CHAPTER 4

"So, Laura tells me you're all going into town today," Matt asked as he joined the Skinners outside the next morning.

"Actually, Matt, would you mind if I tagged along with you today?" Bubba asked. "I'd love to see what it is you do."

Matt smiled. "As long as you don't mind the cold," he replied. "You ever driven a snowmobile?"

"Can't say that I have," Bubba asked, having second thoughts about hanging out with Matt.

"Have you driven motorcycles or dirt bikes?"

"Now that, I have done!"

"Same principle. I'll give you a quick lesson before we head down to the station."

Bubba nodded, smiling at the chance to learn something new.

"Okay, then," Laura said, turning to her dad and brother. "Guess it's just the three of us then. Uncle Bubba, should we worry about meeting you for lunch?"

Bubba turned to Matt, who answered. "Don't worry, we'll feed you. It's Frank's turn to cook today, I think."

"At least you'll eat well, then. Just don't drink the coffee if Izzy made it," Laura warned.

"Why don't the three of you come by the station when you're done? You can meet the rest of the Rangers," Matt suggested.

"Sounds like a great idea," Zeke said.

"Okay, well we'll see you later than," Matt told them, opening the door and setting his now empty coffee cup on the table just inside the door and grabbed his parka from the coat rack. "C'mon, I'll give you your first lesson," he told Bubba, slipping it on and zipping it closed.

The others climbed into Laura's truck and headed out while Matt showed Bubba the basics of snowmobile handling. Bubba took to the instructions quickly. Matt checked his watch and realized that he would be late if they didn't head down soon. He got Teagan settled in front of him and with Bubba on the back, and taking it slow with the extra weight, they made it to the station with ten minutes to spare.

Teagan jumped off as soon as they stopped and ran to the door, barking, alerting Izzy to let her in. The two men followed close behind, to find the others just finishing up breakfast.

"Hey, Matt, coffee's on!" Cutler called from the pool table, where he was involved in a game with Hart. "Bubba, good morning! Come to see how the feds work?"

"Gotta make sure you boys are as good as I've heard," Bubba commented. "Laura sure has nice things to say about y'all."

Jimmy smiled. "All of us, or just one big blond in particular," the teased his Commander.

"Hey, everyone, come on in here," Matt called out, ignoring Cutler and drawing the last of the group from the kitchen. "Guys, I want you to meet Bubba Skinner. He's Laura Skinner's uncle, visiting from Mississippi. He's a Police Lieutenant there and he'll be tagging along with us today." He pointed to each Ranger as he introduced them. "Cutler you met yesterday, his call sign is Flash. The pool shark next to him is Tim Hart, or Black Magic, he's my second-in-command. Over by the radio is Izzy Flowers, better known as the Pocatello Kid. Behind you is our pilot, Frank Avila, AKA White Eagle. And the blond Swede is our resident paramedic, Robin Kelly, code name Frostbite."

Bubba nodded as each was introduced. "Nice to meet y'all. I look forward to seeing what y'all do here."

Frank and Jim set down their pool cues and gathered around the sofa as Bubba was drawn into conversation with the others, while Matt went to check his voice and e-mails to be sure nothing had to be addressed right away. When he came back out, he doled out the morning chores and patrol areas. He asked Izzy to get Bubba set up with a snowmobile, asking him to gas it up, then told Bubba to feel free to ride around the hills surrounding the station if he wanted while Matt caught up on some paperwork.

"Is it alright if I go along with him, Matt?" Izzy asked. "Not like I get much practice right now."

Matt laughed. "Sure, Izzy. Just turn the radio volume up so I can hear it in my office."

"Great, thanks, Matt. I'll take a hand-held with me in case we get a call and you need us to return right away."

"Just don't go more than a mile away. And dig out some of the extra cold-weather gear for him, will you."

"Right. C'mon, Mr. Skinner, I'll get you all set up."

"Call me Bubba. Mister makes me feel old."

Izzy grinned. "Great, Bubba! Let's go, before Matt changes his mind."

An hour later, the pair returned. They stomped their feet on the porch before coming in the door. Bubba headed straight for the huge fireplace, earning an amused look from Matt, who had settled behind the radio desk after taking several calls while Izzy was out.

Bubba noticed, of course, and grimaced. "Colder than an ice cube at the North Pole out there," he drawled. "How do y'all work in those conditions?"

"About the same way you work in ninety-eight degree heat in July, I'd imagine. You're born to it or you just get used to it."

