The Ranger and the Lady

"One thing you can say about this job; it is never the same two days in a row."

"Not again. Another lost snowshoer? Why can't they stay on the trail?"

"Great day for it huh? We're going to have a blizzard soon."

Those were some of the grumblings coming from the eight rangers suiting up to go on a rescue. This was the third time in the last week that someone wandered off a trail. Even good snowshoers or cross-country skiers had enough difficulty on some on the tougher trails but many of them are neophytes who decide they will strike out on their own and that makes it especially perilous, not just for the hiker but for the crew as well. Cell-phone service is pretty good so normally someone lost can call the ranger office and give the location but people end up losing phones or the batteries go dead and then it becomes a treasure hunt, sometimes with few clues. This time, the couple and their young daughter were supposed to be back to the checkpoint at 11 and it was now two so everyone prepared to go out and hopefully find them in the next three hours or so, before it got dark.

The team was led by Mike Christopher, a fifteen year veteran of the park service. He'd been at the same park for the entire period and had gone on hundreds of similar searches. He was a throwback. Most other rangers had either moved to other jobs, left the service, gotten killed or disabled or simply wore themselves out with the physical and emotional demands of the job. Early in his career, Mike was seen as a rising star and, with a law degree and quiet leadership skills, everyone figured he would either become the first African-American to lead the service or get a job as an executive somewhere. Nine years after joining the service, the director, after years of persistence, persuaded him to move into a management role, creating a job of setting up training programs and doing research on improving mountain rescue efforts.

Two years into that job his wife and two kids were killed in an auto accident. Once that happened, he left the service for a long period. Once he did come back, he insisted on being a forest ranger, in the same job he'd had before his promotion. During his free time from the service, he worked on a contract basis in maintenance for a ski resort. And in the summer, he took "vacation" time and worked with the forestry service in aviation fire management, flying helicopters to transport firefighters.

At 46, he was still young but many questioned how long he could keep up with this very grueling work. They may be out for 10 hours at the time in the winter and 12-14 in the summer - as long as there was any daylight and even sometimes during darkness. Besides the incredible bravery, one's stamina had to be Herculean and the work requires alertness and sometimes very quick reactions. It was a young person's game, not someone middle-aged. But, no one could ever quarrel with the way Mike kept in shape. He could outlast everyone that worked for him and his long hours never seemed to make him anything less than fresh and alert. Also his leadership skills were legendary. He would only work with the best and once they survived the screening, testing and rigorous training he put them through, they would follow him anywhere and do anything; that was probably because he was always out-front and never put them in a position that he didn't lead them into.

The only way Mike betrayed his 46 years was his face. It looked like it was chiseled out of black granite and was the kind of face you'd expect of someone that spent most of his life outdoors. He could have been considered handsome except for his nose that was twisted and knobby from having it broken twice. His body, though, could be that of a man in his early 20s. That is, of course, if you didn't see how he moved when he first got up in the morning. You certainly wouldn't see any limps or creaky moves when anyone else was around.

"Okay, soon time to go. Everyone check a buddy's pack and then I will check them all. Remember, we have a youngster so we need to take extra blankets and a harness that can fit someone around around three years old. We have no idea what shape these people will be in so pay particular attention to the medical kit. I want five of everything...three for them if needed and a couple for us if one of you clowns get hurt."

"How about you, Big M, you may get hurt. It is possible you know," one of the crew said laughingly.

"No it's not," Mike replied, "because if I do, I know the rest of you will wander around the mountain until someone will have to rescue you. Now, let's get moving. We're burning daylight soon. We'll go as far as we can on the Cats and then we'll split up into Able and Baker teams to off-trail. Hurry and check the gear, get it packed and then gather round for detail prep."

They were off in another ten minutes. There were three people missing - a couple and a child of about three. They were supposed to be gone for three hours, with the father carrying the kid on a back rack. These mountains are treacherous and one misstep can be calamitous. Mike had been trying unsuccessfully to get the rules changed to keep kids that young off the snowshoeing trails. So, the best they could do is try to rescue them when something bad happened. He was particularly concerned about this one because of the kid and also because the temperature had dropped precipitously and he felt they may not be able to survive a night with no protection. He had no idea how well equipped they were as well.

