other, looking at the ground, keep going, think of cool water, happy thoughts, and crap! This was not easy.
I was walking and watching the ground so intently that I almost walked into a post. Startled I looked up and to my disbelief there an old decrepit shack in front of me! How did I not see this place from further away? I started to wonder if maybe I had been by my truck, but in my trance-like walking I walked right past it. That would be my luck I thought, what a joker! I may be my own worst enemy out here because I can’t keep it together enough to see what’s in front of me! I walked around the shack, and checked for signs of people, or tracks from a vehicle or anything that would indicate someone was around. I found nothing. I tried the door, and to my surprise it was open, so I cautiously went inside. “Hello? Anybody here” I yelled. No answer, so I decided no one had been here for a while, and I started looking around for something to eat or drink. There was a cot in the corner, and a small wood stove complete with some firewood, and matches! There were pots and pans hanging on the wall next to a dry sink, some cabinets above the sink, and what looked like an old ice box next to that. I started checking inside cabinets, and I found some canned beans, soup, canned vegetables, and a first aid kit! In the ice box were bottles of water! “Jackpot” I thought, someone must come here occasionally and stock this place with supplies, maybe for a secluded vacation or something. I didn’t concern myself with why, I was just happy that they did it!
After drinking some water I felt much better, so I decided it would be best to make another inspection of the area around the shack. I didn’t want to surprise anyone that may have been staying here, who just happened to be out and about. I also didn’t really trust my state of mind when I first got there, after all, I didn’t see the shack until almost walking into it, so it would stand to reason I could miss footprints and such. I went back out into the blazing afternoon sun, I looked closely at the ground, and all around, but there were definitely no signs of anybody being in the area for at least a little while. There was an outhouse, and a small junk pile alongside a lean-to structure which had some extra wood in it. I decided I would see about getting some chow in my belly, and maybe getting some rest before starting back out on my newly rejuvenated quest of getting home. Back inside the shack there was some reprieve from the sun, but it was still pretty darn hot, so I opted out on the fire, and ate a cold can of beans. I drank another two bottles of water, shook out the blankets on the cot, and lay down. The heat didn’t keep me from dozing off, and I’m not sure how long I slept but when I woke it was night again, and this time I enjoyed the cooling temperatures inside the shack. I had no light so I rolled over and went back to sleep.
I woke up a little refreshed especially since I hadn’t really slept in almost two days, the burning on my neck, lips, and ears was pretty intense, so I checked the first aid kit and found some burn ointment which helped cool the fire. I had left my sunscreen in my truck, along with my phone, and I left my GPS in my hotel room, I reasoned I wouldn’t need the GPS, and when I arrived at my desert destination I didn’t have a signal on my phone anyway. I never thought about maybe getting lost, wanting to know the time, or needing to know were the hell I was at! My plan was to go in a circle around my truck, not wander off into the abyss. I couldn’t help thinking “who was the dumb ass again?” This thought was entering my brain a lot in the last couple days. It was kind of funny though, if you think about it, when I wanted to go in a circle I went straight, and when I thought I was going straight I went in a big circle! What a royal bonehead I turned out to be.
I suppose leaving an idea of my planned activities, and the area I was going to would have been a good idea, especially since that’s rule number one, but who thinks they are going to get lost? I didn’t know anyone in town anyway, I was only going a little ways, besides, that was for other people, and I wasn’t going to get lost. I had all kinds of excuses for not doing the one thing that might have saved me. Hindsight is always 20/20, and this time for me it was razor sharp, I could have done a couple very simple things to not be in this spot right now, but here I was.
I had an agreement with my wife that I would call at the end of each day to give her an update on my progress, and fill her in on any interesting things that may have happened during the day. I had missed making the calls for three days, and tonight would be four. Now I suspect my wife might figure I would be tired, and maybe fall asleep the first night, but not the second, and definitely not the third, so I am sure she would have made a few inquiries, and a rescue (or recovery) effort should be underway by now. The only problem was I didn’t tell my wife what part of the desert I had planned to start my adventure in, and it’s a big desert, as I have found out. There was that voice again “dumb ass”.
I was kind of struggling with the idea of leaving the shack today, or staying a while to see if anyone comes by to get me out of here. I had water and food here, and I was safe from the sun during the day and the cold at night, as well as any wild animals that may be around. Logic would say stay put, and wait, besides I was sure my wife would have people out looking for me, and if they found this shack they would find me. I decided to hang out for a day or two and see what happened. Looking around outside I found enough rocks and sticks and things to write “HELP” on the ground, in case anyone flew over. I checked the morning sun to determine my direction, and decided to go south if I wasn’t found in the next day or two. I reasoned by going south I would eventually find the interstate, and then I could get back to Kingman. For the first time in the last few days I was feeling really good about things, I had renewed hope, I went back inside, and waited. Looking around I found some paper and a pencil, so I decided to write down my thoughts, to pass the time. My thoughts kept saying “dumb ass, dumb ass, dumb ass”, I just wrote down my name and address, along with a list of items I had used, so I could pay back the owner of the shack, if I survived. I sat and waited.
After I pulled out of the driveway my wife settled into what she thought was going to be two weeks of relaxation, reading, and quiet reflection. At first she was right, and I was also right, one missed call, O.K. two missed calls, not so much, she was upset thinking I was being kind of irresponsible but knowing me, gave a little leeway, besides she would take care of that little oversight on my part when we did talk. By the morning of the third day as I suspected my wife started calling my cell phone, and receiving no answer, started calling my hotel, and the local constabulary. The local authorities reassured my wife they would do everything possible to locate me, and told her she should stay calm, they would be in touch. My wife is not a stay calm, sit around type, so consequently immediately after hanging up with the Kingman P.D. she booked a trip to Kingman. Not being thrilled about flying she was thinking about kicking my butt when she found me, and if I was dead…well, she would just concentrate on kicking my butt. She bravely passed through security, boarded the plane, and said a prayer for deliverance, both hers and mine.
After what turned out to be an uneventful flight, my wife rented a car, found her way to my hotel, and got the key to my room. She searched my things, I had a few copies of the area maps, and she found one I had stashed in my suitcase with my potential prospecting sights; There were several marked, but no indication which one I might go to first. Oh well she thought, at least there was something, and she then left to find the police department.
The police turned out to be little help, “ma’am we don’t know if your husband is lost on purpose or not” said the cop at the desk. “We can’t just send out a search party every time some full grown adult man doesn’t call home you know”. My wife lodged very loud complaints about my faithfulness, and how I would not miss calling her. The cop at the desk held his ground, and assured her if I did not show within the next day or two they would organize a search. My wife reiterated that she had called the day before, and this was now four days without word, finally the cop said he would tell his chief and have him call her at the hotel. There simply was nothing else he could do for her. Fum
ing mad she left the police department, returned to the hotel to await a phone call, all the while contemplating getting a lawyer involved to expedite a search. Sitting around the hotel room was torture for her, she was afraid to leave and miss a call, but she felt helpless just sitting there.
Several hours passed before the phone rang, it was the police chief, he apologized saying the desk officer wasn’t aware of the situation, and the search party was being organized. Since her call the previous day the police department had asked around at the hotel, and the nearby restaurants and gas stations, some people said they remembered seeing a truck like mine heading north out of town. Based on that information the search party decided they would go north first thing in the morning, and start looking for my vehicle, and me. The search party had an airplane scheduled to do a search pattern covering a few hundred miles north by northwest of Kingman, and they invited my wife to fly along with, mostly I assume to keep her occupied.