Wilderness Adventure

Sitting on my couch in the comfort of my house, I am writing to share with you about my day. It's been a wild one. Today, our campus arranged a training camp in the woods to train us on the subject of 'Field Medicine.' It was enlightening; I learned about the various types of plants that can be used in treatment in the absence of medicine, how to deal with bites from various animals and bugs, and much more. As the time for a break came, everyone of us stretched and put things in order before heading for a meal. I thought this was an appropriate time to give my mom an update.

Taking out my phone, I was about to call her, but I noticed there were no signals. I was confused because when I arrived, the signals were working. Glancing around, I saw others facing the same problem. I decided to go a little further near where our bus was, thinking maybe I would get a signal there. It was a bad decision. The path that I remembered so clearly in my mind led me to being stranded in the wilderness. Everywhere I looked, it was the same. I felt directionally challenged.

Trying to come up with a plan was hard on an empty stomach and in a chilling environment. Feeling a bit on the verge of panicking, a quote came to the forefront of my mind,

'An empty stomach is the greatest motivator for survival and success.'

Keeping that in mind, I looked around for clues, maybe a distinctive marking on a tree. A snap caught my attention. Standing ramrod straight, I glanced around in a nervous manner. Looking for a place to hide, but apparently, there was no place to hide in this wilderness. Still, I went and hid behind a tree. Peeking from behind the bark, I was able to localize the sound, and it was getting closer and closer.

With every snap, my heart started racing, getting ready for fight or flight. Leaves rustled and from the bushes came a friendly, well-groomed looking Labrador. The collar around the neck made me aware of the fact that it might be someone's dog who might be wandering or is as lost as me. Approaching the lovely creature, I rubbed its head and was rewarded with a delightful 'YIP.' I started tracing back my footprints, hoping to find my way back. The dog was walking by my side, playing with fallen leaves. It made such an adorable picture.

I think I was making progress. Wanting to get back quickly, I hurried along. Things started to get worse as the wind picked up and the temperature started dropping. Thinking things couldn't get worse at this point was my biggest mistake. It seemed as if I jinxed myself. Feeling wetness on my head, I thought maybe it was bird droppings, but it was not. Soon, I was standing with the dog in the drizzle, which was quickly washing away the footprints. I was cold, wet, and hungry at this point, so I started running, hoping to make it back before the footprints disappeared and I became stranded while it rained cats and dogs.

The dog, I think, sensed my change of moods, because it abandoned the leaves and started running alongside me. I stopped. The footprints had vanished. Sighing, I rubbed my forehead, waiting for a spontaneous idea to burst out. Continuous 'yips' brought my attention to the dog. I think it was leading the way. Following him, I wondered why he didn't do this before. Trekking through the woods, cold and shivering, I think I was close by because the delicious aroma of food was wafting through my nose. Getting an adrenaline boost, I skipped forward to where the dog stopped. I had found my way back.

Looking back on it now, I realized what an adventure I had. I would probably never forget the help of the dog, which I later learned was named 'Alex.' He was snuck into the training trip by my classmate. Have you had such an adventure?