Bubba rubbed his hands together, accepting a hot cup of coffee from Izzy, holding it between both hands to warm them up. "Laura said it's even colder up by your Daddy's place. Can't imagine livin' all winter in this kinda cold. I'd be losin' body parts."

"Once you get on a rescue, you forget all about the cold, trust me." He was interrupted as the radio squawk behind him.

"High Mountain Rangers, this is Squaw Valley Ski Patrol, you copy?"

Matt reached behind him for the microphone. "Squaw, this is Rangers. Hank, that you?"

"Hey, Matt. Could use your assist with some missing cross-country skiers."

"Staging?"

"Rocky Point, north side."

"Copy. ETA thirty."

"Copy, will radio further while enroute and notify if we get an updated location. Squaw Valley, out."

"Rangers, out." Matt hung up the mic, taking his jacket and backpack from Cutler.

"Frank is getting the bird up, Hart is doing radio checks, Robin is double-checking her pack."

Matt nodded. "Bubba, your choice, on the ground, or a second pair of eyes in the chopper."

"I think I'll stay on the ground. It's what I came for."

"It'll be cold down here," Matt offered with a grin, donning his coat before slinging the backpack over a shoulder.

"I think I'll live."

Matt gestured to Cutler, who ran out the door to join Avila. Matt explained as he and Skinner walked outside. "We always have someone in the air with Frank whenever possible, as an observer. We rotate, so everyone keeps familiar. Except for Robin, she gets motion sickness when the chopper has to fly the grid patterns. And we really don't need a sick paramedic trying to treat our patients," he said with a grin.

By that time, they'd joined the others by the snowmobiles. "You'll be using Jimmy's ride," Matt continued. Hart handed each man a radio and harness, showing Skinner how to slip into the harness, then sliding the radio inside so that it rested against his chest, snapping it closed so it wouldn't fall out, then handing him the attached earpiece, which Bubba slipped into his right ear.

Matt put on his radio harness, then slid the backpack over his shoulders, tightening the straps.

"Code name, Matt?" Hart asked, pointing to Skinner.

Matt sat down and started up his snowmobile, looking thoughtfully at Bubba. "How about 'Country'?"

Bubba raised an eyebrow, then grinned. "Long as ya don't follow it with 'bumpkin' I'm fine with that!" he said, climbing onto to another snowmobile, with Flash painted underneath the lightning bolt design, kicking over the engine and giving a rebel yell, causing the others to laugh at his enthusiasm.

Since it was just as quick to travel overland to Rocky Point, and knowing that it would be pointless to bring their trucks, all of the ground search Rangers would be on the snowmobiles. With Matt in the lead, Bubba right behind him, followed by Robin, then Hart bringing up the rear, they headed out for the thirty-minute trip to Rocky Point. As they turned west, Avila lifted off, flying low over their heads as he gained altitude.

Half an hour later, Matt crested the hill, then slid to a stop next to a pair of Ski Patrollers in a Sno-Cat. He turned off his 'mobile, then trekked through the deep snow over to the two patrollers who were searching the ground. "Anything new, Joey?" he asked loudly over the idling engines of the 'Cat and the other snowmobiles.

Joe Garner and Mike Ciprio were both experienced ski patrol members. Joe had been at Squaw Valley for ten years, Ciprio going on eight. Matt was grateful they hadn't sent any of the rookies.

"We found two sets of double tracks. Not sure which ones belong to our missing skiers. Thought you could take a look." The taller of the two men pointed left to some tracks that led into the forest, and then forward, around the three large boulders that teetered over the sheer cliff drop-off, that gave the location its name.

Matt headed over to take a look at both sets of tracks, calling behind him. "What's the time frame?"

"Friends last saw them last night. They wanted to get an early start this morning, so set out just at dawn. They planned to be gone for four hours. When they didn't meet the friends as planned for lunch, they tried to call their cellphones. But you know how the reception is up in this area. I think those tracks on the left are older than that, but you're the expert."

"You try to call them since you got here?"

"Yeah, it rang. No answer."

"You're right, Joe, this set is at least a day old," Matt said, pointing to the tracks heading to the left. "So, we'll head this way. Hart, let Frank know." He watched Tim turn away from the others in order to call Avila and Cutler. "What kind of experience do they have?" he asked Joe as he rejoined the others.

