James Ashton –Uinta Mountains, Utah
James was scaling the wall of a cliff with a 200 foot drop. He was climbing up the side of the mountain with great ease, though he had no climbing gear, no shoes and no shirt. In fact all he had on was a pair of shorts and a waste pack with a couple water bottles, a knife, some flint, steel and wool, and a thick beard that obviously hadn't been shaved for months.
James had lived up in the Uintas for nearly two years. Most people might find it odd, but James felt more comfortable and safer living up in the mountains by himself, climbing cliffs with no gear, than he did living in a big city like New York where he grew up.
Within only a couple minutes James had reached the top of the cliff. He pulled himself up and stood up looking back down the cliff he had just climbed. After about a minute he found what he was looking for, a stream of water. Normally, he didn't have to search out for water streams; he had lived in the mountains long enough and set up a home of sorts, knowing where water could be found. However, James was looking for a new place to live. He no longer felt safe living in what he had considered "home" for the past year, and so had decided to move on, looking for a new "home" only three days earlier.
Rafael de Souza – São Paulo, Brazil
Rafael had been sitting on an uncomfortable bed with a thin mattress for hours. It was already beginning to get dark outside and started to rain pretty hard. The kidnapper in the room that was watching over him hadn't said a word the whole time, not even when the power went out because of the storm. It was pitch black, except for periodically when a flash of lightning offered a brief glimpse of the room. But soon even the lightning stopped and the only sound to be heard was the light patter of the rain outside. Rafael strained his eyes trying to make out anything. After a minute or so things began to come into focus.
Rafael could see the kidnapper on the other side of the room staring at the bed he was sitting on. However, Rafael noticed he wasn't looking directly at him, just in the general direction. Slowly, Rafael began to climb out of the bed, as quietly as possible, while still watching the kidnapper. The kidnapper's eyes didn't follow his movement; they just continued staring at the bed.
Carefully, Rafael made his way over towards the door. He started opening the door, but it creaked. "Quem tá aí?" Who is that? the kidnapper shouted, standing up and walking towards the bed.
Mark Smith –Sandy, Utah
Mark was driving his 1990 4runner north on I-15, about 20 minutes away from Salt Lake City. He pulled out his cell phone and began dialing David's number. He knew David would be upset at first, but that he would calm down once he realized they were going up in the mountains. "Hello," David answered, not sounding very happy.
"Hey Dave," Mark replied. "We've got an assignment up your way."
"I thought I wasn't supposed to get any assignments on Tuesdays," David cut in. Mark could tell he was upset, but that he had already resigned himself to help out.
"Don't be too upset, I think you'll enjoy this job," Mark said a little too cheerfully for David's mood. "We're going to be going up into the mountains, the Uintas to be precise."
"Ok, Ok. Just don't get too used to asking me for help on my days off. When will you be here."
Mark laughed, hearing in David's tone that he was actually excited to be working this day. "I'll be there in about 15 minutes."
"What's the job, another bag and tag? In the Uintas?"
"Yep. It's a guy we tried bagging a couple years ago in New York. We lost him, though and he's been off the grid since then. He's a wall climber, and reappeared just three days ago. Saved the life of a hiker who had fallen down into a canyon."
Alex Johnson –Uinta Mountains, Utah
Alex got out of his SUV and closed the door. He opened the back door and grabbed his hiking boots, a backpack full of climbing gear, binoculars, a few small weapons, and a sniper rifle. He attached the rifle onto his backpack, put his boots and backpack on, shut the door, and started walking towards the location the news had reported a hiker's life had been saved three days prior.