It took Tom only an hour to prepare for the five-day hike. He made mistakes and knew it—too little food and water and construction boots with worn-down soles and nails that pushed up into his heels. He didn’t concern himself with such details. His pack was small and didn’t tie around his waist for support. He could tough it out since he carried a light load.
Tom’s rations consisted of trail mix—peanuts, raisins, and M&Ms. He didn’t care to start fires or boil water even though his canteen held only a quart and he knew he’d have to find water along the way and who knew how clean it might be.
Tom at least had a tarp and be-droll, which he resented, since he’d have to carry them, along with his other gear, up and down the steep trail. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about a mess kit since all his food was ready made.
Tom’s buddy drove him into the mountains where the state highway crossed the trail. He hadn’t decided which way to go yet. He stood with his pack and watched his friend’s truck disappear around a couple curves as it headed back to town. It was already early afternoon and he felt alone for a minute or two while deciding whether to head north toward Pennsylvania or south to Virginia. He picked north for no particular reason.
After walking for several hours Tom began losing sunlight. He’d seen several decent places to camp but passed them up so he could make more mileage on the trail. Finally he stopped along a stream to camp. As he ate his trail mix he heard voices—not real ones—the ones from the stream. Then he heard thunder. Within twenty minutes the storm dumped rain on him unmercifully until the following dawn. He sat on top of his pack shivering underneath his tarp and wondering why he’d taken this hike.
The following morning Tom heard a real voice. A tall guy with a beard, German shepherd, and a buck knife stood be-hind him.
Five day’s later Tom’s buddy waited for him for two hours at the trail head. Then he headed home. He figured Tom had hitched somewhere else or maybe had taken a longer hike. Nobody reported Tom missing for three weeks. That’s just the way it was back then.