New Experiences at the Lodge

On a cold winter morning in my sophomore year at Maybury College, I woke before dawn, dressed in layers, and stuffed my hiking pack with gear and supplies. I left the dorm room light off so that I didn't wake my roommate and used my headlamp to see instead. Though I tried to be quiet, the rustle of gear must have woken him. I heard him muttering in the dark that I was crazy to be going off on a hiking trip in the middle of winter.

Some people will never get it, but once you've been bitten by the mountain bug, it can take over your life. The bug had gotten me just over a year earlier when I attended an outing for new hikers. Before college, I'd always struggled to define myself or fit in with any particular social group. I wasn't treated poorly in high school, but I was a bit of a loner. By the end of my first semester at Maybury, I knew where I belonged. I spent every free moment on treks or trips with the Mountain Club.

As I walked across the open space in the center of campus toward the vanpool meetup, the wind whipped around the buildings and stung my exposed cheek. My boots rang loud on the sidewalk that sparkled with the frost of the cold night in the glow of the campus lights.

When I got to the meetup, the club van was already waiting. The engine was running and the exhaust was a white cloud that swirled away with the breeze. I hauled open the side door and ducked gratefully inside the van's warm interior. Kat, the senior trip leader, was sitting in the driver's seat and she gave me a friendly greeting as I pulled the door shut to keep in the heat.

In the far back row of the van, I recognized Tyler and Erin, two classmates of mine. Tyler was a very tall and solidly built guy. He was the quiet sort, but friendly enough. Erin was cute and very sweet, but she was almost painfully shy.

A freshman named Nate was the next to arrive and he sidled into the front passenger seat. I'd met Nate at a few other events and I didn't have a high opinion of him. While he had outdoor experience, he could stand to learn from people like Kat. Instead, he held himself out as an expert in his own right. It came across as arrogant to me, but I also had to admit I didn't know him very well. I resolved to be friendly and keep an open mind.

Two more girls turned up to complete the crew. I recognized Kelly, a sporty redhead sophomore with an up-for-anything attitude. Like me, she was a novice hiker. Also like me, was very active in the club and an eager learner. She gave me a friendly smile as she took the seat next to mine. The last arrival was a girl I had never met before. Her name was Melody and she was a freshman. This would be her first winter hike.

As we pulled away from the curb, Kat gave us the latest on the winter weather.

"I've been tracking a storm," she said, "and I was afraid it was going to ruin our weekend." The cheery note in her voice suggested there was nothing to worry about. "Thankfully, it's turned well to the north. We might get just enough snow to make things interesting, but nothing more."

"Yes, that's typical for this area," said Nate with a nod. He went on to try to explain something about the weather patterns in the mountains, but it sounded like bullshit to me. I shared a glance with Kelly and she grinned and rolled her eyes. Apparently, I wasn't the only one that thought Nate was full of himself. In the back, Erin and Tyler were already napping and her head was resting peacefully on his shoulder.

Nate was just launching into a story about how he had already summitted the mountain we intended to hike when Kat interrupted him.

"That's perfect," she said without a hint of annoyance. "It would be ideal for you to take charge of the navigation then."

"Oh, well, uh, sure," stammered Nate. "I would be happy to." In actuality, he sounded anything but happy to have that responsibility.

"Great," said Kat. "That will be super helpful." Nate lapsed into an awkward silence. I heard Kelly suppressing a giggle next to me.

As the van wound away from town and into the mountains, Kat reviewed the itinerary. We were planning to climb two peaks over the weekend, one that morning and one on Sunday. We would be staying the night in the Mountain Club lodge, which was only a short detour off of the route up the first mountain. The club owned the rustic property, which was donated a generation ago by a wealthy alumnus. It was a great base for weekends in the mountains and a perfect jumping-off point for some of the best hiking trails in the national forest.

Kelly, Nate, and I chatted some more about the trails. Melody listened intently. I thought I detected some unease in her demeanor. Her eyes flicked back and forth between Nate and Kat as they discussed the rock scrambles and scree slopes we would need to be cautious about.

At the first light of dawn, Melody pulled a small paperback from her ruck and soon was buried in the book. She seemed to prefer that refuge to listening about the challenges ahead.

"This is going to be badass," said Kelly enthusiastically. I found myself grinning along with her. Melody sighed into her book.

