Hiking into the danger zone

8:30pm

We are surrounded by dense trees on both sides. It is late fall and the water in the creek has dried up, uncovering rocks in the basin and allowing us to cross it on foot. However, in the pitch-blackness, we cannot continue our hike.

I tell her that we have to sleep here – in the creek. She can’t seem to believe what I said; neither do I. On one hand, we can’t sleep on the rocks with no camping gear and nothing to protect ourselves from the cold or animals. On the other hand, we cannot escape. We have no flashlight and with the forest so thick, terrain so uneven, and night so dark, even a small misstep could lead us into a ditch. (more…)