The Chase, page 17
Anger seeped into Tanya. “Damn those SOB’s. We have to try even it does look impossible.”
“We haven’t many choices. I don’t want to just sit here,” Julie said. “We need to get moving. At least the sun is out. It should help melt the snow. I’m so cold if I don’t do something, I won’t be able to walk.”
“And Rebecca? Where is she?”
“She changed her mind and thinks we can kill those men in the gully, our only hope. At least, we have a chance,” Julie said. “She’s started around the lake. I’ll take the pack.”
“What? I thought she wanted to stay where we were and confront those men.”
“Leaving it to us? I don’t think so.” Julie picked up the pack.
Tanya got to her feet and helped Julie slip her arms through the straps. “I think we should trade often, especially if you’re as weary as I am.”
Julie shook her head and stepped from the protection of the boulder. Tanya followed as Julie teetered from one flat slab of granite to another. The shadow retreated down the face of the snowfield as the sun climbed, turning the snow a vivid shade of orange. She would be grateful to leave the shade and walk into the sun. Her hands were cold, and she stuck them into the pockets of her jacket.
Rebecca plodded ahead. Tanya watched her wobble uncertainly as she made her way around the shoreline. At least she was moving without protesting every decision Tanya had made so far. Tanya pulled her hand out of her pocket and pushed against a large boulder for balance. Her breath came in short gasps. She had not found her second wind or her natural pace, and she began varying steps in an effort to synchronize the two. Her mind cleared. As hopeless as she felt about their situation, she realized she had to make every effort to survive.
Ahead of her, Rebecca paused to rest. Tanya caught up with Julie.
“Rebecca’s doing better,” Julie said between breaths.
“Thank God. I don’t have it in me to deal with her protests today. I’ll take the pack at the end of the lake. I’ve a feeling we’re going to make slow progress up the gully. Let’s hope you’re right, and we can crawl behind that blockage.”
“We haven’t any choice.”
“With the equipment we’ve got, we can’t climb over the face without risk.” Tanya paused long enough to glance at the huge boulder blocking the narrow part of the couloir.
“If that rock hadn’t broken off when it did, we could have been crushed.” Julie shuddered. “I sure don’t like crossing below that boulder. If another slab breaks lose, we’re dead.”
“Yeah. Our situation is hopeless. Rebecca’s right. We may need to make a stand in the gully. If so, I want to be above those men. At least we have a better chance.” Tanya squinted her eyes and searched the slab. “It looks bad.”
“It’s a powerful reminder that mountain environments are turbulent places. It makes me feel insignificant, like I’m no more than an insect,” Julie said.
“Most of the time, I don’t even think about rock slides.” Tanya passed Julie, stepped on a loose rock, then moved forward to a second rock before falling. Julie offered to help her stand but she got up and propelled herself across a series of boulders sticking out of the water, and onto a small, wet, grassy patch of ground.
The snow melted under the sun. Small rivulets ran between the rocks toward the lake. A line of snow ran from the bottom of the gully to the top, broken only by the boulder caught in the neck that sent a warning through her mind. They would not only contend with slippery loose rocks but snow as well.
Above her, the serrated edges of the ridgeline were scarred by creases of snow, posing a dangerous threat to Tanya. She would soon be gambling her life climbing to that ridge. A surge of anxiety grabbed her, and she felt trapped. She should not be here. Damn those bastards for invading her privacy, her security, her space. She had to face her fear, her anxiety, put it behind her, and concentrate on getting over the small saddle. Then she could go for help and see those men brought to justice for what they had done. She would know who they were and what they had done with Cindy.
Tanya began counting steps. Concentrating on numbers erased all other thoughts from her mind. She felt herself transferring her worries to outside her being. Words of anger were exchanged with numbers as she traced the route to the fan at the base of the gully and imagined the position of the boulder. One step at a time, she thought. Cross bridges when you come to them not before. She counted twenty steps, paused briefly to look at the slab, and resumed counting.
