Joseph Jessup

Ann Fillmore

ENG 1010

4/8/2019

An additional set of footprints

It's exactly 12:03 as we begin walking, I always like to time exactly when I start, it's comforting

to know exactly how long it took from start to end, and you can compare the distance traveled to the

total time. As we begin walking, immediately signs start to appear of upcoming issues. There's a ton of

snow on the ground and Brandan is wearing only tennis shoes, as we hike down our first trail there's

lots of sliding. We walk about an hour before we hit a crossroads we can either turn around and go to

another trail, or take a loop all the way around. “It doesn't look that long” I say confidently “and it

always sucks to backtrack when there's an option to loop”

It's been three hours, and the sun is definitely beginning to set... I think? The bright orange of

the surrounding landscape is beginning to dull slightly as the light fades. We've been saying “We have

to be at-least half way” for the past hour, “I need a break, I can't feel my feet and I want to die”

Brandan murmurs as we slow down and start going through our backpacks trying to find some sort of

sustenance. The landscape sort of feels like its been copied and pasted repeatedly, and we've gone up

and down the height of the entire canyon probably 6 times as this point as we zig-zag along the trail.

“There's one set of tracks we've been following the entire time, have you noticed?” Fell says.

“Yeah, I think he had snow shoes, I wish we had some, I wonder if it was a park ranger?” I muse, as we

examine the tracks.

 The resentment for this unknown person is beginning to grow as the day continues, it makes no

sense, but I think it's making us feel better. The snow is much deeper as we keep hiking, and we sink

more then a foot with each step at this point. There's lots of angry, unintelligible muttering about this

unknown person as we start blaming our predicament entirely on them. “I know it's rough, but we

really should keep moving, the sun is basically entirely gone and we need to get back” Fell says

It's full night at this point, around 8pm, and y, we're finally on top of the canyon, so its basically

flat the whole way back, but we're in bad shape. “My shoes are soaked through entirely and do you

think I could borrow the gloves for a moment?” Brandan says, Fell has been basically carrying him for

the last 20 minutes because he cant really walk anymore. I smile to myself and say “Hey I think we're

halfway done, at-least” that gets a chuckle or two. We grossly underestimated how much time the

snow and elevation changes added to the time.

“Hey, do you guys hear laughing, or am I just hallucinating?” I say, I'm a little worried I'm

going crazy at this point, I didn't sleep at all the night before because I was working. “No I hear it

actually, I think it's someones camp. maybe were close” Fell says, he sounds strained but confident,

he's actually been supporting Brandan for the last hour.

“We actually made it” I say, sort of in disbelief as I dig through my bag for the keys. Brandan is

walking on his own through the parking lot looking shocked “I actually thought I was going to die, do

you remember when I told you guys to leave me” Everything is funny now that the car is running and

the heater is starting to warm up. It's 10:53 and we haven't actually discussed it at all, but we all agree,

it's time to head home.