~Jonas Ahlgren, Class of 2024

It was late in the morning when the call to action came. A hiker- missing for over a day, and the deep wilderness in upper New Hampshire. Not a good mix. Collin George, a state trooper, had not had the most eventful day. There was seldom anything eventful happening at his station, and the gloomy overcast skies did not help the mundaneness of the day. For that it is understandable the excitement Collin felt. A missing person, deep in the wilderness no less. He couldn’t remember an event like this in at least a year.

Gathering everything he needed Collin strolled out to the ranger car parked in the lot next to the small station he had been cooped up in all day. It felt different to start the car and pull out of the small lot. Perhaps it was because his destination was a small trailhead nestled in the vast forest, rather than back to his home. Home to work, back to home. Those were the kind of trips he was used to.

The drive wasn’t too long, and it wasn’t long before Collin had reached his destination. It was easy to spot the trailhead because of the slew of vehicles. A few people in uniform stood together talking.  After parking Collin joined in on the discussion.

“They were supposed to come back a couple days ago but they didn’t. The family only just notified us this morning,” said an older woman in uniform.

“Why would they wait that long?” Asked Collin, already knowing the answer.

Another younger man with a bushy beard and beady eyes replied, in a sad tone, “they always do. Underestimating the seriousness of the situation, just believing the best. People forget how easy it is to get lost up here”

“And the hiker?” Prompted Collin.

“Solo. They planned on hiking the day and camping in a small campground just south of here. We’ve checked and they never made it to the campsite.”

“And we have a search area?” Collin began to pull out his map and scrutinize the tiny routes on it.

“Yes. We’ll be taking this trail. We have other groups spread out. We shouldn’t waste time either. I think we should start,” responded the woman.

And with that the small group began to head into the woods. The path started wide and flat but soon became thin, with twists and turns. The ground was covered in dead leaves despite it being summer. They obscured the roots that twisted across the trail. Many times an officer would stumble and almost fall as their foot got caught among the multitude of roots. It was silent too. Besides the occasional chirp of a bird or comment from an officer. It wasn’t just the silence that was slightly unnerving. As they ventured further into the forest the already dark lighting from the overcast sky got grayer and grayer. With the tall trees overhead it was soon as if the sun was getting ready to set. Collin was beginning to see how true the officer was. It would be extremely easy to get lost here. More than once the team got a fright as they realized the trail they were following had disappeared, only to retrace their steps and find it again. The dense forest of towering flora seemed to eat them alive. 

Then the hike took a turn for the worst, maybe an hour in. The trail had taken a steep slant upwards and stayed that way for at least five minutes. Excitedly the group came to the top, relieved. Collin saw it first. He was at the front of the group, in good shape as he was. A bear: big, black, and imposing. Only about 10 yards away perhaps. It stared at the group as the last person reached the top of the crest. Collin’s breath quickened. He had seen his fair share of bears of course, but he could never get used to being in the presence of one.

Some primal fear, one only awakened in you when in the company of such a large animal. An internal urge to either fight or get the hell out of there. That is what Collin felt.

It was only a black bear, but a big one nonetheless. Any bear could be dangerous if it felt threatened. Each trooper knew exactly what to do. They yelled and roared. Collin pulled out bear spray. For a few seconds the bear stayed still. Then began to slowly creep forward. With the size of it it must have known it had dominance over them. Collin held his ground and continued to ward off the bear. Then he sprayed the bear spray. The pungent mist shot forward as the bear continued. As if by magic the bear whipped around and began to flee. That is the power of bear spray. As the bear disappeared off the trail it was quiet. Only the panting of the officers penetrated the silence of the forest.

“Well,” said Collin, “we better hope this missing guy has bear spray. I’ll tell you that.” 

“Hey, shush,” said the young officer. “I think I hear something.” He peered around and strained his ears as Collin and the older woman watched him. Then from the forest a faint sound sounded. Almost inaudible.

“That way,” said the woman pointing. “It’s coming from off trail. Pretty far away too I think.”

At once the group shifted direction and began making their way towards the sound. Never once sound faltered and as they approached it got louder and louder. It was a person. They sounded distressed.

Hurriedly rushing through the brush Collin commented, “looks like we found our hiker.”  As they grew closer and closer to the noise the forest changed. The thick woods still grew around the sky above but the ground was full of rocks and such. The rockier terrain slowed their progress. Then they stopped. They all saw it. A figure huddled by a group of rocks. They were sitting upright, leaning against a rock. The ground was covered in various objects. Snacks, water bottles, and scraps of fabric. It was a man. Long hair that looked quite dirty, and a blue jacket. 

“Oh thank god,” said the hiker looking to his rescuers. “I thought you wouldn’t hear me. What was all that commotion I heard?”

“That doesn’t matter now. We need to get you out of here. What happened?” The young officer stepped forward to check out the man.

“I got off trail. I’m pretty sure my ankle is broken. I fell trying to find my way back.”

The man’s foot did indeed seem to bend at a weird angle. He was incredibly calm though. Collin called in to report their findings as the others tended to the hiker. Within thirty minutes the responsibility was off their hands. Hiker found, and taken from the forest. Collin made it back to his car just as the sun was beginning to grow red. It shone through the tops of the trees in a peaceful way. Quite a day. Quite a hike. Collin was exhausted and gratefully drove home off his shift.

The next day he was back in the office. Back to the daily routine. Hopefully not for long though.