They went as far as they could on the snowmobiles but after 45 minutes realized that they would probably have to search some of the side trails that winter hikers weren't supposed to use. The problem was that there were a number of them and it was snowing so there were no discernible tracks. They were just going to go one by one. Mike figured that they would probably have gone only a few hundred yard up any trail so they would only search a certain distance out and then move on to the next trail. He wanted four people on each team because there were three people lost and because many of these trails were very dangerous and they may end up having to rescue their own.

It was almost dusk dark and Mike was ten minutes away from calling the search off for the evening. The weather was much worse; the wind was howling and the snow was heavier than ever. Due to the noise of the storm, they didn't have a chance to hear anything through the heavy coverings around their heads. So if any recovery were going to be done, it would have to result from seeing something rather that being able to detect it otherwise.

Mike radioed the other team and told them they were heading back to the station and would give it another try tomorrow at daylight. It was already dark enough that they had to turn on their lamps to light the way. Just as they were leaving, one of the men shouted, "hang on a second. Look at this, where the branches are broken. They may have slipped off here."

The trail at that point was only a few feet wide. The bushes in this section were dense but it looked like something had leaned or crashed into it, but it could have been an animal. If it were humans the drop-off from the trail was pretty steep and the chances of surviving such a fall would be pretty small.

Mike directed one of the crew to blow the air horn to see if there was any reaction. He wasn't sure how much anyone could hear in with the roar of the wind but it might have been worth a try. The lights were also bright and could be seen for miles for a long way in open terrain in fair weather but it was doubtful that it penetrated the driving snow and encroaching darkness.

Mike was about to give it up, figuring that it was unlikely that three people would have fallen down a ravine; it must have been an animal or maybe there were all just seeing things.

Before giving the order to go however, he took off his head coverings and blew the air horn once more. He listened intensely. Suddenly, he exclaimed, "wait, I think I hear something. Be quiet and let me listen." A couple of the others also took off their headgear as well and tried to filter out the fierce wind gusts. This time another one said they thought they heard something down over the mountain side a few yards away.

Mike said he would be the one to go over the side. So they put him in a harness and slowly lowered him. He was able to use his feet to keep his body off the rocky outcroppings and fortunately many were covered with snow. The thoughts that kept running through his head was how could anyone survive a fall like this. But, a few feet down he could hear a voice more distinctly. It sounded like a woman. Lowering himself a few more feet he reached her. She was standing on a shelf several feet wide that luckily was sloped back towards the mountain so it kept her from tumbling over.

He was holding her daughter who had a heartbeat but not very responsive. She quickly pointed Mike to the back of the shelf where her husband was lying, not moving. He was alive however.

One of the other crew-members had been partially lowered about a third of the way down as well so Mike relayed messages to him to send down equipment. They put the woman in a harness and slowly raised her to the top. They lowered braces for the man to keep him as rigid as possible and then, with a crew member on each side, keeping him off the rocks and level, lifted him as well. Lastly, Mike was able to put the young girl, who was breathing but otherwise silent, in a harness attached to his back and painstakingly - because he didn't know if she had broken bones or not - finally made it to the top.

The other crew members had already arrived so the three injured parties were put on stretchers and hand-carried out until they got to the snowmobile. They were then helicoptered to a nearby hospital.

The woman was able to relate the story to them that her husband insisted they get off the main trail for some "real snow-shoeing" and they almost immediately got lost. They were trying to find their way back when it started snowing. Her husband, still carrying the daughter, stopped to rest and then all of a sudden they tumbled off the side. She ran over to see what happened and maybe try to catch them and she slide down as well. Luckily she was able keep herself away from the sharpest rocks and there was a foot or so of snow on the shelf so that cushioned her fall. Her husband wasn't as fortunate. He had regained consciousness briefly but then he became unresponsive. She thought he moved so maybe he didn't break his back or neck. The daughter landed on top of him and that probably saved her life.