The sun exposed the mountain, and she felt its warmth for the first time. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw wisps of fog attempting to crawl upward. They were immediately devoured by the sun. A small blast of wind hit her and then disappeared, the only warning in what appeared to be the start of a fine day. White, heavy clouds gathered at the top of the Col undermining the sun.
“I’ve been studying the couloir,” Rebecca said when Tanya came up beside her. “Could be just like Julie said. We can climb in back of that boulder. Might provide us a good stand to shove those men down the gully one by one.”
“Yes,” Tanya agreed not wanting to argue. “Just before topping out, I recall a small ledge about three feet wide with a ten-foot granite cliff in back. We might be able to position ourselves there. The one thing that does concern me, however, is that pistol shot we heard. If those men have a gun, they can pick us off faster than we can push. We may need to keep moving.”
“You know they want us dead. We can identify them and what they’ve done. They’ll have a trial and get off with a few years in prison. I want them dead even if it means I’ll end up dead, too.” Rebecca’s words came out in a harsh snarl.
Tanya shrugged, ignoring Rebecca’s comments.
When Julie joined them, Tanya gestured to her to remove the pack. Julie shook it loose and dropped it at her feet.
“We really haven’t time to sit, but we need a rest,” Tanya said. “We’re moving way too slow.”
“Look who’s talking. Where you been?” Rebecca asked.
“I had to stop behind a rock. Takes forever to relieve myself when I’m loaded down with a pack.” Julie tipped her water bottle to her lips and drank. “Give me the fanny pack.”
Tanya handed it to her, stood, and hoisted the pack over her shoulders. “You’re right. We got to keep climbing. I’ll take the lead from you, Rebecca.” She surprised herself. Her despondency disappeared, and she wanted to beat the odds against them and get around the slab. Her mood improved. She thrust her fist defiantly at the couloir. “Let’s go for it.” She resumed counting her steps. One, two, three.
The stillness of the air, the quietude of the cirque, measuring her steps, soothed Tanya’s mind and the periodic anxiety attacks she experienced all morning. Life might be disorderly and the world a madhouse, but there was an end to their present situation. She just had to control her thoughts.
Turning off the caution and warning lights of the danger ahead, she took her first step to the fan of loose rock and scree at the base of the couloir. The numbers changed to words and thoughts. It occurred to her, the men pursuing them might not have the skills needed to ascend the ravine. She hoped they would slip and fall. The thought gave her a feeling of satisfaction.
“I’d like us to stay close together,” Tanya called to Julie and Rebecca.
Rebecca trudged uphill followed by Julie. Tanya slowed her pace, stopped frequently to study the route, watch for hazards, and evaluate the barriers they might encounter. The rubble from the gully had spread out in fan-shaped cones, and the sun had dried the rock. She watched for lichen-covered slabs to support her weight, ready to leap away if a rock moved underfoot.
Now and again, she came to an upended pile of large rounded boulders and had to backtrack to find a way around. At the entrance to the couloir, she removed her pack and rubbed her shoulders. Julie caught up to her and the three studied the route.
Insecure rotten rock, filled the gully. Standing at the entrance they heard a small avalanche of gravel slide downward, a potential risk for them, and they had no protective gear. It was steep, wider where they stood, narrow at the blockage. The sides of the couloir were smooth and rose on each side one hundred feet or more with few protrusions visible to hang onto as they climbed. Rime ice adhered to a vertical overhanging cliff to their right just below the slab adding to their danger.
“I hate that stuff,” Julie said.
A smooth fifteen-foot granite outcropping sloped backward to the beginning of the gully. Below, they had to cross at least thirty feet of loose melon-shaped rock
“Maybe it would be easier to follow the edge of the snowfield,” Rebecca suggested.
“No way. We don’t have ice axes or crampons. We couldn’t keep our footing. This is the way we have to go,” Julie said.
