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diff --git a/src/md/18_Survival_Journal_Week5.md b/src/md/18_Survival_Journal_Week5.md deleted file mode 100644 index aebb096..0000000 --- a/src/md/18_Survival_Journal_Week5.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,164 +0,0 @@ ---- -title: Survival Journal - Week 5 ---- - -Non-journal comment: This week started with 3 days called Solo. It was -supposed to be the highlight of the course where each participant -internalized the life lessons of the previous weeks of challenge and -hardship. However, I spent most of my time resting, cooking, and eating. -It took another 30 years of living to fully internalize all those life -lessons. I guess I'm a slow learner. - -Early Sunday morning two big-forked bucks walked below unaware of my -observance. To my horror, I found that the water in the stream was still -muddy red. I spent about an hour gathering firewood and cooked some -oatmeal with the water I had in my canteen. I then went upstream in -search of a spring I had passed the night before. To my delight I found -one much closer to my \"home" which issued a small stream of cool clear -water. - -I spent most of the rest of the day doing just that---resting. I cooked -up little goodies much of the time, read a little and dozed some too. I -immensely enjoy this experience of quiet, leisure and meditation. I -cannot think of much else that I could ask for to make me happier or -more contented. - -Sunday night 9 pm - I'm sitting against my base camp bag, staring into -my campfire and listening to the quiet drone of the crickets. I've just -finished a fantastic meal of lentil, potato, and carrot stew with -sugared ash cakes and a bedtime hot totty of warm milk and brown sugar. -It all gives a man a great deal of peace and satisfaction. - -Monday morning, I spent cooking breakfast, gathering more wood, and -going for water. Now that I have time to examine myself, I have -discovered how truly grubby I am. I can rub grimy black stuff off of my -face and arms. I have been wearing the same pair of pants for a month -now. They have everything from sheep fat to ash cake dough on them. Oh -well, in a few short days I will be able to take a hot soaker bath at -Grandma and Grandpa\'s place. - -For lunch I cooked up an excellent gravy for my ash cakes. I derive -immense pleasure from cooking over a campfire and eating my tasty -concoctions. They have given us a rather large food pack for solo and I -find that I am spending much of my time preoccupied with cooking and -eating. I feel a little guilty that I have not used more of my time for -the purpose it was intended; that of meditation, prayer and earnest -thought. I should write most of my paper today, a task I don't much look -forward to. I guess I had better get started. - -Evening \-- A gusty wind has begun to blow through the canyon. My house -is not very well protected from wind and I'm getting lots of sand blown -all over everything. Fortunately, as with most desert weather, it was a -short-lived storm and lasted only about 45 minutes. A quiet peace has -again settled over the canyon. I cooked a delicious stew of rice, -potatoes and TVP and retired for the night. I kept my fire burning all -night and my overhang retains the heat well. I enjoyed the luxury of -sleeping in my T-shirt all night. During the night, my house was -visited, or I should say invaded, by a big-eared desert mouse. First, he -attacked my moleskin hatband and when I took that out of his reach, he -ransacked my toilet paper. He certainly was a daring little fellow. - -Breakfast Tuesday morning was cracked wheat mush and left-over stew. I -whiled away the morning by gathering wood, getting water, and cooking a -big batch of ash cakes. Then I read until about 2:30 when I decided I -had better try to finish my paper. As I began to write, the clouds began -to move in, and it started to thunder. It was another diller of a -thunder and lightning storm. This time I enjoyed watching it from the -comforts of my home and was grateful that it is so well protected from -the rain. It did not even stop me from starting to cook some lentils for -tonight's dinner, but it did distract me from my writing. This time also -I was able to appreciate how spectacular the storm was. Large, gushing -waterfalls seemed to spring instantly from the canyon walls. The little -creek rose to a torrent in only a half hour. Those raindrops must have -been as big as marbles and yet, here I sit as dry as a bone. It's really -neat to see a great flash of lightning and instantly hear and feel the -great crash of thunder with its following rumble down the canyon. This -storm lasted less than half an hour. Now, as I write, another one has -just, passed over. I almost wish they would go away so I could get on -with my writing of my paper. - -At about 6:30 I was surprised to see one of our instructors, Russ, -walking up the creek bed. It was raining lightly, and he was soaked to -the skin. He waved and I called out to invite him up to my humble abode -and warm himself by my fire. I had been expecting him or someone all day -because they had told us that an instructor would come to interview each -of us on