“’Go into the woods,’ they said; ‘Find yourself,’ they said,” Elena grumbled to herself.
“Not like there is anyone around to hear me, save a godforsaken bird or lizard.”
Elena found herself deep in the Appalachian Mountains on a portion of the Appalachian Trail, secluded far from the talons of society. Originally from Chicago, where skyscrapers define the landscape, these mountains were not her home. Nonetheless, she was hell-bent on conquering this trail. An all-too-demanding first job after college was draining her rapidly, and this had been the suggestion from family and friends alike. In the woods there is no Wi-Fi, no cell phone reception, no email bleating at every hour. That was a hefty enough selling point for Elena; she trained with a professional hiker and did her homework on the …show more content…
Already her second week on the trail, she was becoming increasingly more adept at throwing her tent up and building a fire to keep warm, cook dinner, and keep the pesky forest animals away. Dog-tired and covered in sweat and filth, once her camp was finished Elena backtracked to a small stream she crossed over a few minutes back. She began methodically scrubbing her face and choice body parts with a washcloth dipped repeatedly in the stream. Though she longed to sit under a steaming hot shower and relax her aching muscles, her campfire would have to do.
Elena sat by the campfire until the rustlings in the bushes around her became too unnerving. The past nights had been filled with conversation and singing with other hikers, which hid the sounds of whatever may be lurking outside the ring of light from the fire. Tonight, alone with the sounds and the darkness, Elena was on edge. The crunching around her didn’t sound like squirrels, that much she knew. She retreated to her tent and sleeping bag with her mace gripped tightly next to her.
ONE WEEK
“Not like there is anyone around to hear me, save a godforsaken bird or lizard.”
Elena found herself deep in the Appalachian Mountains on a portion of the Appalachian Trail, secluded far from the talons of society. Originally from Chicago, where skyscrapers define the landscape, these mountains were not her home. Nonetheless, she was hell-bent on conquering this trail. An all-too-demanding first job after college was draining her rapidly, and this had been the suggestion from family and friends alike. In the woods there is no Wi-Fi, no cell phone reception, no email bleating at every hour. That was a hefty enough selling point for Elena; she trained with a professional hiker and did her homework on the …show more content…
Already her second week on the trail, she was becoming increasingly more adept at throwing her tent up and building a fire to keep warm, cook dinner, and keep the pesky forest animals away. Dog-tired and covered in sweat and filth, once her camp was finished Elena backtracked to a small stream she crossed over a few minutes back. She began methodically scrubbing her face and choice body parts with a washcloth dipped repeatedly in the stream. Though she longed to sit under a steaming hot shower and relax her aching muscles, her campfire would have to do.
Elena sat by the campfire until the rustlings in the bushes around her became too unnerving. The past nights had been filled with conversation and singing with other hikers, which hid the sounds of whatever may be lurking outside the ring of light from the fire. Tonight, alone with the sounds and the darkness, Elena was on edge. The crunching around her didn’t sound like squirrels, that much she knew. She retreated to her tent and sleeping bag with her mace gripped tightly next to her.
ONE WEEK