“It’s going to be hell, but it’s the best way,” Tanya said. “Take a drink. We’ve got to stay close together. I’m sure we’ll be setting off rocks. If we’re together, the rock won’t have gained enough momentum to hurt anyone.”
The couloir was scared by bands of schist and gneiss, and elongated cracks or joints. They could not see beyond the boulder that choked the route to the saddle, but had a clear picture in their minds of the hourglass shape of the couloir.
“So are we ready?” Tanya asked. She replaced the cap on her water bottle and stuffed it into the pack.
“Want me to carry that?” Rebecca offered.
“I’m doing okay. I’ll take it to the boulder.”
Tanya climbed putting her weight onto each rock with care, ready to change feet quickly if the scree moved. The loose gravel and rock soon turned the climb into slow-motion torment and Tanya was certain she slid back one step for every two she took forward. Her hands became claws as she struggled to hang on to the miserable rolling rock. In places, thin, ball-bearing-sized pebbles ran downhill in a clattering shower of noise upsetting her balance. Even the few larger rocks offered no security. Tanya accidentally stepped on one and sent it bouncing downhill.
“Rock,” she called.
Julie had time to jump aside and Rebecca angled her body away from the small boulder as it rolled past her.
“I hate this, and it scares the hell out of me,” Rebecca said. She stepped forward and a rock skidded from under her weight, throwing her face down.
“Oh my God! You okay?” Julie crouched next to Rebecca.
“Think so.” She turned and sat upright, holding onto Julie as she brushed the gravel from the palms on her pant leg. “Just have some skin abrasions. I’ll be okay.”
Tanya retraced her steps to stand next to Rebecca. “Are you hurt?”
“No. Give me a hand up. I’m okay.”
“This is terrible,” Julie said.
Once more in a standing position, Rebecca scanned the slope ahead of them. “We’re almost to that cliff. That’s not going to be any easier than this. You two should go on without me. I’m just holding you back. I can wedge myself behind a boulder so those bastards can’t get at me.”
“They’ve got a gun,” Julie said.
“We stay together. No way are we leaving you behind. And, that cliff has enough angle to it, we can friction climb it,” Tanya said.
“That’s easy for you to say,” Rebecca said.
The snow melted and the sun dried open spaces. Frowning, Tanya stared across the boulder-strewn slope to the granite cliff. The closer she came the less threatening it appeared. Crawling on hands and feet, jabbing each foot into the scree as hard as she could, she picked her way across the jumble of jagged rocks. Julie and Rebecca fell behind her as they crept up the ravine. Tanya paused to wait. She looked at her watch at the base of the cliff, and realized it had taken them over an hour and a half to reach the gully and climb toward the slab.
Julie stood next to Tanya. Shading her eyes, Julie studied the flat boulder wedged between the walls of the gully. “That looks like a piece of cake compared to what we’ve just come over. I’ll go first.”
She stepped forward with her weight over the ball of her foot and bent at the waist to touch the rock with her hand. The slab moved and grated against the protrusions securing it between the walls of the neck. Julie moved away from it. She lost her balance. Tanya caught her before she toppled backward down the slope.
“This isn’t safe,” Julie stuttered. “What will we do now?”
“You have to keep moving. In spite of the movement of that boulder, I don’t think it’s going anywhere soon. I’ll come last.” Tanya took a deep breath and crossed her fingers. “You follow, Rebecca. And take small steps like Julie.”
“Yeah.” Rebecca glanced at Tanya. “A piece of cake. You go next.”
“I’m not arguing with you, damn it. Move.” Tanya pushed Rebecca.
Tanya followed and prodded Rebecca forward each time she hesitated. Smearing the sole of her boot on the surface with each step, gave Tanya a small sense of security.
“This entrance is narrower than it looked from below.” Julie balanced on loose rock and pressed her hand against the side of the solid granite to her left.
