Snow Lily

I hate people. Let me rephrase that. I hate dealing with people. Most people. But I have to make a living. It's just that when you've come out of a two hour meeting listening to people jabber about shit that really could have been hashed out over an email or two, it makes you realize that you'll never get that time back in your life. What a waste.

My name is Bryan Stone, I'm 34 years old and I work as the shipping manager for a high end outdoor apparel and gear company. Because of my job I constantly have to communicate with a wide array of people. Most are OK I guess, but the ones that stand out are the real assholes. They tend to be the ones that make us the least amount of money of course. They complain when their shipment of a single pair of gloves is a day late. Like it's my fault I didn't drive their shit halfway across the country to hand deliver it myself.

After the worthless meeting, I made my way back to my office, wishing I could just slam the door shut, but it wouldn't stay shut for long anyway. The holidays were coming up and as usual we were slammed. I sat down and tried to decompress. My thoughts immediately went to my Christmas vacation plans. A week alone out in the wilderness.

I had just finished building a dugout cabin out in the middle of nowhere, a good hour and a half hike from where you could park the most rugged of vehicles. I had done this before, but I was really proud of this cabin. It was dug out of the side of a hill, as most of these types of structures were. It was built out of local dead trees that I harvested and cleaned into building logs myself. It was lined with tarps for waterproofing and drafts, but none of the tarps could be seen. They were either behind the log walls that had been constructed on the dugout sides, or as in the case of the roof, between the logs and the earthen cover that was piled on top. The front of the dugout sported a heavy door and I even had the ability to add a plexiglass window with a shutter on that side.

The best part was I had made the space significantly larger this time than my previous primitive cabins. So much so that it easily fits a built-in stove. I had hiked in all the fire bricks myself during all my treks out to the site. The chimney reached through the roof and when I first fired it up to cure the cement, I noticed the airflow was perfect. It was easy to light and maintain. The area on top of the firebox included two stovetop openings that were covered by metal disks and rings. It would be a dream to cook on as well as provide the heat I needed for cold winter camping.

The cabin also sported two wide benches for sleeping. No more rolling off onto the floor for me! It also included a fold down table for food prep and eating inside when the weather was too rough. Outside I had a small table with tree stumps as seats, a fire ring, and a lean-to to store dry firewood. During my last trip, just as the leaves were nearly finished falling and the temps were starting to cool, I finished insulating the cabin by pressing felt in between the gaps in the logs and door jambs. She was ready for winter.

"Another productive meeting, eh Bryan?" Will's question brought me back into reality.

"Uh...yeah...right." I said as we both rolled our eyes. Will was my boss, but also was one of the folks working here that I didn't mind chatting with so much. He was also an outdoorsman, and was a pretty rugged dude himself. Not much like all the other suits we worked with.

"You ready for your vacation?" Will asked.

"You bet," I said. "One whole week with noone to fuck with me and no phone service! Just me and nature." I knew Will would be envious. He'd heard my stories of building the dugout and was really interested in getting out there, but his family required his attention.

"Lucky you, Dude!" he responded. "I get to spend the holidays with my Mother-In-Law. I'd rather face a polar bear in a complete white-out."

I chuckled. His was a fate worse than death. "Maybe you can camp out in her front yard." I joked.

"I'll probably end up there after she kicks me out of the house." Will complained. I don't know what the wife was thinking. After a whole week with her I'll need another vacation!"

"Well, if you can get a hall pass, maybe we can hit the cabin next time," I offered.

"I wish," Will stated. "Hey, I have a product for you to review. You can take it on your trip, but hopefully you won't need it much."

"Whatcha got?" I asked.

"It's a lightweight first aid kit from Camp Safely. We want to market it to hikers and campers," Will said. "If you don't end up using anything in it, you can at least evaluate it for size and weight."

This was one of the perks of working here. In fact it was one of the biggest reasons I even worked for this company. Access to top-notch gear at a deep discount, or in this case, free-99.

