SATURDAY STORY, FEBRUARY 26, 2022 - ADVENTURE IN GLACIER NATIONAL PARK.

 SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2022, SATURDAY STORY

This is a work of fiction (aimed at juvenile readers)

*****

Emmalee panted as she reached the narrow hanging rope bridge across the chasm at Glacier National Park.  The wolf was close behind her and gaining with every step.  Turning and facing back at the beast, it stopped about 50 yards away and stared back at her.  At least it wasn’t moving for a few seconds and she caught her breath.  

She feared for her life.  She was guessing that Penny had been caught by the wolves and she shuttered thinking about the probable outcome of that.  Penny was her friend and fellow adventurer.   

She and Penny had crossed this rickety bridge two days ago on their way to St. Mary Falls.  They had talked about what it would take to build a bridge like this in the wilderness, carrying the materials at least two miles. And then getting a crew on both sides of the chasm to put it all together. But, they also thought that must have been years ago and the bridge looked like it could collapse at any time.  

Faced between crossing the bridge and staying where she wasn’t a choice.  A wolf 50 yards away could probably cover that distance in a few seconds.  She backed slowly onto the bridge - still facing the wolf.  Maybe the wolf didn’t like the bridge.  Maybe the wolf wouldn’t come onto the bridge.  

Emmalee grabbed the handrail ropes and wrapped her hands around the ropes - just in case the bridge broke she would not fall into the North Fork of the Saint Mary River. Even though it was early August, the water temperature would barely be above freezing since it came from snowmelt.  

The bridge swayed with her weight.  As she stepped backward, a board underneath her right foot cracked.  She worried if the board would hold her as she moved her right foot to another board.  That board seemed to hold her.  Looking at the wolf, he had come to the edge of the bridge - that gap was now only about 10 yards.  He was snarling and his yellow eyes seemed focused on her.  She inched a few more steps backward.

And, then the wolf sprang onto the bridge.  Emmalee knew it would be over quickly and still clutching the hand ropes closed her eyes and prayed.  

*****

Penny had been separated from Emmalees by a trio of wolves.  Penny had scrambled down some rocks to get some awesome shots of St. Mary Falls and Virginia Falls.  Emmalee had been looking at Argillite rocks which have some interesting colors.  Emmalee had been on the main trail and thus headed towards the suspended rope bridge over the chasm, but Penny was on the shore of St. Mary River.  Two of the wolves headed down the river bank towards Penny.  Penny climbed up about 12 feet of the rock wall - just enough to be out of the reach of the wolves.  Her position wasn’t the best but she was safe as the wolves jumped and howled below her.  Both of the women were in great shape but Penny’s calves were starting to ache from standing on the unsteady rocks.

She tried to go higher but wasn’t finding any good cracks and crevices for handholds.  Maybe if she could move laterally just a few feet there might be a way to get higher.  

Moving her left foot she thought she had a way to move but on the second move when she placed her foot on a tiny ledge, the ledge collapsed and only her arm strength kept her from being lunch for the wolves.

She was stuck where she was until the wolves got tired of waiting and moved on - or the rocks gave way and she fell.

*****

The wolf knocked Emmalee down on the bridge and tried to take a bite out of her arm.  But as quickly as it happened, two eagles shot down from the azure blue sky and attacked the wolf.  Their talons clinched on the wolf’s nose and face and both surprised and hurt, the wolf backed off the bridge and out of sight with the eagles chasing him.  

Emmalee’s arm was bleeding but the bite hadn’t gotten too deep.  Weakened from the morning’s hike and from the chase she lay on the bridge for a minute before struggling to her feet.  The bridge groaned as Emmalee fought to find to stand up.  

But, as she stood, maybe the strangest sight of the day stood at the end of the bridge.  It was an old man with a gray beard and hair down his back.  He was dressed in some kind of skin - maybe elk or deerskin.  But his brown eyes were sparkling. 

Emmalee called out “Hello”.

“Be careful”, he called out in a slow deep voice.

Emmalee’s hope expanded as she saw the man.  Holding her arm she slowly tottered off the bridge.  

She reached the man in five minutes half-walking, half-crawling, holding onto the bridge ropes.  She thought the bridge was even more fragile and might fall any second.  

“Hi”, she gasped as she got to the man, “Thank you for saving me.  I’m Emmalee”.

“I’ve been watching you and your partner for the past three days.” said the man.  

That answer shook her - he had been watching them.

“I’m Tobit from the Nez Perce tribe”, he said. “I am part of a small band that lives in these mountains.  

*****

Penny’s strength was ebbing away.  The two wolves at the bottom were sapping her mental health too. “Am I going to be lunch for these two wolves?”.

She was startled by a rope that cascaded just to her left.  Her first irrational thought was “The wolves have learned to climb ropes”.  She did have to laugh at herself for that, but then got serious - how did a rope just appear.  

And, as quietly as the rope and even more shocking was when a man came down the rope.

“Grab hold”, he said.

Was this some headhunter or creepy climber who preys on lost women in Glacier Park?  But, he reached out his arm and grabbed her, and she clutched him and slowly they went up the cliff.  The man kept his feet out to bounce off the rock wall, but he wasn’t climbing - it seemed as if they were being pulled up - and they were.  

Ten long minutes later, Penny stood with three men at the top of the cliff.  The man who had come down introduced himself. “I’m Raptoe from the Nez Perce tribe.  It looks like we just arrived in time.”

The other two men were Ned and Whitten.  And standing behind the men was a beautiful Indian lady with beads in her long flowing black hair.

She stepped forward and said “I am Tawanta of the Nez Perce.  We are happy to rescue you and welcome you to Glacier Park.  Another one of our tribe, Tobit, is helping your friend.  We shall meet up shortly.”

Not knowing what to do, Penny bowed low and said “Thank you for rescuing me”.  

*****

The group of Emmalee and Tobit, and Penny, Ned, Whitten, and Tawanta met up about half an hour later in a glade overlooking Saint Mary Lake.  This seemed like a place that got used frequently as rocks that were just right for sitting were in a semicircle overlooking the lake.  Tawanta, Ned, and Whitten had backpacks that they opened with a variety of foods - venison, lake trout, watercress, and crystal clear water to drink. 

Tobit seemed to be the leader and talked in a halting manner.  The Nez Perce had been a peaceful native tribe but the United States kept moving them away into less desirable areas.  The great tribal leader, Joseph, led the last major Indian conflict in the United States. (Tobit indicated that Joseph was his grandfather).  In the 1960s an agreement between the Department of the Interior and the Nez Perce was that the tribe could occupy land in northern Montana and into Idaho.  Many of the tribe went to college and were well educated and occupied responsible positions.  But others, like this group, retained their traditional ways.  Tobit and this group were actually park rangers and since this was their territory made much better park rangers than those hired from other areas.  When Tobit had indicated to Emmalee that they had been watching them, it was as officials of this beautiful national park.  They also watched the animals and knew that the wolves were close to the two women.  

For the next week, Ned and Tobit became Emmalee and Penny’s personal guides to some of the most remote parts of the United States and Glacier National Park.

And, to Emmalee and Penny’s greatest surprise, their guides led them to a very secluded valley where several families of Bigfoot still lived.  The guides convinced the women not to bring cameras otherwise hordes of adventure seekers would descend on the area in search of Bigfoot.  

On their last day in the park, Tobit and Ned took Emmalee and Penny to meet the leader of the bigfoot group.  It was an awesome time for the women.  

*****

End of story.  I wanted to go farther but have spent too long getting this far.  Maybe this can become a juvenile book someday with more excitement and features.

Pollyanna Karen says “LOVE WINS”

February 26, 2022