“I’ll give it a go.” Tanya wedged her hand into a crack in the cliff and pulled herself up one body length. She scoured the granite face for another reachable joint and grabbed the edge with her fingers. Offering enough stability, she moved her foot up the loose rock. The couloir widened and she reverted to a crawl. Small rocks continually showered Julie and Rebecca.
Her fingernails filled with dirt and the ball-bearing rubble denied lasting firm footing. She glanced at her watch discouraged by the amount of time it was taking to reach the boulder. When she did reach the obstruction, Tanya hunkered down, then flattened herself on the scree, and looked behind the rock.
The huge rock had caught on two small granite protrusions. She stood and pushed her hand against the downward side. The rock teetered. She turned her head in the direction of Rebecca and Julie, but didn’t yell, afraid the vibration of her voice would send the boulder forward. There was room to crawl under it, but it was risky. Fear flooded through her. If the boulder moved, it could roll and kill them.
Julie and Rebecca clawed to her, sank to their knees, and looked under the rock.
“Don’t touch it,” Tanya ordered. “It’s not secure.”
“Not only that, but I spotted an unstable boulder about the size of a truck above us,” Julie said, worry written across her face. “It must have broken loose during the slide and is resting on a narrow platform.”
“So now what?” Rebecca asked. She braced herself against the side of the couloir.
“I think we can belly crawl one at a time under this slab, but we can’t do it with packs.”
Julie and Rebecca secured their feet as well as they could.
“Can you get the pack off without falling,” Julie asked.
“If I’m careful. I’m going to carry the rope. When I get underneath the rock, I’ll drop one end of the rope down to you. Tie the pack to the haul strap and I’ll pull it through. Do the same with the fanny pack. If there’s room, I’ll position myself to one side. I might be able to give each of you a hand.”
Tanya struggled out of the straps and braced the pack against the granite wall until Julie could hold it in place with her knees. She coiled the rope around one shoulder and under the other. Crouching down, she looked under the boulder and the small granite protrusions on each side of the neck.
Tanya said, “I’m going to scoot through on my back. It’s the wrong way to do it, but that way I can make certain I don’t touch the damn thing.”
“I could go first,” Julie said. “I’m the smallest.”
“No. I’m ready,” Tanya said.
She grabbed one side of the cliff for support and rolled onto her back. With both hands, she pushed against the rubble and inched herself upward. Small sharp pellets ground into her back. Others rolled downhill. Once under the rock, she braced her feet against each side of the wall and pushed forward, using her hands to find holds for stabilizing herself. Slowly she inched her way through the blockage. Her shoulder hit the underside of the slab.
The rock wavered and grated against the granite holding it in place. Terror flooded her mind. She scooted upward with quick jerky movements. Near the top of the slab, the opening narrowed. Tanya flattened her body and propelled herself upward with short movements. When she reached the end, she scooted above the slab, sat up, and took several deep breaths. Although the couloir was still extremely steep, she sat on a small patch of brown vegetation.
“I’ve made it,” she called in a soft voice.
“Send the rope. I’ll secure the pack so you can pull it up. Then Rebecca can come next. We haven’t got any time to waste. I can see the men down by the lake,” Julie said.
“Oh no.” Tanya brushed the sand and gravel from her hands, planted her feet, and stood using the granite wall to stabilize herself. Uncoiling the rope, she ran the rope around her waist and fed the rope through the opening.
“I’m using my waist in a sort of belay. I’ll pull the packs through. We can’t afford to lose anything,” she called. “Rope.” While she waited, she looked at the route above them. The course was covered with snow, but the sun had touched the south side highlighting the gendarmes above the couloir.
Near the top, she made out a steep, smooth face, a buttress they would have to climb, and she groaned inwardly. The wind was still in the gully and white wisps of snow spiraled off a horn to the south and the ridgeline to the north. Threatening snow clouds built to the west.
