Adventures in Search and Rescue

At 2 A.M. I laid down for a quick nap with a knot in my stomach. Two of my friends had not yet returned from possibly the most burly mountain climb they had ever done. They were 8 hours late at this point and had hit the deadline on which it is my responsibility to only freak out but also do something. I thought their plans sounded a little rushed and the mountain was at least 3 hours away, so wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt. By 5 A.M. the sun was about to rise, and I had organized a search party and left our plans with a few others. I scrambled to get my gear together, and I racked my brain to think of what I might need for a high mountain rescue situation. To clear things up a little bit this is not a mountain hike, this is a vertical ascent of the mountain on a rope using gear that they placed along a 2,000 foot exposed corner of this rock. My gut feeling; they had misestimated the route and they were in some deep trouble. After the rocky ride up South Colony Road (more like 4 WD boulder garden) we got to the pull-out where we would park and go in search of our friends. At that time we were a group of three friends setting out, nervous as all get-out, prepared to either find our friends tired but okay, maimed, or dead. That 1 1/2 mile hike seemed like ten. When we got to the basin below the peak we searched the side of the cliff faces intently for a few minutes. Nothing. So we headed on. Just a minute or so later I saw a hiker. "Levi!" I yelled, only to have a man turn around that I saw next to our car. My heart dropped for a second, but behind him sat my roomate Matt. The feeling of seeing him okay is indescribable. The burden of being the rescue men for our friends was fully complete, and the day turned from a possible disaster into a holiday. We gave hugs, food, and water to rejuvenate their seriosly tired souls, and we waited for the story. 30 hours on the mountain, summitted just after dark, slept on the peak in a small crevice in the rock with no extra gear. That's enough to call it quits on climbing mountains for a little while. They were lucky. If the weather had not been good they should have had hypothermia or lost their lives. In conclusion to that story I have two things to say. 1) Be careful in the outdoors; it is nothing to mess around with. 2) To love is worth it. At times it will leave you exhausted, inconvenienced, and wondering if it is worth it. Yes, to love is always worth it.