When we pulled the van into the trailhead parking lot, there was already light snow falling. The dusting of white powder coated the ground and hung on the trees. We talked excitedly as we piled out of the van and started to gear up. Our breath was like smoke on the chill air.

With snow falling and more expected at higher elevations, we opted to put on our spikes for traction. I noted that Melody seemed well-outfitted for a first-timer, but Kat needed to take a moment to help her slip the spikes over her new-looking boots.

As we tramped out of the lot and up the trail, I complimented Melody on the research she must have done in advance to be so well prepared.

Melody shrugged sheepishly and gestured with a thumb toward Kat. "I wish I could take the credit," she said, "but Kat told me what to bring."

"Melody's in my math class," explained Kat. "She told me she'd never been in the mountains, so I invited her along. I helped her pack and I promised not to let her get into trouble out here." Kat grinned at Melody who only shrugged again.

"Hang on," said Kelly, "I thought you were a freshman?"

"Yeah, I am," said Melody quietly.

"But I know what math Kat takes," said Kelly. "That's a 400-level class." Melody shrugged yet again.

"What Melody's not going to tell you herself," explained Kat, "is that she's a freaking genius." We all laughed, but Melody's face turned bright red. It was not from the cold.

"I still don't know what I am doing here," said Melody.

Kat gave her an encouraging pat on the shoulder.

"I just thought it might be a good idea for you to try something new, Mel." Melody shrugged in reply.

Nate took the lead to navigate as Kat had requested, but when he took a GPS out of his bag to find the way, Kat shoved a paper map and compass into his hands.

"If you've already done this hike with all of the electronics, you should try it this time the old-fashioned way," she suggested. "It would be a good learning experience."

"Oh, uh, I already know how to use a map, so..."

"Excellent. Then it shouldn't be too hard. It's a great opportunity to practice."

Nate sighed. "Sure, I guess," he relented. I heard Kelly giggle softly behind me and I turned to share a knowing look with her.

Tyler and Erin hadn't said anything since we left the campus. They walked together at the rear of the crew.

Gradually, the trail began to rise as we neared the base of the mountain. The fresh snow was starting to accumulate.

After we passed a few trail intersections, Kat called a halt.

"Are you sure about the direction, Nate?"

"Uh, yes. Absolutely. That way." He gestured ahead of us on the trail. Despite his assurance to the contrary, he sounded uncertain.

"Sure?"

"Yes," he said more confidently.

"Hmm. Let's talk about it." Kat walked to the front of the group and spoke softly to Nate while they looked at the map. I could see her gesturing at some of the land features and explaining something to him. Nate's face was very red, but he was finally paying attention.

After a moment, Nate turned back to the group. "After a moment to reflect," he said, "I think maybe we missed our turn." Nobody teased him about his mistake. This was supposed to be a learning experience after all. Kelly smirked at me as Nate led us back the way we had come. Kat had tried to correct Nate without embarrassing him, but Kelly and I still both enjoyed seeing him taken down a peg, albeit very gently.

Once we were on the right route, the trail rose even more sharply. We made steady progress ever higher, but we were breathing hard from the effort. I stopped to shed a layer before I got too sweaty. The snow was picking up now and the traction devices were essential. I wished we had opted to go with snowshoes, but it was too late to worry about that. The snow was beginning to pile up in drifts on the trail and the going was much tougher.

After a few miles of difficult climbing, Kat called a halt again. By then the wind had picked up further and she had to raise her voice to be heard. "This is getting pretty rough guys," she said. "It's way worse than the weather report said. Maybe we should call it." Nobody argued the point. Kat pulled out her GPS and confirmed our position. It was becoming obvious that we would not reach the summit under these conditions and to force the issue would be dangerous. It was colder too. Each of us had put back on the layers we shed before and even added some.

"Let's head down," she called out. There were nods all around, but we hadn't gone more than a quarter mile back down the trail when the storm's intensity swelled ferociously. Heavy wet snow fell and swirled around us so thick that it was hard to see where were going. The drifts on the trail were growing fast.

The snow was making our progress challenging. With each step, we had to struggle through the deep sticky wet mess. The effort was sapping our energy rapidly and even with the proper gear, we were getting wet and cold.