Tuesday. I had almost given up hope when the storms came and -was very happy to see another human being after three days of solitude. -After a prayer we shared our thoughts and feelings of the past month. As -we talked, I felt his love and concern for me and was very grateful to -have shared those few moments with such a dedicated instructor. We -closed the interview with prayer, and he left, still wet, but perhaps a -little warmer. I then reheated my lentil stew, ate a meager dinner and -retired for my last night of solitude. The little field mouse came to -visit again that night only this time I gave him some cracked wheat, to -keep him busy. - -At 5:30 Wednesday morning I cooked the last of my oatmeal and ate a -hurried breakfast. I then gathered up my stuff and prepared to leave my -home of the past few days. I said good-bye to my overhang and left for -the instructor's camp at 6:30. At about 7 they began to rappel the rest -of those that hadn't done it on Saturday. The cliff was about 140 feet -high and was nearly vertical except for the last 20 feet at the bottom -where the cliff face jutted inward sharply. This meant that the last 20 -feet of descending was in mid-air, dangling by the ropes. I went down -very slowly and carefully to enjoy it as long as I could. It was over -all too soon. They finished rappelling the rest of us by 11:30. - -At about noon we all met together under some big cottonwood trees for -our final testimony meeting. The spirit of the Lord was very strong, and -we shared our love for each other for 4 hours. I will never forget the -special feeling I had at that meeting. It made all the hardship and -suffering of the past month seem worthwhile. After the meeting we had -another special treat. A church member sister from Boulder had baked us -about 15 loaves of home-made whole wheat bread with two big cubes of -real butter. Each of us were given 2 and a half thick slices with great -gobs of peanut butter and jam smeared all over them. Then we built a big -fire and cooked up a big pot of chunky chicken soup. Most of us thought -we had died and gone to heaven. That meal was our first solid food that -tasted like a civilized meal for a whole month. Then we had a fireside -that evening. We sang songs, had skits, and were given awards. I was -given the mouse-keeper award for my tender care of my pet mouse during -solo. Then Chuck explained to us about the run-in to Boulder in the -morning. We were to get up at 4am and be ready to leave camp by 5:30. -For a final surprise before going to bed, the staff made us a big pot of -hot chocolate and give us each a candy bar. We were then expected to get -some rest before the ordeal in the morning, but most of the kids stayed -up and talked late into the night, nervously anticipating the run-in and -our entrance back into civilization. - -At 4 in the morning, we woke up to GT Joe giving everyone orders to get -up and get moving. Many were reluctant to face this day and we didn't -leave camp until 6:30. We were to walk to the top of the hill where we -would start running the 11 miles into Boulder. At precisely 7 a.m. the -gun went off and the boys cheered the girls as they took off down the -road. At 7:15 the gun went off again for the boys. For the first quarter -mile I stayed with the pack sizing up who would be the hardest ones to -beat and seeing how the pace felt. It felt a little slow, so I began to -leave them behind. After 10 minutes of running, I never saw another boy -until the end when they came into Boulder. I started passing the first -of the girls after 20 minutes of running. They were very sweet and -encouraged me to keep it up. After 4 ½ miles of easy downhill and level -running I was surprised to cross Deer Creek. That first half hour of -running had seemed so easy. Most of the rest of the way was up hill and -I began to feel the strain. After 45 minutes I began to feel cramps in -my legs and my breathing was very heavy and labored. I had to walk up -some of the steeper hills. I kept passing girls, but I knew I would not -be first until I passed the girl I knew would be in the lead. - -After an hour and 20 minutes I finally sighted her a quarter mile ahead. -By this time, I was really hurting, and it gave me a boost of energy to -see Suzy. As I passed her, I smiled and said, "I love you, Suzy". It was -only another 5 minutes when I rounded a bend to find the first buildings -of Boulder. I shouted for joy as I ran up to the chapel and collapsed -into the arms of Chuck at 8:46. I had run the 12 miles in 1 hour and 31 -minutes, 9 minutes from the record time. I had revived somewhat and was -walking slowly around to keep my muscles from cramping when Suzy came in -5 minutes behind me. Kids kept coming in for the next hour and a half, -the last one coming in at 10 am. By 10:45 we were loaded on the bus and -heading back toward Provo. We stopped in Richfield where everyone went -crazy buying food at a Safeway store there. We arrived in Provo at 5 pm -where we unloaded at the Richards PE building. - -There were many tears and hugs and happy reunions with parents. We all -said our good-byes and went our separate ways until we would meet again -at the party Friday at 10 am. |