Into the Woods

 by Sharon Kitchens

An all-too-believable tale, you head down a trail that begins just outside the delightful downtown of a small isolated mountain town. The man at the pretty historic inn’s front desk says cell service is nonexistent until you reach the top of the mountain. That’s no cause for concern. What could possibly happen. It is an early summer day the sun is shining and you’re away for the weekend. Everything back home can wait. Your only item on today’s to do list – check out that cute looking tavern next to the post office.

The seven-mile point-to-point trail weaves through dense forest across swampy ponds growing darker the further into the woods you get - but with the promise of sweeping overlooks just ahead. You pause after an hour, dig a granola bar out your pack and a bottle of water. And then something goes horribly wrong. 

 

We’ve all read the headlines – lost hiker found safe in woods. It’s not that uncommon for people to become lost while hiking. According to the Sierra Club, an organization that knows a bit about recreating in the outdoors, approximately 600,000 people go missing every year in the United States. Many while exploring America’s wilds. Most are found alive. 

Having just completed a story on search and rescue in New Hampshire’s White Mountain National Forest, I can tell you that some folks who go missing are children who wander out of their back yard, and some are adults who suffer from Alzheimer’s.  This in no way discounts the severity of their situation. Adults in great physical shape are just as capable of wandering off the path to relieve themselves and getting turned around = why it’s super important you always take your pack with you. Never leave it on/by the trail. 

 

Then there are people who get hurt in the woods. Twisting an ankle during a decline on a rocky path. This can happen to an experienced outdoor enthusiast just the same as a hiking novice. Or while taking a photo the person falls into the falls or off a cliff (both sad and true). The most common injuries from outdoor recreation range from blisters and bug bites to dehydration and hypothermia. However, millions of Americans go into the woods every year and have a perfectly wonderful day. 

 

They don’t get murdered or taken hostage or anything violent like that. But then, some do.

Ah yes, those flawed characters who hold their (often terrible) secrets tight who haven’t told anyone where they are going, who didn’t bring a compass or map or even a headlamp, whose underlying motivations only their creator knows. And by creator, I mean author – Jane Harper (Force of Nature), Megan Miranda (The Last to Vanish), Chevy Stevens (Dark Roads), Lisa Gardner (One Step Too Far), and Sara Blaedel (The Forgotten Girls). These talented women have written some of my favorite crime fiction page-turners. These storytellers know how to scare the living daylights out of you while all the while giving you hope.  

 

No plans to go into the woods anytime soon? Well, then these books are perfect for porch sitting and late night under the covers reading. Have a solo hike lined up in the next few days, well maybe hold off till afterwards. 

And remember when you do hiking – ALWAYS tell someone reliable who is not going hiking with you where you are going and when you plan to be home/back in the parking lot. Check the weather forecast the day before and morning of and trail conditions (I use AllTrails.com) Finally, be sure to pack the essentials. 

 

Mother Nature can get pretty scary when she wants to, so be prepared and above all respect her!