"One is a novice, the other is well-versed in cold weather survival. Friends said they're well equipped, including GPS locator, but no remote tracker. So if they can get cell reception, they should be able to at least tell us their lat/long," he said, indicating latitude and longitude.

"But of course, if they're hurt, or the cellphone got damaged somehow, no contact," Matt opined.

"Exactly."

"Okay, we'll track center and to both sides." He glanced at the trailer that was attached to the back of the Sno-Cat. "You'll be joining us, I see?"

"Yep. You've got lead, Matt. I'm guessing you'll be taking center track? Where do you want us?"

Matt turned back around and stared at the tracks, envisioning the lay of the land in that direction. "Actually, I think I'll have you take center track. Bubba and I will go right, Hart and Robin left." He faced the others, who were waiting for further instructions. "I have a bad feeling that we're not gonna find out that they just got lost. If the tracks start to veer in any direction, let everyone know. We'll stay on channel two. Avila's in the air, so if you spot something you need him for, radio him directly."

They all nodded their acknowledgment. "About five miles in, there's a deep gully. It might appear to someone who's not real familiar with the area that it's flat across, but it could swallow them up." He squatted down and drew a diagram in the snow, showing them how he wanted them to approach the area. "Let's hit it."

Joe and Mike moved to get their snowmobiles unloaded, then they headed out, keeping to a steady pace and course. The Rangers split up to cover the areas on either side of the Patrollers' track.

And hour later, Matt's radio crackled. "Flying Tiger, we've spotted them, but we can't get to them over that gully." Matt came to a stop, Bubba doing the same beside him. Pulling the topographic map from inside his jacket, Matt replied.

"What's the coordinates, Black Magic?"

Matt located the spot on his map and then contacted the ski patrollers. "Joey, you should be close enough to lend assistance."

"Copy that, Matt. We can be there in ten."

"Copy. Frostbite, what about injuries? Do you need White Eagle to land?"

"Negative, Flying Tiger. One of the skiers appears to have a broken arm, but they're both on their feet. They should be fine going down by snowmobile. We can bring them back to the Sno-Cat and decide whether they go with us to Tahoe, or make their own arrangements to get to town."

"Copy that, White Eagle copy?"

"Copy, Flying Tiger. We'll head back to base after refueling."

"Roger. Black Magic, can you stand by where you are and direct Joe and Mike in?"

"Copy that, Matt. We're good here. See at home."

Matt folded up the map and tucked it back inside his jacket. "Well, you ready to head back down to base?" he asked Bubba.

"You don't need to stick around to wait for them to come back?"

"No, they know what to do. We're actually not that far from base here, we'll take the back way and come in from the other side."

Bubba shook his head. "How the hell do you keep track of where you are in all this whiteness?"

"I was born and raised up here. I know these mountains like the back of my hand, probably better than anybody I know, except maybe my brother, Cody."

"Will I get to meet your folks while I'm here?" Bubba asked. "I've heard a lot about both of them from Laura."

"Actually, they have plans to come down this weekend, if they can. The weather that high up is really unpredictable this time of year."

"I can't imagine living like that. I need my creature comforts...like heat."

Matt laughed. "Believe me, they stay plenty warm. Dad's cabin isn't really all that big and the fireplace heats it up pretty well. He keeps pretty much a continuous fire in the thing throughout the winter. I was just up there over the holiday. I towed a snowmobile up there for them."

"It's a lot of work living up here, isn't it?"

"It can be, but look around you." Bubba took a gander at the beautiful scenery. "It's worth it." Matt reached for the ignition, firing up his snowmobile. Bubba followed suit and the two men headed back to Ranger Headquarters.

/

Later that afternoon, the Rangers got called out to assist with a vehicle over an embankment. The fire department was on scene, treating several injuries after a multi-car collision and requested the Rangers' assistance. Bubba rode with Matt in his Blazer, which led the way for the large RV-like Emergency Response vehicle that held all of the Rangers' equipment and mobile command center.

Once on scene, Matt assessed the situation with the Fire Captain and the Fire Rescue personnel. They determined the best course to reach the vehicle, which had fallen approximately one hundred feet down a steep embankment. No one was sure how many people were in the SUV besides the driver.

Since Bubba had no climbing experience, he'd be staying up top with Frank and Hart, handling the ropes and other equipment, while Matt, Robin, Cutler and Mark Gibbs, a Fire Department Paramedic with climbing experience, would repel down to the vehicle. Frank, Tim and Bubba, with an assist from the Fire Department, readied the two Stokes baskets that the Rangers carried, plus another pair that the FD carried, just in case they had multiple victims.