********The next few days were relatively quiet with only some repair work and a few searches that weren't too difficult. Mike had heard that the woman and little girl from the fall a week before were doing fine, with just a few scrapes and multiple contusions. The guy was going to be okay as well but his injuries were more extensive. Luckily, none of them had frostbite which was pretty amazing given the length of the exposure and severity of the cold, but fortunately they had good warm clothes and were out of direct wind so that probably saved a few fingers and toes at least.

Mike was taking care of last minute paperwork one Saturday morning when the office was quiet when he heard a commotion in the reception area. He kept working but then the intercom phone buzzed. He picked up. "Someone here to see you Mike."

He walked to the front. A young woman and a small girl were the only two people there. The woman walked over and held out her hand.

"Mr. Christopher? Hi, my name's Trudy...Trudy Lollich. And this is Abby. You and your team saved our lives two weeks ago. We were the ones that fell down the ravine during a snowstorm. That was really, really brave of you. We'll be eternally grateful. I have told everybody how this big angel came down and rescued us. Abby, Mr. Christopher carried you on his back to rescue you."

She looked to be in her mid to late 20's. As Mike shook her hand his 6'5" frame towered over her. She was maybe 5'6" or so and slim, with long dark hair and black eyes. The little girl was a miniature version of her mother. She shyly smiled and said, "thank you, sir, for rescuing me."

Mike smiled as well, "no need to thank us Abby and Mrs. Lollich. It's what we get paid for, all part of the job. I'm just glad both of you are okay. How's Mr. Lollich? He seemed pretty banged up. We checked up on all of you and they said he wouldn't have any lingering injuries."

Trudy replied, "we're taking him home right now. We live about 50 miles south and he just got discharged. His leg was pretty badly broken, a couple of ribs were, and he had a punctured lung. So he has been in a lot of pain. But, he's definitely better and we're all just so thankful to be alive. I guess you thought we were pretty stupid huh, wandering off the trail like that?"

"No, not stupid, but it is dangerous so let's just say you weren't sufficiently afraid. The problem up here is that things can change in a heartbeat. All of a sudden you fall and injure yourself, or the weather changes suddenly. I'm glad Mr. Lollich is going to be okay."

"He's out in the car. I'm sure he'd like to meet you and thank you personally. Come out to the car, just for a minute, please," she asked.

Unable to figure out a good excuse for not doing so, Mike went out to the car, which turned out to be a big Mercedes SUV, with a driver. He noticed Mrs. Lollich was limping. As he approached the car, a window lowered. Mr. Lollich, who looked to be a few years older than his wife, was half-reclined in the seat.

"Stan, this is Mr. Christopher. He is the one that saved us. I thought you might want to say hi and how much you appreciated it all their help," Trudy said.

"Hi Mr. Lollich. Nice to meet you under better circumstances than the last time. I'm glad you are on the mend. How are you feeling?" Mike asked.

He made no attempt to sit up or reach out to shake Mike's offered hand. "I feel pretty lousy. Thanks for the rescue. I guess all of you had a pretty good laugh at three silly people falling into a hole huh?"

Mike's smile disappeared. "Not at all Mr. Lollich. We never laugh at people who are in trouble. As I explained to your wife, we just did our job and then went out the next day at did it again. Nothing too funny in our work."

"Well, we shouldn't have gotten off the big trail onto the smaller one. But, you guys need to put up more signs. I've been snowshoeing all my life and there should be signs if the trail is treacherous. If I had known how it was we would never have even come up here. We won't be coming again, believe me," the man spoke in a belligerent voice.

"Sorry you feel that way Mr. Lollich. The signs are there; maybe you just didn't get a chance to see them even though they are pretty large. And you weren't on the trail. You were off on a path that animals use. People that stay on the main trail are normally fine," Mike replied in the calmest voice he could muster.