"Will do!" I responded. "And yeah...I hope I don't need much from it." Safety was always a number one priority when camping in any weather, especially when camping alone. I was well versed in survival techniques. I'd even done a whole series on many of those techniques on my outdoorsman vlog. The following I was garnering from my videos was really growing, so much so that my company started sponsoring me. It was adding significantly to their bottom line.

"Thanks," Will said, ignoring my poor attempt at humor by using his name in my response. "I'm looking forward to your vlog after this trip. It should be a good one!"

"That's what I'm hoping for," I responded. "I need to clear my head. After my fiasco with Rebecca, I need to get away from all of this shit!"

"That bad, huh?" asked Will

"It was," I replied. "Seems as if she only wanted to get close to someone who had an on-line presence. It was stupid. All she wanted was screen time." I hadn't dated much as it was. I rather enjoyed my outdoor life and I hadn't found the right woman to share it with me. I sure as hell didn't want to end up like Will. Always wanting to go hiking but never allowed to.

"Bummer," Will responded. "Well at least you'll get what you want on this trip. Have fun for me, dude!"

"I will man, thanks." I settled back into my chair. As much as I wanted to get started on my vacation, I still had a couple of weeks until the plant shut down between Christmas and New Years. The pile of paperwork in front of me steered me to the task at hand.

--

The next two weekends were filled with me hiking gear out to the cabin. A full winter week's stay would require more food and gear than I'd want to pack out into one trip. It also gave me time to chop and split enough wood for the long stay. The weather cooperated for both of those trips, although we did get a little snow on the second weekend. I was actually grateful for the snow. It changes the landscape significantly, but the light snow allowed me to get used to the trek out and back with those changes. It was easier for me to get my bearings straight for winter camping.

I made my final preparations on the second weekend. I stowed the new first aid kit along with the one I normally kept at the cabin on one of my supply shelves. I even had the time to collect some footage on the new snow and the cabin for the vlog. Looking around, all was set for the big event. I headed back for the last couple of days before Christmas. Even though it was really only 2 days back in the office, it was going to seem like forever.

At least things were slowing down at work, finally. The place was always closed for the holidays as orders would trail off during that time. On-line ordering would pick-up bright and early in the New Year though. Folks always started their New Years resolution gearing up for all those hikes they would never take. It always made me smirk every year. I'm sure it would make the suits in the front office smirk too, but for different reasons.

I had sent my parents and my sister the typical outdoor gear for presents. They always loved what I picked out and frankly, with my discount, it was a great deal for me too. They all lived on the other side of the country, but I'd get pictures of them using the gear. At least they'd use it.

The company Christmas-eve party was also an affair I'd rather not have to deal with, but no luck. I was required to go. All these half-drunk people with their same boring stories. I was literally counting the minutes before they'd let us bolt. The CEO started his speech, slightly slurred. I was as surprised as anyone when he called me up to the podium. I had gotten some new accolades due to my marketing impact from the vlog. Came with a pat on the back and a nice check too. With that and the Christmas bonus, it was almost worth having to deal with these folks. Almost.

There were a couple of young secretaries working for the front office. Since I was one of the few eligible bachelors, I would get the full brunt of their advances. Seems as if they both knew I had gotten a pretty sizable bonus. One of them, Jess, was in rare form.

"Bryan, where are you taking me out to, tonight?" said Jess as she draped herself all over me. "I'm looking forward to a night out on the town with you, and whatever comes after."

I had no interest. Jess came on to everyone she could sink her claws into. She was barely even able to stand being this drunk. "Tonight I'll be taking you to my garage, we'll be packing up my Land Rover for a week's stay in nowheresville. How much can you lift?"

Jess went on to her next victim. Guess that description of the evening didn't appeal to her.

They finally cut the cake and let us go. Thank God. I ran to the parking lot trying to steer clear of everyone else. I guess squealing the tires as I made the turn onto the main road was bad optics. Oh well. I was free.

