The long wait

I'm watching Natalie washing boots and gaitors in a flowing stream. I've seen this before, the only odd thing is that its dark--and 4:45AM. Yet, because of the past 3.5 days, I've never been more relieved. I'm relieved because two hours ago, triggered by the sound of raindrops on the the tent, I jumped out of my sleeping bag, pulled on raingear and ran down to the Fox River to try and cross it by headlamp. Being successful and feeling hopeful, if not a bit frantic, I race back to the tent where Natalie and I furiously pull it down and pack our packs. By 3:30AM we're arm in arm, headlamps pointed down into the rushing water. Thirty minutes later we have to ford the same river again, this time much easier, but have to search for the trail on the opposite bank by headlamp in the thick bush--wading downstream 100 meters before finding it. Once found, it was a relatively easy, if not slippery, 45 minutes to the Fox River bridge, where we planned on being Sunday afternoon after a short two day trek--its now Tuesday morning. The middle of the the night rush was set in motion by the possibility that it was our only chance to get out while the river was low enough, and before more rain came. Knowing that this track was prone to flooding rivers, we packed an extra night and day's food (sort of) and the tent, even though the only planned night would be in the shelter of a cave. The first night, sheltered inside the Ballroom, a 75 x 50 meter rock overhang, it began to pour. Being prepared for this, we spent most of the next day waiting for the swollen river to subside. By 2PM, it was barely crossable, so we broke camp and headed downstream. However, 25 minutes later, where the Fox and Dilemma Rivers met, we had another ford. And this one was completely unpassable. We set up the tent amongst the ferns high on the river bank to wait for the next day. To our utter dismay, it rained again at night, swelling the torrent higher than the day before. Not knowing how many days we would have to wait, we began to ration food, eating only 1/2 cup of trail mix each for the entire day. I had never felt so trapped, so anxious (or so hungry). We tried many routes, but the limestone cliffs were too high and the river too strong. That is why at 2:45 this morning, we took advantage of the low river, rather than wait and be trapped another day--or more.

While it was indeed a scary situation, not knowing when we'd be able to get the final couple of hours out of the bush, we were always warm, safe, and with our two heads firmly on our shoulders.

Many lessons well learned,
Sam