Kat shouted over the howling wind. "We're not far from the cabin here. It's the closest safe place!" We all nodded our agreement again. Kat led the way trudging through the drifts. I felt my chest tightening with a twinge of worry as visibility dropped to only a few feet through the whiteout conditions. I saw Melody's eyes were wide with fright as she stumbled on in Kat's tracks. Even Nate looked concerned. Tyler was helping petite Erin make progress through the blasts of wind and Kelly was hunched down and slogging along. Kat kept checking our progress on her GPS for fear we might wander off the track in the blizzard.

When we emerged in the clearing around the lodge, the little cabin was hardly discernable in the white wind. As we trudged closer, its welcome shelter was a heartening sight. Kat struggled with cold fingers to enter the code on the lockbox that held the key to the cabin. Tyler produced a lighter to help melt the ice from it. We stamped our feet behind them in the snow and longed to be out of the wind and cold. Finally, Kat popped the lockbox open and triumphantly jingled the keys in the air over her head. She unlocked the frozen door and thumped it open with her shoulder.

"Phew! Fuck me, it's cold," she said, as she stomped her boots on the rug inside the door and furiously rubbed her hands together.

Nate was the next through the door. "Is that an offer, Kat? Because... "

"Dream on," Kat said in reply, but as I followed Nat into the dark cabin, I noticed a look in Kat's eyes that suggested that maybe that dream was not so far-fetched. Her tongue played over her upper lip and she smiled. I don't know if Nate saw what I had seen, but he made no reply.

Kelly followed me through the door. "What's Nate dreaming about?" she asked.

"Oh nothing," answered Kat. "He just mistook an exclamation for an invitation." I chuckled and Kat caught my eye and winked.

The others came trooping in. In the cabin, it was dark and still cold, but we were sheltered from the wind. Kat immediately took charge of things. We all took off our boots and lined them up on the racks by the door to avoid tracking water and mud through the cabin. Only a weak gray light suffused through the front windows and we needed our headlamps and flashlights as we went about setting up. We shook off our outer layers and hung them over pegs to dry. Kat put Nate in charge of getting a fire going in the wood-burning stove against the back wall. Though he bragged he would get a fire blazing with one match, it took him a few tries to have it crackling. I offered to help, but he waved me off.

The cabin was the pride of the Maybury Mountain Club. Generations of students had cared for it, worked on it, and enjoyed weekends or holidays using it as a getaway from campus life. Its accommodations were Spartan but comfortable. It didn't have electricity, but once the wood stove was lit it warmed up rather pleasantly. Kat had carried up fresh batteries for the lanterns. Soon their pleasant light added to the cozy feeling in the cabin and we turned off our bright LED headlamps. With our outer layers still damp, we were comfortable enough in our wool or synthetic base layers. It was a bit like walking around in your pajamas. I noticed that Melody seemed uncomfortable. As she peeled off her wet clothes, she edged away from the group and pulled a bulky sweater from her bag hastily and covered herself with it.

After the hike, we were all hungry. There was a small kitchen area to one side. Because the cabin had no power or plumbing, the kitchen facilities were limited to a large wooden table and some chairs. Some shelves on the walls held pots and pans for cooking on the wood stove and grilling utensils. In the corner, there was a small pantry that was kept stocked with a limited supply of canned goods and supplies.

We all had some form of backpacker meal planned and we each set about our meal prep. Kat's meals were the most impressive. With just a few dried ingredients that she had pre-measured in little containers, she assembled a tasty-looking vegan stew. I just had a dehydrated store-bought meal. It didn't taste as good as Kat's looked, but it satisfied the hunger and it did have meat in it.

As we sat around the table and ate our food, there was a nervous energy to the conversation. We all realized that the situation we had just come through in the whiteout had been dangerous. While we were in a safe place to ride out the storm, there was every chance that we might be stuck on the mountain for some time until conditions improved. Nothing was going to make it up the fire road that provided the only vehicle access to the site and walking down the road or back down the trail would have to wait at least until the snow stopped.

After lunch, Tyler volunteered to step outside to send a note to the Club's faculty advisor about the situation. There was no cell reception up here, but Tyler's satellite messenger should be able to get a note through. While we did not presently need any assistance, it would be good to let the school know we were safe given the sudden bad weather. I noticed that Erin immediately got up to go with him. While it was common sense that no one should wander outside in the storm alone, she seemed pretty eager to be the one to accompany him. They were gone longer than I thought it should have taken to send a message.