--

Early Christmas morning I brewed my coffee and sat down with my checklist. I always found it to be comforting to know I had everything taken care of. There was always that doubt in the back of your mind that you'd be missing something important. My checklist was honed over many months of hiking. It put my mind at ease so that I could enjoy the drive and hike to my destination.

I checked the weather forecast for the week. The next couple of days looked good, but a weather system was moving in after that. I'd have to keep my ears open for that one. I'd be fine in my cabin and I have a weather radio to monitor it. I just didn't need to be on an extended hike when the weather rolled in. Other than that, I was good to go. I loaded the rest of my gear and jumped into the Rover.

The weather was clear and the traffic was light. Everyone else was headed toward the city to visit with their relatives. I was headed in the other direction. I took advantage of the easy drive to film some narration about my goals for the trip. I needed to get as much footage as possible. This trip should give me enough material for a month's worth of episodes at least.

After an hour I pulled into the parking area. There weren't any other cars in sight. Good. Just as I had suspected. I had the whole mountain to myself. I was almost giddy, it felt so good to detach from my working reality. The next week would just be one man versus the elements. Hmmm, maybe I could use that as the title for my next episode.

I hopped out and grabbed my pack. I had already hiked most of my provisions to the cabin so my pack was light. Just me, a few supplies and my camera gear. I was going to be taking this hike slowly, filming as I went so the hour and a half hike was going to take almost three hours. I locked the Rover and began my journey.

It was a glorious day. There had been a light snow earlier in the week that just blanketed enough of the ground to make everything look fresh and new. I was able to film a ton of wildlife. I caught a number of migratory birds that you don't normally see in these parts, as well as several bald eagles. One even landed quite near me, giving me a number of cool shots. The cutest was a young arctic fox, doing his best to learn from his mother trying to catch mice. He'd jump up and stomp back on the ground, trying to learn how to break below any ice crusts, just like he'd need to know if he was really hunting. His mom made sure he got his own morsel.

By the time I crossed the creek and made it to the cabin, it was mid-afternoon. It had only been half a day and already I felt much better. This was what my mind and body needed. I opened up the cabin and made my way inside. Time to stoke up the first fire. I needed to dry out my boots and socks. The hike was a damp one with all the snow on the ground.

Soon the crackling of the fire was heard. I got out my kettle and poured in some water from one of my jugs. The water was pure as I'd hiked it in, but most of the water I'd get this week would be from the creek. I would boil anything I collect, so this was just practice. Time for some tea and a little rest.

My mind drifted back to my reality back home. Rebecca had really broken me. We hadn't been dating all that long, but I was falling for her hard. She had made it seem like she was all in, supporting my frequent outdoorsman trips and my vlogging. She even went with me on some of the easier hikes. I should have known it was too good to be true. I was thinking of asking her about going exclusive when one morning I saw her phone light up on the counter.

The texts between Rebecca and a girlfriend spelled it all out. It was all fake. She only was with me just to get screen time on the vlog. Hell, she even told her friend that she hated the outdoors. She didn't have much good to say about me either. "I'm just in it for the views," was the quote from Rebecca that made my heart drop into my shoes.

"Fuck that shit," I said out loud to myself. "I don't need her or anyone else." I resolved to not give Rebecca anymore time in my head. It just wasn't worth it. If that's the way I was going to be treated then I was better off doing what I was doing right now. Enjoying the view...myself. I finished the last gulp of my tea and laid down for a quick nap.

It was twilight when I awoke. The fire had done its job and dried out my gear. I put on my socks and boots and headed outside. One of the best things about camping out here was the starlit evenings. I started a fire in the fire ring. Once that was raging, I made a quick dinner in a foil pouch and set it on the hot coals. I placed my tree stump chair against another nearby tree and leaned back, waiting for the stars to pop out of the fading light one-by-one. This is the only Christmas light display I wanted to see.

I fished my dinner out of the fire and brewed some more tea. Something about the crisp cold night air that makes a hot meal more delicious and satisfying. Even if it's a simple meat and potatoes deal. I took a really deep breath and blew it back out. It felt like I'd gotten rid of the last vestiges of modern life. "Merry Christmas!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. I heard the echo, "Merry Christmas!" come back to me. This was going to be a really good week.

