a look of relief pass over Paul’s features before he masked it with a respectfully somber frown. Yes, the Andersons were half of their party, and they had experienced an awful tragedy. But the other half of the clientele had paid good money for the trip, too, and shouldn’t be expected to give it up. She and Rob had discussed splitting the group, with everyone but the Andersons and one of them continuing on, if they could get word out and arrange for a motor launch to retrieve them and Alex’s body. First, however, they would have to find some way of contacting the outside world.

  Les stepped toward Rob. “I’m strong. I’ll volunteer to paddle with you.”

  Rob clamped a hand on his shoulder. “Thanks.”

  “I’ll take the other paddle,” Cool said. “I’m not as experienced at river guiding as Gonzo, Kendra, and Mandy, so they should stay with the others.”

  With that decided, they quickly loaded the body bag into Rob’s oar raft. The three men tied the bag down, then Rob stepped onto the bank to give Mandy a quick hug. “Keep an eye out for that bear.”

  “I will. You be careful, too, on that trail by yourself. We can’t have you turning an ankle up there or anything.” Mandy took strength from his hug, then stepped back. A strong sense of foreboding crawled up her back.

  Rob pulled out the sand anchor and got into the raft with it. Mandy gave them a push off from the river bank and waved goodbye. With Rob oaring in the middle and the other two paddling in the front, the raft was soon out of sight.

  The others turned to washing and packing up the rest of the gear. When Mandy went to dump dishwater in the river, Betsy Saunders approached her. “Can I talk to you privately?”

  “Sure,” Mandy said, curious to hear what was obviously bothering the woman. “I need someone to get the toilet and carry it back with me. I shouldn’t do it alone, just in case that bear is still around. Do you mind?”

  “I don’t mind. I’m not worried about the bear.”

  That comment made Mandy give Betsy a sharp look, but the woman obviously wasn’t ready to talk yet. She kept her lips clamped tight until they were out of earshot of the others. Then she put a hand on Mandy’s arm.

  “Something’s not right about this bear attack.”

  Mandy turned to her, but kept on walking. “What’s not right?”

  “I’ve done a lot of research on bears and bear attacks, as well as their prints,” Betsy said. “And no bear will stop after killing an animal. They kill to eat, especially in the fall, to fatten up for winter hibernation.”

  “Maybe it was scared away before it could start … eating … Alex.”

  Betsy shook her head. “By what? You asked if anyone left their tent and no one did. None of us scared it away. And another thing. There were no defensive wounds on Alex. That one swipe on his neck was fatal, but he didn’t die instantly from it. Why didn’t he try to defend himself ?”

  “I don’t know.” Mandy pictured Alex’s body again in her mind. “You’re right that there weren’t any scratches on his arms.” Strange.

  They had reached the portable chemical toilet. Mandy looked around but
saw no signs of wildlife, bear included, so she indicated Betsy should stand a few feet away. Holding her breath against the smell, Mandy removed the seat so she could screw on the watertight cap that kept the odorous contents secure while the large metal box was roped into a raft. While working, she thought about what Betsy had said.

  “Maybe Alex was sound asleep when the bear attacked,” she said to Betsy. “Then after it happened, even if he woke up, he could have fainted from the pain or the blood loss.”

  Mandy picked up the toilet seat and grabbed one of the handholds on the side of the box. She waved Betsy over to take the handhold on the other side. They both grunted when they lifted the box.

  “Maybe.” But Betsy’s skeptical expression showed she seemed to think otherwise. She teetered a bit as they started back toward camp with the box between them. Before she could say anything else, a rustling in the nearby willow grove made both of them drop the box and stare into the shadows under the willows. “What’s that?”

  Is the bear back? Mandy stepped toward the willows, looking for a dark bulk while tensed to run. A rock squirrel skittered out, chattering at them as they ran. Relieved, she said, “Just a squirrel.”

  They both picked up the box and started walking again.

  “Something else was strange about the scene,” Betsy said. “I only

  saw a few paw prints on the ground near Alex. There should have been more. And they were all from the front left paw. No front right paw and no back paw prints.”

  Mandy stopped and stared at Betsy. “That’s odd.”

  “And that’s not the oddest thing about it,” Betsy said. “I would bet my life that those weren’t black bear paw prints. They were too big. And the claws were wrong.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “Those tracks were from a grizzly.”

  six

  The wind whips through the canyons of the American

  Southwest, and there is no one to hear it but us—a reminder