It was a normal Tuesday afternoon for me.  Around one o’ clock I decided that I wanted to go for a hike, because I hadn’t been on a hike for awhile. I packed my trusty North Face backpack with two thirty-two ounce water bottles and two Clif Bars. It had been raining on and off all day so I packed a raincoat and warm Patagonia jacket. I grabbed my backpack and my keys and got into my grey Jeep. I texted my wife and told her where I was going and that I should be back home by five o’ clock. She texted me back and said, “Have fun and don’t get lost!” I backed out of my driveway and began driving. Soon the houses and buildings started to disappear, and eventually, so did my cell phone service. 

I pulled into the parking lot at the trailhead, and my Jeep was the only car in the parking lot, but I still decided to hike. I got my backpack, locked my Jeep and started my hike. The trees were so tall and green and everything looked the same, but it was so beautiful. About two miles into my hike the bright blue skies and white fluffy clouds began to fade into a deep dark grey. I grabbed my raincoat and kept going because I felt like it would pass and I wanted to finish my hike. The trail began to turn to thick mud, and the brown mud was clinging tightly onto my shoes.  After about twenty minutes the rain got worse, so I decided to find some shelter.

 I began to wander off the path through the thick trees, because I remembered seeing a cave like rock. I found the rock and decided to take a break. It was nice to stay dry. After an hour the rain hadn’t gotten any better. In fact, it seemed that it had gotten worse and thick grey fog started rolling in. It was impossible to see anything farther than a couple feet away. At that moment I realized that I would be spending the night out there. I thought about my family, all of them so worried about me. I also thought about that last text my wife sent about not getting lost, but there I was lost in the woods.  For all they knew I could have been dead. I didn’t get any sleep, as it seemed like the sun would never rise again. At some point during the long cold night the rain stopped. I hoped that that meant that the fog would subside. I rationed my water and my Clif Bars, though it wasn’t too much of a challenge. I wasn’t hungry or thirsty. I was just worried. I thought back to when the rain started, and how I should have just turned around. I don’t know why I decided to leave the trail, and looking back at it, that was a really stupid decision. 

After beating myself up for awhile I realized that I couldn’t change what happened, so there I was stuck in the middle of the woods. I had no sense of direction, and everything looked the same, just a bunch of tall green trees. I felt like the chances of someone finding me would be like finding a needle in a haystack. As the sun started to rise, the sky turned from dark and black to a vivid combination of oranges and pinks. Once the sun had risen, I realized that the fog was gone. I crawled out from the cave and tried to find my way back to the trail. I quickly realized that I had no idea which way I had come from, because the torrential rain had washed away my footprints in the mud. I decided to go back to the cave and wait for somebody to find me. 

I knew my wife had filed a missing person report and that someone would be looking for me. As I was sitting on the ground, I realized that my North Face backpack had a whistle on it, so naturally I blew the whistle to bring attention to myself. The sound of the whistle seemed to bounce off the trees. As I was blowing the whistle I remembered my Patagonia rain jacket was bright yellow. I looked at my surroundings and saw a long stick; it must have been at least five feet. I tied the bright jacket on top and began waving it around. The trees were as tall as skyscrapers in New York City, so I worried my little yellow jacket would be swallowed by the thick green trees. As I was waving the stick around with the yellow jacket I began to hear something flying through the air so I started blowing my whistle. I wasn’t exactly sure what was in the sky but I knew it was something, and I knew it was someone looking for me. Finally the sound was right above me so I looked up and I saw a drone. I waved my stick adorned with my yellow jacket at it and I could tell that it had spotted me. Suddenly my despair turned to relief because I knew someone was looking for me. After about ten minutes I could hear the unmistakable sound of footsteps in the distance squishing through the thick mud. I started to see actual people who were coming to rescue me, so I put the stick down, and grabbed my belongings. One of the rescuers asked, “Are you William, the lost hiker?” I said yes, and the man said, “Okay follow us. We can get you out”. I followed them, only to realize that I was only about half a mile off the trail. We walked back down the trail to the parking lot where my Jeep was sitting. There was also an ambulance and the paramedics asked how I was feeling. I told them that I was tired and cold but otherwise fine, but they still wanted to check my vitals to see if I was okay. They checked my vitals, and they told me that I was fine but maybe just slightly dehydrated and a little cold. I thanked them for rescuing me, but I felt sort of dumb for getting lost. I kept asking myself why I decided to go off the path. I should have just stayed on the path and went back to my car. I got in my car and the heated seats felt so nice. I drove all the way home, and when I pulled into the driveway my wife and two children were standing at the front door waiting for me. They were all very excited to see me and I was excited to see them. After almost twenty-four hours of being lost in the woods I took a warm shower, ate a warm meal, and slept in my warm soft bed. I promised myself that I would never leave the trail again.