Part 2
When going down the ridge, practically feeling my way, I ran into a small downed tree….hitting me across my shins!
Mistake #4: Never step up about 16" onto a log in near total darkness, jump off onto the ground on the other side…..it may not be 16" until you hit terra firma again!
When I finally hit bottom, my knees were driven into my chest, knocking the wind out of me. When I finally got my breath, I was very thankful that the Good Lord dropped me into a soft bottom of deep grass…..and not a bunch of deadfall or a rick field!
On the move again, I finally cleared the timber…..no truck nearby!
As I moved farther out into the Sage, I saw lights far away to the west! Thinking it may be the truck…..I headed out. If I waded through the creek once….I waded it 10 or more times. But, I was determined to straight line to the truck.
Truck ? As I got closer to the light, I realized that it was a Coleman Lantern hanging at a camp! When I got close to the camp, I could see and hear hunters….I called out, not wanted to just walk into someone's camp.
They were all sitting around having supper and drinking a few beers. When I was welcomed in and stepped into the light, one said, " you look like hell, would ya like a beer? I didn't refuse it!
When I explain as best I could where the truck was parked….a hunter said he recognized the place, and he would take me there as soon as he finished his meal. He said that the truck was only 2 or 3 miles away, to the east!
Mistake #5: He drove me right to the truck!
However, my buddy wasn't there and the truck was locked
! He went back to his camp….I stood at the truck in utter disbelief
. My buddy, had gone back up the mountain looking for me!
A couple of hours, and several gunshots….. my buddy got back to the truck!
We got back to our basecamp a bit after 1:00 am…..with the camp pretty concerned about us! memtb