"So," said Kelly, "what are we going to do now that we're snowed in? We were supposed to be hiking all weekend."

"I guess we can read," suggested Melody. She gestured toward the little communal bookshelf in one of the corners of the cabin. Several of us mumbled that was a possibility, but no one seemed particularly excited about reading all weekend except Melody.

Kat was rummaging in the pantry for something. "Ah ha!" she exclaimed. "It's here!" She started to drag a heavy plastic bin out of the pantry.

"What's here?" I asked.

"Well," said Kat triumphantly, "my roommate was up here last week with her Jeep and I asked her to leave some things for me."

"And?"

"And... I might have a way for us to pass the time." We craned our necks to see as Kat popped the lid off the bin. She grinned as she pulled a whiskey bottle out of the bottom and held it by the neck over her head. "Day drinking!"

We laughed, cheered, and clapped ironically as Kat pulled a few more bottles of booze from the bin. There was also wine, a case of beers, and some assorted snacks and junk food. Nate stuck the case of beers on the front porch to chill.

"What's with the stash, Kat?" asked Tyler.

"Well, I knew this was a pack-in weekend, but I thought it might be nice to have some drinks around the cabin in the evening. I didn't feel like lugging everything in my bag, so I planned ahead. I was also expecting a bigger turnout for this trip, but I think it's okay that we have plenty to drink and snack on if we're stuck in all weekend." Kat twisted the lid off the bottle and poured a drink into her small cup.

"I'd say," agreed Kelly as she reached for the whiskey. She poured a little drink into her cup and sipped it neat. "I think that'll warm you up," she said with a grin. I laughed and made a mental note that Kelly seemed like she might be a fun girl to get to know better.

"Actually," said Melody, "alcohol doesn't make you warmer. It might make you feel warmer, but it expands your capillaries, helps more heat escape from your body, and would make you colder."

"Hmm," said Kelly, "I didn't know that. I think I'll settle for feeling warmer for now." She tipped the rest of her whiskey into her mouth. There was a chorus of laughter.

"Here, here!" I said and I picked up the bottle and raised it in salute. I poured myself a whiskey as everyone helped themselves to something to drink.

Melody was the only one who was not getting into the spirit. She hung back from the table and looked confused and uncomfortable at Kat, who was passing out shots. "Aren't you supposed to be the chaperone?" she asked.

Kat snorted. "What chaperone? We're all adults, right?" She looked around for a moment and we all nodded. None of the group was still a minor. "Maybe some of us are underage for drinking, but this is a college group, we're in a safe place, and police are hardly going to raid us on a mountain in a snowstorm. It's fine."

Melody shrugged. "I guess so," she said.

Kat sat her drink down. "Seriously, Mel. I just want everyone to be comfortable and have a good time. Nobody has to drink. Nobody has to do anything they don't want to." For the moment, Kat's usual playful grin was replaced with a serious expression. Laughs aside, I was seeing that Kat was a conscientious leader.

"Okay," said Melody, looking a little less uncomfortable.

"So why don't you come, sit, and have a laugh with us? I think there's a hot chocolate packet somewhere in the box if you prefer."

Melody visibly released the tension in her shoulders as she moved to join us at the table. Nate slid over to make a space.

"What the hell," said Melody, with a sigh and a grin, "I'll have a cup of that red wine." We cheered.

"That's my girl!" said Kat. Tyler rummaged in a drawer and found an opener. The cork popped as he drew it from the bottle and soon the awkward moment was forgotten. The buzz of chatter increased.

Nate leaned over to talk to Melody. "Have you ever had alcohol before?" he asked her.

Melody nodded. "I've had a few beers at parties, or whatever. Just not many and nothing stronger. My family never drinks."

"Well, wine is a bit stronger than frat beer, just keep that in mind. Luckily it usually comes in a smaller serving. Just take it slow and see if you like it."

Melody sipped experimentally. "Not bad," she said with a nod. She smiled at Nate and took another sip. I was surprised at Nate being so nice. My impression was that he was a bit of a loudmouth. Across the table, I noticed Kelly also tracking the exchange between Nate and Melody with some bemusement. We made eye contact and Kelly shrugged. Perhaps there was more to Nate than he showed on the surface.