It was a long, careful trek down to the vehicle. Matt was the first to arrive and he quickly unhooked the rope from his harness and stepped over to the vehicle, which was on its side against a tree, driver's door to the sky. He carefully climbed on top of the vehicle and looked inside. He could see a male and a female, both ungracefully slumped against the passenger door.

"Two victims in the front seat," he called down. "Both appear unconscious. And I can hear crying in the back seat, sounds like at least one child." He reached through the shattered window to unlock the door, then carefully opened the door and pushed it back as the Fire Department paramedic carefully joined him on top the car. The car rocked slightly as the paramedic lowered himself into the vehicle. Matt stayed up top to give Gibbs the room to maneuver.

As Robin approached, Matt shook his head. "Hold off, Robin. It's too unstable at the moment. You and Cutler see if you can get the back hatch open, try and get to the kid. But be careful, don't yank on it too hard. That tree is about the only thing keeping this baby from rolling further down the slope."

"Matt, both of these victims are still alive," Mark called up. "I'm gonna need C-collars for both and backboards." Matt nodded and reached for his radio, not moving from the spot where he was kneeling on the side of the vehicle looking down inside.

"Flying Tiger to Black Magic."

"Go Flying Tiger."

"We have at least three confirmed victims, two adults and at least one child, all still alive. We need C-collars and backboards. Still checking the rest of the vehicle. Be advised, it's unstable, so we're having to go very slow."

"Copy Flying Tiger. Two stokes on the way down with requested equipment."

Matt glanced up and saw the equipment slowly making its way down the steep hill. He was just about to climb down when Cutler moved into his vision. "I got 'em, Matt. The rear hatch is stuck, we'll have to go in either from the door you're at or the slider you're crouched on."

"I'll have Mark check on other victims. I can't see in the passenger window, the tint is too dark."

He looked down and saw the paramedic slip cautiously between the front seats into the rear of the vehicle. Less than a minute later, Mark called out. "Matt, we have three more victims in the back, all children. Appears to be one about seven-years, one about three or four, and an infant. All are alive, however only one is conscious, the toddler. The older child and the infant are both unconscious. The approximately seven-year-old has a large cut on the forehead and a broken leg. Would be helpful to get the Jaws down here."

"Roger," Matt replied before lifting his radio back to his mouth. "Black Magic, we have three children in the rear of the vehicle. Ages approximately seven, four and an infant. We'll need restraint gear for them all and further assistance down here. Mark is requesting the Jaws."

Once he got the acknowledgment from Hart, Matt and Robin switched places so that she could assist Gibbs with the victims, while Cutler and Hart finished get the Stokes baskets down with the rescue gear for the adults. Matt glanced up to see four Firefighters heading down the hill, with three more stokes, one of them holding the big Jaws of Life tool.

"Good thing that Jaws is gas operated," Cutler remarked. "They'd never get an extension cord long enough to reach." Matt nodded silently as they started to unlash the equipment from the first Stokes and hand it up to Mark.

It took nearly an hour to get all six victims out of the vehicle and up the hill. Matt and Cutler stayed below to keep the ropes stabilized from below as the two paramedics headed up the hill with the last of their victims. The kids had been removed first and were already at the hospital. From everything Robin and Mark had said, it appeared that while they all had substantial injuries, only the infant's appeared to be life-threatening, as she appeared to have some internal bleeding and a possible intracranial injury. Robin opted to ride along with her to assist in any treatment.

Once all the victims, the paramedics and the firefighters were all topside, Matt and Cutler started up the hill after making a last check to gather up any leftover equipment. Cutler headed up first, Matt bringing up the rear, making sure he was the last up, as always.

As they climbed, no one up top noticed that Matt's line had gotten snagged on a sharp rock a few inches below the edge, and every step he took was fraying the rope.

Bubba had been watching the Rangers and Firefighters perform the rescue of the family of five. He helped pull the victims up the hill and carried them to the waiting ambulances. He moved back to the edge of the road and watched as Cutler and Matt climbed, reeling in the rope as they ascended.

He reached down a hand as Jimmy came over the top, grasping the Ranger's hand and helping him up over the top. Then they both turned to watch Matt traverse the final twenty feet. Just as Matt reached a hand up to grasp Bubba's, he shifted his weight, which caused the final strands of the rope to split. All three men realized what was happening in the same split second, as Matt started to slip backwards.

/