He removed his Glock from his waist and sat it on the dash. He reached into the back cab and dusted off all the shattered glass. He slid a long bag out and removed his AR and placed it with a loaded magazine in the passenger’s seat. The temperature was dropping in late May at this altitude but was comfortable to Nate. He cracked the windows and laid his seat back as far as the bags in the back would allow. He reluctantly closed his eyes and reminded himself he had been in far worse places. He sat back up and grabbed the Glock from the dash. Laying the weapon down on the right side of his leg, he now closed his eyes. The sounds of the night and the silence of no cars on the interstate made it easy to fall asleep.
Chapter 4
Closing the Gap
The morning erupted all around him, or at least it seemed. The rapid fire and crackle of a rifle woke him. The sound of a car or two coming was now obvious. Nate grabbed his rifle and pistol and removed himself from the truck. Out of the truck, he crawled to the tree line and watched. He could see a small car coming from up the road, trying to outrun a larger SUV. He could now make out two people in the SUV. A driver and one passenger, waving his rifle about trying to get an accurate shot off on the small sedan. It was a four-door, Honda; with at least three people in it was all he could make out. He had to decide now time was closing in on the Honda. Within moments, the SUV would be on top of them.
Nate ran out to an abandoned truck in the northbound lane and waited for the right moment. He had to time it just right. As the Honda sped past his location, he looked up and placed his sights on the fast-moving SUV. They had not noticed him yet, they soon would. Through his high powered scope, he could easily see both occupants now. Both were very young men maybe even teens. He decided not to kill them although they would likely be killed by someone later. Regardless he hoped his message would sink in. First, he made himself visible and once he saw the driver's reactions he opened fire on everything except either of them.
He was certain he could hear the driver yell "SHIT" loud, as the bullets slammed into the windshield and engine compartment. The SUV made an overcorrection and started to lose control, but somehow managed not to flip. In all, Nate used maybe six rounds, but it was enough to cause them to high-tail it around and flee the way they came. Nate turned to see the Honda keep going. They never stopped and honestly, why would they? God get them home safe, he whispered to himself. The SUV was now out of sight. They would be lucky if their engine didn’t fail them on the way to whatever hell they call home. Nate walked back to his truck. He probably would break camp, just in case, they returned with a gang of pissed off teens.
Nate quickly removed the tarp, taking some time to fold it up. Then went around and removed all of the coverings on anything that reflected light. He started the truck and pulled out headed down the road in the same direction the Honda was going. Nate took a moment to think about the actions he took. How bad was it really that teens were out shooting at people? Had society gone off the deep end so much that even out here people were dying? He knew he was lucky so far not to have run into more than he did so far. He looked off to the south and squinted his eyes. He could see massive amounts of smoke billowing into the air. He knew the approximate distance to the town of Chugwater and figured it came from there. He would soon be taking the next exit west near Slater, Wyoming.
He drove miles only seeing a few cars either passing him or going in the other direction. Every so often, he would hear short reports on the radio of the rioting in Denver. He wondered if he would even make it that far. He had passed several exits for gas, but each place was closed. The last one he drove up to had no power to pump the gas and when he saw the windows shattered with people inside he quickly left the area. His truck was getting low on gas. He had only a few gallons left. He did not want to run out somewhere and have no choice in where he would need to leave his truck. It wasn’t a brand new truck, but he hoped to keep it. The realization of what would soon have to happen came pouring into his mind. There was no shut-off valve to stop the images that filled his head. The adventure would soon become a trip taken on foot. Several times he had stopped to check out abandoned cars. Some still had their keys in them and no gas. He assumed all of them had no gas. He wondered where these people went but figured most lived close, minus the out of state travelers like him. He hoped they were safe. The decision was made for him. He knew the next town was within his range but to get there, he would need to chance some things. His gut told him not to, though, and he always trusted his gut. It’s a primal instinct that most men shoved to the back of their minds most of the time. He learned to embrace it. Each time it had saved his life, as well as others. Now he was looking for a place to secure his truck. It might be months, maybe longer, until he could come back for it. He had to try, though. He didn’t own many things, but hopefully, he could retrieve it someday. He marked the mile marker on his map. He had spotted something, something way off in the distance, at the next exit. He took the exit, avoiding several semis and the drivers trying to flag him down. Some even threw rocks. He was lucky because many carried guns. He headed west on West Slater Road, right off the interstate.
Nate was driving down West Slater Road, and according to the map, the road ended. Beyond the impasse were small hills. His plan was to again cover his truck in an area perhaps beyond the hills. The area looked desolate. He reached the end of the road and put his truck into four wheel drive. He drove towards an area that looked like a few hills met. After about 20 minutes of rough driving, he managed to get to the location. It was perfect. He got out of the truck and started to pull everything out he had with him. It was far too much to carry. He laid it all out on the back of his truck bed and stood looking it over. He had with him his large BOB and its frame. A few roll up mats and one sleeping bag. Two rifles, his pistol, some ammo for each. He knew he had a few more boxes of ammo in his BOB. In fact, he loaded out his BOB with everything he might need in the woods for survival. He ended up not roughing it with his friends but was in a cozy cabin his entire vacation, aside from the fishing.
