Gerri Hill - Sierra City

"Are you rangers?" he asked breathlessly.

"Search and Rescue," Chris said.

"Thank God. I didn't know what to do. It looks like a storm."

"No shit," Bobby said. "We can't waste time. Where did you split up?"

"At the trail up there," he said, pointing.

"Why?"

"We weren't sure which one to take. We didn't have a trail map," he said, glancing at them both.

"Jesus," Chris murmured. "What time?"

"About eleven, I think. Maybe a little later."

"You were both going to take a trail and ski back to meet up?"

"Yeah. We wanted to take the Nevada Trail but we didn't know the way."

"Okay," Chris said. "What's his name?"

"Kenny. Kenny Walker. We're staying at the lodge."

"What color is his jacket?"

"It's blue. Bright blue, just a little ski jacket."

Chris nodded. It was warmer this morning and sunny. They would not have thought to wear heavy parkas.

"Okay. We're going to look for him. You've got to get off the mountain. There's a hell of a storm coming. You've maybe only got a half-hour before it hits full force. Is it your car parked down there or his?"

"It's his."

"Great. And I don't suppose you have keys to it?"

He shook his head.

She pulled a glove off and dug in her pockets, fishing out the keys to her Jeep.

"Take my Jeep. Drive it to the ranger station. I'll radio in and tell them you're coming down."

"Don't you think I should go with you and look for him?"

"No. Now get down as fast as you can."

"But Kenny, I can't just leave him."

"We'll find him. We don't have time to look out for you, too. Now, get your ass down the mountain."

He looked at Bobby, as if for help, but Bobby motioned for him to go. They watched him ski off and Chris unhooked her radio and called to the station.

"This is Kay, McKenna. Everyone's out."

"Ten-four. Listen, we're at the junction to Nevada Trail. We sent a skier down. His partner is not accounted for. He was last seen heading east on Nevada Trail. Kay, he'll be driving my Jeep. I told him to go there so you'll know he made it down safely."

"Ten-four."

She hooked her radio back on her belt, then with a glance at Bobby, headed out. The Nevada Trail started out going downhill, which could fool you if you didn't have a map. She could see how the skiers thought this trail might take them down the mountain. Actually, it went downhill until it crossed a small stream, then went abruptly back uphill into the forest and beyond. If you stayed on it long enough, you'd end up at Lake Tahoe.

They were still following tracks, the light snow not enough to cover them yet, but they had no way of knowing if these were from their skier or the two that had already made it down. Most likely, they were from all three. The trail was marked, but some of the triangle markers were covered with snow, or the branches of the trees, now heavy with snow, were covering them. Without a map and compass, it would just be guesswork.

They crossed the stream and headed slowly up the hill. They were both tired and they stopped to catch their breath. Chris pulled off her wool cap and dusted the snow off, then put it back on and pulled it over her ears. She watched their frosty breath and wondered how cold it was. She had a small thermometer tied to her pack and she turned around, her back to Bobby.

"What's the temp?" she asked.

"Shit, it's already down to fifteen, McKenna."

Their eyes met, both worried. They started on up the trail again, their thighs aching. When they reached the top, they were able to see to the west and they stared out over the mountains. Dark, dark clouds, swollen with snow, hung heavily over the trees and as they watched, the wind increased, swirling around them, flinging icy snowflakes onto their faces.

Chris shook her head, her eyes never leaving his. She was putting their own lives in danger by staying out here, but out here they were. Even if they started back now, they would never make it down the mountain before the heart of the storm hit. They would have to find shelter somewhere, but she would worry about that later. Right now, they had to find the skier and hope that hypothermia had not taken him already.

"Let's hurry, Bobby. You check to the left, I'll take the right."

He nodded and they set out, both keeping their eyes on the side of the trail, looking for any sign of their skier. Another half-hour and the tracks they were following would be covered. Then, it would be only sheer luck if they found him.

They moved quickly over the snow, their skis sliding easily over the fresh powder. The trail was level here as it headed into the forest again. Chris's radio crackled seconds before Roger's voice called for her. They stopped and she quickly unhooked her radio and answered.

"We've got everything closed down here, McKenna. What's your ten-twenty?" he asked.

"We're probably three miles into the Nevada Trail. Maybe more." She looked at Bobby with raised eyebrows. It was hard to tell how far they were. Their usual landmarks were now buried in snow.

"I don't like it, McKenna. It's getting nasty down here."

"Yeah, the same here."

"Fifteen more minutes, then I want you turning back. How the hell are you going to get down?"

"I haven't thought about it," she lied.

"Fifteen, McKenna."

"Ten-four." She snapped the radio back on and started out again without looking at her watch. She didn't know what good it would do to head back in fifteen minutes. The storm would still catch them. She closed her eyes against the onslaught of wind and snow and headed out again.

A short while later, Bobby's voice stopped her.

"McKenna, look here. Could be skis," he said, pointing.

Two uneven tracks led off the trail, now all but covered up by the snow. She looked into the woods and saw a clearing.

"Could be. He might have seen that clearing and went to take a look, get his bearings. Let's follow it," she said. "It's all we've got."

They hurried off, leaving the relative safety of the trail behind, to follow the fading tracks. Roger's voice broke the silence and she ignored it, instead concentrating on the path ahead of them.

"Goddamn it, McKenna!" he bellowed through the radio.

She impatiently snatched it off. "We've got a trail, for God's sake, Roger!"

"Listen to me, McKenna. They've got whiteout conditions only fifteen miles from here. You've got to find shelter now!"

She looked at Bobby, just now noticing how thick the snow was falling. She looked at their trail, disappearing quickly. "Just a little longer, Roger."

"No! Goddamn it, McKenna, you damn fool. Let it go!"

"Ten-four."

"I mean it!"

"Ten-four." She switched off the radio and met Bobby's eyes. "What do you think?"

He shrugged. "We're this far. Where the hell are we going to find shelter anyway?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

They continued into the forest, hurrying now as the wind whistled around them, blowing snow into their faces. It was another ten minutes before they saw the blue jacket, barely visible through the snow.

He was lying face down and Chris was sure he would be dead. It doesn't take long for hypothermia to kill and they had no idea how long he had been here. Long enough to nearly cover him in snow, though. They turned him over quickly and Chris bent to his chest, clearly surprised to find his heart beating.

"Alive," she said and they both threw off their packs. Bobby quickly assembled the aluminum rack they would use to carry him and Chris took out the blanket from her pack and two chemical hand warmers, which she placed inside his jacket. They dusted off as much snow as they could, then lifted him onto the rack and covered him with the blanket.

"Hook the ropes, Bobby. I'll radio Roger."

Chapter Thirty-nine