"So, you sound like the typical government employee...blame the people that pay your salaries. As much as I pay in taxes, I probably bought this place."

Mike turned to go. "I hope you feel better Mr. and Mrs. Lollich and you too Abby. Thanks for coming by."

Trudy ran to catch him. "Wait, I'm so sorry about that. Stan isn't himself. He's in pain. He's normally not that difficult. His pride's a little damaged too. He seems himself as this big mountaineer and then this happens. He's not always like this."

Left unaddressed was the question of whether or not he was SOMETIMES like this...angry and combative.

"You don't have to apologize Mrs. Lollich. He's probably just not feeling well. You take care. Have a safe trip home."

Mr. Lollich was now calling for Trudy to come to the car so they could go. She scurried away.

Mike mentioned to his crew the next day that the family they'd gotten out of the ravine stopped by to thank them. He didn't say anything about the husband's comments or his manners. He understood that the guy was probably in pain and besides, he realized, if anyone did, that some people can be pains in the ass as well. So he forgot about it.

Mike's view was that life threw enough really large boulders at one's head that you simply can't worry about the small pebbles and the pebbles don't get much smaller than a spoiled guy whose feelings were hurt because someone had to lift him off the side of a mountain. Mike's hard shell that he surrounded himself with had gotten much thicker over the years. He came from a totally broken, disastrous household in urban Gary, Indiana. His mother was a crack addict; his father...well, he had no idea who he was. One of his brothers ended up in prison and the younger one, the good kid that Mike tried to protect and nurture, was in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people and got accidentally shot and bled to death in a dark, stinking tenement hallway. Mike's grandmother tried to raise him as best she knew how but with little money, failing health and two other grandkids to look after, it was a day-to-day existence.

Mike got a scholarship to a Chicago university. They were giving them out like candy to minorities if they were halfway smart and Mike was a very bright young man. He worked all during college and got another scholarship to law school. During his second year, he met Dorothy, a local girl also attending law school. They fell in love and right after graduating from law school they married. Mike had never been out of big cities and most of Dorothy's life was urban-based as well so on an impetuous fling they decided to try something totally different and moved to Colorado. Both of Dorothy's parents had moved to North Carolina so there were no ties holding them to Chicago.

Dorothy took a job in a county public defenders' office. Mike went to work at a small law firm. He hated the work. He found himself defending people he didn't like or respect or suing people and businesses, many of which probably shouldn't have been sued to start with and had no money to pay with anyway. With Dorothy's encouragement, he started working with the park service just to do something until he found out how he wanted to use his education. He found out that, while he didn't make much money, he loved the work and the people he worked with, and it was a new challenge every day. Besides, it kept him outdoors. He often marveled at how a kid from the projects ended up working on a mountain saving people.

It was a near-perfect life, better than Mike ever dared himself to dream of, until the day he got the call on his radio while he was running a training session. His lovey wife and two young daughters were killed instantly by a drunk driver as they were coming back from Christmas shopping. Mike lost the only family he'd ever had.

The six months after their deaths were consumed with alcohol, despair, and thoughts of suicide. He'd taken a leave of absence from the service - he actually quit but officially management recorded it as a leave of absence. His friends were as supportive as possible but he pushed them away so even the people that were closest to them realized that he had to WANT to live and get better.

He hit bottom when he had an accident, barely missing a car loaded with people, but ending up ramming a concrete road divider. He wasn't drunk - just in a really big hurry to get a bottle so he could return home and get blasted. He ended up in intensive care for two days. After another week in the hospital, he decided he had to quit drinking. He was haunted with the thought that he'd almost done to some family what another drunk had done to his. So he quit cold turkey.

But, he still didn't want to work. He knew he had to do something to make a living so he got a job on the maintenance crew of a ski resort and slowly worked himself back into shape. Given his frame of mind, he would probably have continued to do that for the rest of his life. It wasn't fun, it didn't pay anything to speak of but then again, he didn't need much so he went through the motions every day and somehow he was able to live from one day to the next. It all changed when he got a message from an old friend and colleague that he used to work with.