Water was plentiful for now, but would not be able to carry it all. Nate had filtration equipment and likely would use it. He did have a large water bladder in his bag. He went ahead and tossed in a few extra 16oz bottles of water. For food, he had a lot of Elk Jerky and many lightweight Mountain House dehydrated meals. He also had quite a few fiber bars, though those might be a problem later. As for that problem, he did have a few rolls of toilet paper in his bag. Nate wasn’t sure how long that would last. Oh well, there was always leaves, he told himself.
One of the biggest concerns was which rifle to take. He had with him the much loved Marlin 45-70 lever action guide gun; The Marlin provided powerful, accurate with a shorter overall length, with no scope. Nate did not care for a scope on a gun like this. The other was his Kel-Tec SU-16c, basically a folding AR-15 variant. It didn’t take long to decide which one to take. Nate decided on both. He folded the Kel-Tec up and found room in the bag. He figured it would just be easier than worrying the whole time that someone would eventually find it and use it against someone, especially right now. Besides, it really wasn’t that heavy to him and would add to his ability to defend.
Nate had with him an extra pair of good hiking boots and many changes of clothes; he would need some but not all of these. He went to his side door and removed the bag Sammie had given him. He never did look at it to see what she did. He smiled when he saw several wrapped up pieces of bacon jerky and half a dozen homemade drop biscuits. She also put in the bag a large bag of coffee. The bag was still heavy, something else was in it. He dug through the napkins to find several D batteries and a few AA batteries. Nate wore a flashlight on his belt. She must have seen it and tried guessing at what it would take.
Nate still felt something else in the bag. At the very bottom was a compass. Nate smiled as he pulled it out of the bag. It was a brass classic style pocket compass. He opened it up to find a small note, and a tiny picture of Sammie taped to the insid
e lid. Nate chuckled out loud. If anyone were within 20 yards they would hear him laughing. The girl was forward, Nate thought. The note read
“Use this to come back” with a smiley face at the bottom of the tiny piece of paper. Nate tested the compass. It seemed very accurate and old. It had a paracord lanyard attached to the ring. He placed it around his neck. He did have a compass but found the old style camp compass appropriate for what he was about to do.
Looking over all of his gear, he sighed aloud. He knew his pack was going to be heavy but nothing he couldn’t handle. It had only been five years since he retired from the Army and he was in excellent shape. The fact that he could still outrun, fight, and stay awake longer than the average man made him confident. Still, he felt a sense of sadness for what had happened. He was human, after all, and knowing his country was about to experience what he’d seen firsthand in Third World nations was depressing.
Looking around his surroundings, he knew it was time to prepare his truck. The truck was in a small ravine surround on three sides by small hills. He backed the truck up as far as he could. He once again covered all reflective surfaces. Digging around in his tool box, he found some tools and raised the hood. Within minutes he had disconnected the battery, and then he reached down to the engine block and disconnected a spark plug wire. He just hoped that if someone did find the truck, these things would hamper them from easily driving off. He decided to make things more of a challenge and flattened all four tires. If he did have the chance to come back for the truck, he knew what to bring along with him. He left nothing in the truck to identify himself and even removed both plates burying them under a nearby rock. The last thing he needed to do was cover the truck as best he could with one of the large brown tarps. It nearly covered the truck. He took the time to tie it all down, but the most time was spent collecting large rocks. These were used for a few reasons; number one was to give the appearance of a natural look from a distance and to weigh down the tarp.
Nate walked a distance away from his creation. He looked it over and decided it was good but still needed a few scrub bushes. He went around gathering as many as he could and randomly weighed them down. More than likely they would blow away in time, but it made him feel better. After about 30 more minutes he was done. He gathered up his pack then slung his lever action 45-70 across his shoulder. He walked a little bit before turning to look at his ride home. He felt like a cowboy who just buried his horse. He turned into the breeze and headed west.
Chapter 5
Flying Was For the Birds
Finding the right pace was always the most difficult of a hike. Even after 20 plus years, Nate still had to remind himself to set a particular cadence. The area was beautiful with rolling hills and small mountains off in the distance. The environment would change over time. Small would become very large. He was walking 4 miles per hour. He knew Highway 34 was to his west about 30 miles. That was his target. At that point, he would stop and decide which direction he would go. Nate knew the fastest route was taking a straight line on the nearly flat terrain. The best route would be going east and staying on flat open country roads far from hills and mountains. However, that would also leave him very exposed. Nate did not want to be out in the open and an easy target for anyone to run him down and take what he had or just kill him. The wise route was the one that might lead him to hilly or mountainous terrain, and it meant being a harder target. It also meant places to hide, sleep and hunt, cook and camp. He knew he might as well light up a billboard that screamed “here I am, come get me” if he decided to make a fire. His fires would need to be small and short-lived.
Nightfall would soon be upon Nate. He could see what he thought to be the highway. Walking in the dark did offer some benefits, but also made it harder to pitch camp. After the long day, he decided to do a small camp. He opened up his phone. It still had a charge on it. It showed a small amount of signal unlike before. He looked around and hustled up a nearby hill to see if he could boost the signal. It didn’t budge, but he decided for the hell of it would try his folks again. He dialed the number, only half listening, then it rang. It actually went through. His heart started to race. He could hear the beating in his ears as his mother answered the phone.
