-The Full Moon Retreat-
Episode: The First Search and Rescue Mission
Chapter 11:
Weathering the storm...
To the reader:
Thank you to those that have been following this fanciful tale. A special thank you to those that taken the time to rate it and comment. I have learned much with your feedback to guide me.
So, chapter 11... We've learned that the Dawsons are on their way to 'fur-dom'. God, I love a happy ending! But, when was the last time in your life that you rode your easy-chair around the last turn and shot straight across the finish-line? Yeah, me neither. I usually carom off of the wall, a couple of times; dig a few divots in the infield and skid across the finish line upside-down, spinning and on fire! Well, it's better than looking like a total fool and not finishing. What could possibly go wrong?
Thanks to my wife, Diane for a quick proofread.
[11:00, Thursday, the campsite]
The weather remains dreary. The valley is shrouded in a cold, heavy mist and light rainfall continues. A steady train of mud splattered wolves, packing in supplies has been slogging into camp since a couple hours after daybreak. An untold number of huge paws have trod the path between base camp and the campsite, turning it into a slick, muddy rut. The Dawsons still sleep fitfully, constantly tended by one of the medics. George decides that enough supplies and equipment have arrived to start getting the camp reorganized for their long wait for the Dawsons to change. He starts giving instructions to the wolves in camp.
"Ken, get some help and move the Dawson's cots down to this end of the shelter. We'll start setting up tents on this end then we'll move them all into one."
"Ok, everyone, let's modify our shelter. When we put it up, yesterday, all we had to work with was a bunch of the ten foot squares of orange, waterproof parachute cloth. We ended up with a giant, waterproof, orange soccer goal, forty foot long, ten foot high, and ten foot deep, with one side and both ends closed. That has worked out pretty well, except that it proved to be a little shallow when the wind would blow the rain in under it. Now, we have eight new nylon tents. The instructions, packed with them, say that they have ten-foot by ten-foot footprint. So, the idea will be to take out our back wall and both end walls and rearrange the cloth so that we have a twenty-foot by fifty-foot top canopy. We'll set the tents up in a 'U' shape with four tents across the back. Arrange those tents so that their fronts are under the canopy by two feet. That will keep their doors in out of the rain. Then set up two tents on either end, facing in. Butt all of the tents up against one another, as close as possible. The tents will become our back and end walls. Be sure to stake the tents down extra well... What we should have then is eight tents, all with their doors protected from the rain by the top canopy and an eighteen by forty foot covered area. We'll have to keep the fires outside of the canopy unless someone can think of a way to prevent them from burning the top canopy."
[12:30, Thursday, the campsite]
The re-arrangement of the campsite is complete. The living area is reasonably dry and snug. There is enough tent space for everyone to sleep on a cot with warm bedding if they choose. George now proceeds to give instructions on organizing people and supplies.
"Ok, the setup looks good, now lets put the supplies in the two tents that are on the ends of the 'U's legs. Those are the most exposed, but the supplies won't complain. Someone start setting up cots in the tents. Put the Dawsons in one of the corner tents. I think that we can use one cot for both children. They're small enough. If there are any of you that would prefer to puppy-pile then we can leave the cots out of the number of tents that are appropriate. Ken, you and your compatriots can start tending the Dawsons. There is supposed to be 'D5W' and 'normal saline' IV drips in this stuff, somewhere. They probably need it, especially Suzy Dawson. When this stuff is all settled...we have some cookware. We need to check to see if we have everything that we need, but if so, then does anyone want to go out hunting. Venison or rabbit stew would beat the hell out of another MRE! I hope that there are coffee and tea in there too."
[18:15, Thursday, the campsite]
Suspended above a low campfire, under a wooden tripod, simmers a large pot of rabbit stew, to the left a coffee pot ensconced in coals, an aluminum 'Dutch oven', with biscuits rising, on the right. The encampment had taken on a livable air, in spite of the miserable weather. Immediate chores complete, the crew stood and sat around looking, every bit, the picture of 'hungry wolves.' In their tent, the Dawsons, well into their fitful hibernation, were fed from plastic IV drips. The camp was placid and quiet for the first time. The wait had begun.
[18:30, Thursday, base camp, the operations room]
Berry Thornton is giving Jack bad news that he has just received from the weather forecast office.
"Well, Berry, do they, at least, give a guess as to when it'll get here?"
"All that they will say, Jack, is late Friday night to the early hours of Saturday morning."
"Great! That's all we need a big storm rolling through. Did they say how long it might last?"
"The guys at the National Weather Service said that the frontal passage will be violent with high winds, heavy rain and a lot of lightning. They said that the front is starting to stall out, so, it will be moving slowly, and the most intense part might last several hours in this area, and then give way to a steady, heavy rain. They expect that the rainfall rate could be as much as an inch and a half per hour and might continue into Saturday night."
"Damn it! Did they predict frogs and locust, too?!"
"Well, there is no way to get those people out of there. I can, and I will warn them, of course. It sounds like we have most of Friday to send them anything that we are going to. With that much rain, they're not going to be able to keep a fire going. I can send them more MREs, but they need heat, too. I wonder how far they are from that stream. That stream drains the whole valley. It could get fast and deep, in a hurry. I wonder how important it will be to save that plane wreckage. It's sitting right in the stream."
"Berry, do you have contacts with the NTSB?"
"Yes, but, it's, just a phone number, Jack."
"Would you get in touch with them, and ask if they will want to see this plane. The crash site is going to be washed away, but I am going to hire a helicopter to retrieve my equipment when the weather clears and I want to bring the plane out as well. I'm wondering if we'll be able to keep the plane from being washed away."
"Of course, Jack. I'll go call them."
"Thanks, Berry. I really appreciate all of your help. All of these agencies and people don't know me from Adam and probably wouldn't give me the time of day."
"Now, I had better raise George on the radio and tell him the good news."
Jack pulls the radio from his belt and calls George.
"Base camp to unit '41"
"This is '41'. Go ahead Alpha."
"George, you are going to just love this news. The weather bureau is forecasting a strong front to move through, Friday night. That's tomorrow night. Possible high winds, intense lightning, but the real kicker is an inch and a half per hour rainfall sustained through Saturday. George, That stream the plane is sitting in, drains the entire valley. At an inch and a half per hour, my worst case estimation is that thirty-three point-two-million cubic feet of water per hour will be running through that streambed. Is the camp far enough from the stream that it's safe?"
"Gawd, I don't know. We're maybe a hundred feet back from the lake, but barely a foot above it."
"Ok, George. First priority; make sure that the camp is safe from high water. It will be fast moving, too. Second priority; do what you can to withstand the high winds. Third priority; see if you can anchor that plane to some trees so that it won't wash away. Fourth priority; heat. I don't imagine that you are going to be able to keep a fire going in that rain. I am going to try to get some propane camping heaters to you. Fifth priority; food. I am going to send down some more MREs, but I am also going to try to get several propane backpack stoves to you. Now, is there anything else that you can think of that you need?"
"Alpha, there isn't much that we don't need, but in the end, we will get by with whatever we have, when we can't get any more."
[18:45, Thursday, the campsite]