After a couple of hours of staring at the stars and contemplating my film schedule for the week, I decided to call it an evening. I let the fire die in the ring, gathered up any gear and garbage scraps I had outside and settled into the cabin. It was a relatively mild night so I didn't need to load up the stove with much wood. I laid out my sleeping gear. I had extra sleeping pads this trip to make the nights more comfortable. I got out of my clothes and into some warm sleepwear. I didn't even need to close my sleeping bag. The cabin was very comfortable and warm. My heavy eyelids closed.

--

Woke up the next day bright and early. I was relatively surprised I had slept completely through the night. It was cool in the cabin and the fire was mere embers. I sat up and stretched, looking forward to my first full day out here. I got up and added wood to the stove. The plan this morning was a hearty bacon and egg breakfast before heading out for a hike to a local lake. I put the fry pan on the stove to heat up and ducked outside to take a quick peak at the sunrise.

The sunrise was gorgeous, but a little unsettling. 'Red sky in the morning, sailor's warning' reverberated in my brain. I took some video and then headed back inside to fix breakfast and pull out the weather radio.

Sitting down to my breakfast, I switched on the radio. "The National Weather Service has issued the following warning for the tri-state area. A blizzard watch is in effect starting at 6pm tonight, December 26th. A surface low will combine with the on-coming storm front to create a deep low pressure area. One to two feet of snow is expected across most of the area, with more in the higher elevations. Winds will increase to gale force overnight. Snow drifts and white out conditions are possible this evening and overnight. This is a significant snow event. The NWS recommends people shelter in place to ride out this storm. Stay off the roads as travel will be treacherous. I repeat...The National Weather Service..."

I clicked off the radio. So much for my hiking plans. Looks like the storm was sneaking up faster than they had originally predicted. Today was going to be spent making sure I was ready for the storm. I needed to gather and chop more wood. Once it was all under 2 feet of snow it would be very hard to make anymore firewood. I already had a good supply, but being safe was better than being sorry. I needed to replenish my water supply, although melting snow was always an option if need be. Other than that I was good to go. Plenty of food stores and the cabin should keep me safe. I just needed to stay close.

I chopped as much wood as I could fit inside the cabin and under my lean-to. I headed on down to the creek with what containers I had that were empty. Brought my fishing rod as well. I was hoping to catch myself a few trout this week. Now might be the only chance if the weather really socked us in. I hooked one almost immediately. Nice size too. I brought my catch back to the cabin for a nice pan fried trout lunch.

The wind was noticeably picking up throughout the afternoon. It was getting time to check out the cabin and batten down for the storm. I made sure all my tools were inside and added more wood to the stove. Since I wasn't going to be hiking much for the next couple of days I decided to switch gears with the filming and record the trials of camping through a storm like this. I set out a camera in time lapse mode to record the snowfall levels as they grew overnight. I also made sure I had my other camera charged up and on a strap to fasten to my head or chest if I decided to venture outside at all.

I was as ready as I could be. I set up a scene recording me listening to the weather report once more. I flicked on the radio.

"The National Weather Service has issued the following weather emergency for the tri-state area. A blizzard warning is in effect starting at 6pm tonight, December 26th. The surface low and front have now combined. The resulting deep low pressure area is wider and stronger than first predicted. This will be a dangerous snowstorm. Two to Four feet of snow and gale force winds are now expected throughout this event. Significant snow drifts and white out conditions will be encountered most of the evening and overnight hours. The government has enacted a shelter in place order. Curfew will take effect at 5pm. I repeat...The National Weather Service..."

I flicked off the radio. I was starting to worry. I did have the gear and shelter to survive. It was more that I might get stuck here longer than I would like. I went ahead and recorded my trepidations for my audience. This was going to prove to be a significant test of my skills. I took a quick look outside. The snow was starting. It was already looking like it was snowing sideways. Time to hunker down with a good book.