Amateur Storytelling 2023

01 | Hypothermia

Chapter 1 - Hypothermia
published: April 1 2023

I yawn in my tent, prepared for another day of hiking in the icy cold Kajan Mountains. "Good morning!" Alicia's voice carries through the wind howling outside. "It is sure cold today!" I agree. Today is the coldest day of hiking in all of our days camping, and the day we are most likely to get hypothermia.

I put on all 6 of my layers, and unzip my tent to see all my friends staring at the winter scene in wonder. Fluffy clouds of snow drift from the sky, and the snow is knee-deep on the ground. Chris brushes his brown hair out of his face, grins, and says, "We better get moving. We don't want to stay here for too long." Everyone nods, and we set off on our trail.

The wind chills me to the bones, and my teeth chatter. I start to lose feeling in my fingers and toes, but I dismiss it as chills. After all, everyone gets it, don't they?

The snow gets deeper and deeper, and then we see a sign. "Avalanche warning," reads Alicia. "Should we continue?" "Yeah, sure," I say, looking around the area. It doesn't look very dangerous to me. "What do you think, Chris?" He looks over nervously. "I don't think so. I don't want to risk it." I roll my eyes. "It's fine, Chris! Nothing's going to go wrong."

I start walking into the area confidently. After around ten minutes of hiking, I look back at my friends and see that they are both shivering. I feel guilty, but I don't go to help them. I'm so numb that I can only move my legs.

I keep trekking, and I step into an unstable patch of snow. I fall under, and I'm losing my breath. I can't see anything. I desperately try to crawl to the surface, but I only sink deeper. I can hear my friends' voices calling for me, wondering where I went. I try to respond, but my mouth won't work. I stop struggling, and I disappear. Another victim claimed by the Kajan mountains.