Moonlight Mountain

Chapter Five - Lost

Ava was lost. 

She knew because she'd walked a long time and hadn't found a way to climb back up to the walking trail. She wasn't even sure if she was under the trail any longer. She also hadn't managed to find her way off the mountain, either.

Checking her phone, she saw it was now four PM. Surely her family had realized by now that she hadn't joined them at the bottom. She should be hearing search and rescue any minute, she guessed. 

She saw that her phone was also at 50% battery, so it still had a few hour's left of battery life. She was pretty sure she would be found by then, and likely wouldn't have to spend the night in the forest, anyway. She couldn't be that far off the trail. 

Feeling tired from all the desperate walking, and slightly dizzy from the bruise on her head, she sat down on a tree stump and placed her bag in front of her, opening it and looking for her water bottle. She still had a few gulps of water left, but it wouldn't last for long. She was really thirsty and drank it all right away. 

Ava decided not to panic, and that maybe she should just stay here instead of keep walking and getting herself more lost. She still had some snacks, but not enough for more than a day, maybe two if she rationed them. No water wasn't a problem, because she'd spotted a stream nearby. However, she didn't have a tent or sleeping bag, therefore no shelter. At least she had a full pack of matches, which meant she could make a fire if needed. 

I can't believe I did something so stupid as to get myself in the situation that I promised myself I wouldn't, she thought to herself, upset at everything that had happened. At least she had managed to keep hold of her camera during the fall, and it wasn't damaged too much. It wouldn't help her survival overall, but it was a mental comfort. At least, for as long as the battery lasted. 

"Just sit tight, and they'll be here in a few hours, at least," Ava told herself. "I know they're looking for me by now. It's been a couple hours since I fell. It's just odd how I didn't hear them call my name as I was walking along the trail." 

Feeling thirsty, Ava made her way to the stream, which was a few hundred yards to her right. She realized this would be a good spot to set up a shelter, as there was a clearing in the middle of a clump of trees. She hadn't had to make her own shelter before, but had a good idea of how to go about it. There were several fallen branches and trees around that would make good lumber for a shelter, if the need came. The only tool she had on her was her pocketknife, so there was no way for her to be able to shape and cut logs to fit properly to make a small cabin. 

Ava knelt down beside the stream and filled her bottle with fresh spring water, taking several gulps before filling it again. She was aware of the warning which often went around on Facebook that "unfiltered spring water can make you sick", but she figured since it was a survival situation, and she didn't have a fire to boil it or anything to boil it in, she would be okay. She'd rather this than risk dying from dehydration. Besides, she had drank spring water on camping trips before, and had never gotten sick. 

If they're looking for me from the sky, I need to do something to get myself noticed. I'll build a fire and write SOS in huge letters with rocks, Ava decided. After taking a few bites from a granola bar, she put her pack aside, got up, and gathered supplies to make a fire. The day was pretty warm, so she didn't need to use it for warmth, but she ended up finding another, larger clearing outside of her lump of trees, big enough for a signal fire and large "SOS" letters. 

After gathering small sticks and dry moss, along with bigger sticks/branches, Ava found a spot in the center of the clearing to place the items in a pile. She lit her match, held it against the moss, and it lit up. When the bigger branches caught fire, Ava rushed around gathering more supplies to keep the fire going. She made sure it was going well before picking up several rocks and arranging them in the SOS symbol. The process took some time and energy, so she had to take several small breaks. Once, she thought she heard the sound of a helicopter, but looked up and didn't see one. 

Once Ava was done, she pulled out her phone to check that it was almost six PM. Sundown was in a few hours, and she had only heard one helicopter. Maybe they were looking in the wrong area for her. 

She tried holding up her phone to get a signal, but it wasn't working. But she tried to save the battery as much as she could, she figured the less she used it, the longer she could have it for a source of light. 

The very real possibility that she could be spending a night in the woods was looming up on her. After a few minute's break, Ava took another drink and bite of a granola bar for an extra burst of energy. She was already starving, but she didn't want to eat all of her remaining snacks at once. She had to make it last. 

Ava then decided to make a lean-to, using a branch that was stretched out between two trees as her main beam. At least she could have a little bit of protection. Although she hadn't heard any wolf-howling noises yet, she knew that wolves were mostly nocturnal. To be caught sleeping out here under the stars could be very dangerous. 

She found other branches that were the right length, and leaned them up against her main beam in such a way that would give her room to lay down underneath them. It wasn't very stable, since she had no string to tie each branch on with, but it was something. She used more branches she found on the ground, stacked on top of each other as makeshift sides to the shelter, so the only way any animal would be able to get to her would be through the front. 

Ava finished off her simple shelter by placing pine tree boughs on top to keep out any potential rain. She didn't think it was supposed to rain for a while, but never know. 

How did ancient people even survive as long as they did in the woods? Ava wondered to herself. She couldn't imagine being placed into a situation where she had no practical tools, and have to make a life for herself, not just survive for short periods of time. Life must have been very difficult back then. 

She was aware that people still lived that way, even in this day and age. She only hoped she wouldn't end up stuck here for a long time. 

Ava remembered that she had her journal and decided to sit in her shelter and write to pass the time. Every so often, she kept a watch on her fire, and would feed it sticks, then go back to her writing. 

Day 1 - One a mess I got myself into. I still can't believe I fell off the trail and into some part of the mountain that people haven't been to in probably a long time. I managed to make a small shelter and fire and write "SOS" using stones, so I hope that will help anyone searching from the air to see me. I'm just worried about spending the night, because I know there are wolves up here. I'm already hungry, though. Trying to ration what's left of my snacks is hard. Maybe they'll find me tonight, when it's dark enough for them to see the fire. If not, I guess I'll have to either figure out how I'm going to survive long enough to be rescued. I hope I'm not going to be the next statistic in the long list of people who've been lost on Moonlight Mountain.