ELTHAM HIGH SCHOOL ANTHOLOGY   

A hiker is trapped in a freak snowstorm but finds shelter in an old cave. As the weeks pass, he grows hungry. Water is not a problem, but he is a meat eater and he begins to look at his lower leg. "There's a lot of good muscle on the lower leg." He draws out his knife and prepares to do what is necessary to survive.

 

I decided to treat myself to a long overnight hike around the mountains. I start to pack for the big journey. I do not check the weather but I am guessing it will be a good day.

I drive to the nearest checkpoint at Pikes Peak in Colorado. I get out of the car and start walking. Walking alone up this curvy road is soothing and calm. I can hear a small cool breeze as it ripples through my clothes. I love this place. It has been around 2 hours of non-stop hiking, and I am starting to get cold. I put my jacket on, pretending it is nothing, and just carry on walking. I reach for a spot next to the river, fill up my drink bottle, and have a snack. It is getting dark so I need to find shelter. I stand still, look around and see an old cave that has plenty of room. I go in, build a fire and get warm for the long night ahead.

A cold breeze wakes me up from a deep sleep. It is still pitch black outside and freezing. I start to tell myself that this cannot be. It is the middle of summer and it is unbelievably freezing. I stand up, grab my flashlight, and point it at what was the entrance of the cave and now is blocked with snow. I walk towards the snow mountain, push a heavy block out of it, and check outside. It is a blizzard. The light fall that I thought was is now a heavy snowstorm. I start to panic. My family. My friends. How long will I be here? So many questions swirled inside me that I could not focus. I searched this cave from top to bottom and see if there is a way out of here to reach them. It is not a very big cave. I can only move my things and make a new, big, warm fire to keep me going for god-knows-how-long.

“A man in his 30’s has been missing for 2 weeks. He is around 6 ft. tall with short buzz cut dark hair. His mother last saw him on the 3rd of July if you have seen him please contact the police at once, so he can be returned safely to his family and loved ones.”

As I start to count the weeks that I am stuck in this cave, I grow more and more desperate. For family and companionship. I never wanted my old life back. Every hour in here, I grow hungry. Water is not a problem for me, but I am a meat eater. I look down and think for a minute. I am deciding something that I never thought I would do in my life. I have to do this to survive. I draw out my pocket knife. As my hands tremble with fear, I bring the knife closer to my leg. I cut behind my shin and I feel the warm trickle of blood run down my leg. It feels like I have been punched and kicked whilst at the same time I feel light headed.

I feel like I am losing consciousness and my head is spinning. My mouth is dry but I can also hear someone calling out, I am not sure if this is real or I am hallucinating. The next thing I know someone is standing over me and wrapping my leg to stop the blood. I then fall back into a unconscious state. The next thing I know is I am out of the cave and in a hospital room with my family beside me. This whole experience was nearly the death of me.