“Nate? Are your there, Nate?” she said, clearly excited by his number coming up on caller ID.
“Yes, can you hear me?” he said quickly. Waiting, he heard the reply.
“Yes son, where are you?” she asked. Nate had to convey as much as he could in a short time in case the signal faded.
“I’m in Wyoming near the Colorado border; I’m walking home, no gas. Have pack and coming home” he waited after stating his intentions.
“Ok, we love you be careful and get...” the signal dropped. Nate was nevertheless elated.
“Love you too Mom,” he said to no one as he shut the phone down. The signal was gone. Soon the battery would also be.
Hope existed, but for how long he didn’t know. Maybe there was a return to some service or maybe he just got lucky. At least his parents knew he was alive and headed their way. As he approached the small county highway, he didn’t see anyone. It was surrounded by the same rolling hills he just traversed since leaving his truck. This would be as good place as any to do camp. He stayed on the other side of the hill out of view from the road, in the case of passer-bys. The first thing he did was clear the ground where he wanted to lay out the small 6x9 tarp he had in his ALICE pack. He stood the pack up on its frame and started removing the items he would need. He removed his sleeping bag from the bottom of his pack and laid it out on the tarp. The ground had a thick, lush pasture type grass which made for a soft surface.
Nate looked around and found a few rocks to use for a small circular fire ring. He opened the fire kit he had in a side pouch. Setting it aside he scanned the ground for some other tender. A few small twigs and small branches lay nearby. Making use of that material would save his supplies. He used one match to set fire to a petroleum-soaked cotton ball he had in a zip lock bag. The fire took instantly. Smiling at the sight, he removed his small cooking pot and poured some water from the 16 oz bottle. Opening another pouch, he flipped through one of many Mountain House brands of freeze dried foods. Tonight felt like a Chicken and dumplings night, one of his favorites. He got the water boiling and stirred in the packet. It already smelled great. He took out the camp Spork he always carried and took to the food.
He guzzled down some water and leaned back on his elbows looking up at the night sky that was coming fast. Something seemed odd. He couldn’t pinpoint what it was about the sky. His fire took his attention back as the flames died down. He added a few small branches and a few rocks also. The rocks would stay hot and emit some heat for the night. He wasn’t too concerned about the cold since he had a good sleeping bag, capable of sub zero temps. Then it hit him what was different. He looked back up to the sky searching and searching. Nothing was flying, no planes anywhere. That meant it must be getting bad. When airports shut down, it’s only due to a few things. No customers, no money to fly, or no fuel going to the airports. A combination of them all and more would be the likely scenario. He counted himself lucky. Lucky for many obvious reasons, but the biggest reason was he hated to fly. Nate flew in the Army, no problem. It is different now; he hated the airports and the damn TSA. He wasn’t scared to fly, but he just preferred to drive and see things from the ground. Flying was for the birds and the Airborne.
The chicken and dumplings really warmed him up. Nate would need that in his stomach overnight with the temps dropping to a cool mid to upper 40’s. He adjusted his roll pad out on top of the tarp. Next, he situated his sleeping bag. He climbed in and laid his rifle inside. He used his pack as a head rest. He taught himself long ago to sleep on his back. This limited the back from being exposed. He could keep warmer this way, and use his ears more when sleeping. Hearing someone or something approach was important.
Nate lay awake looking up at the night sky. He thought about the days ahe
ad. He didn’t know how long it would take him to walk all the way home but knew it could be more than a month. He would have to start thinking about rationing his food, hunting game, and locating fresh water sources. For now, he had both, and didn’t worry too much; he had been in far worse conditions and lived for longer periods. Instead, he tried to remain positive in a world that was complete upside down. He wished for communication, radio or something to update what was happening and where. His eyelids grew heavy, finally closing. It was only about 9:45 P.M., but after a long day with a lot of walking done, it seemed far later. The night sounds of bird and a few coyotes filled the air. The fire would keep the predators at bay. Morning would come fast, and the real trip would begin.
Nate hadn’t moved much during the night. As he opened his eyes, he could see his breath as he exhaled. He had positioned himself facing the east so the suns rise would wake him. The morning sky had a peculiar haze to it far off, and then he could make out massive plumes of smoke. Something, maybe a large city, was on fire. He wasn’t sure how far, but it was a long way off. He crawled out and up from his sleeping bag. Stretching several times, he slipped his boots on. He reached down and opened the food compartment that he designated in his pack for such items. He flipped through the packs until he found one of the eggs and bacon meals. He smiled and poured some water into the small pot to bring to a boil. He left enough water in the pot for some percolator coffee. Maybe it was just nostalgia, but he loved the taste and smell of coffee brewed in this manner. Modern day coffee shops were close to having nothing but hot or cold brown water. He was a traditionalist in many things, coffee being at the top. He poured the hot black stuff into the coffee cup Sammie gave him. The thought of her made him smile.
Trekking Home Page 3