There was no way to measure how far I managed to get before the sun began to rise. I lowered myself, shaking from exhaustion, down to the edge of the water for a drink. The noises of the forest at night faded slowly as birds began to wake and sing. The change in atmosphere, though, did nothing to settle my nerves.
Once I had drunk my fill, I leaned my head back to catch the sun's rays and closed my eyes. I knew I could only rest a few minutes before the need to continue moving would become imperative. There was no way for me to know if I had been followed. My father had told me stories of men who could track anyone through any environment and warned that most men who lived in the wilderness could. The men from the night had been drunk, or at least one of them had been, so that would be in my favor.
Once they woke sober, would they have remembered me and begun searching? A lone female would no doubt have seemed ideal for them to have some fun. In the light of day, my situation seemed hopeless. How could a young woman who had never been in the wilderness before possibly hope to make it to safety?
"The only things worse than failure is not even trying," I said aloud. My voice was hoarse and shaky. I opened my eyes and looked up at the blue sky. It was going to be a beautiful day.
The kind of day my father would have enjoyed and one he would never see again.
A sob rose in my throat as every thought led me back to my loss. I twisted to be face down on the ground, unable to keep my grief at bay. All my pent up emotion from the night came out. When my wails and tears finally ebbed away, I was left even more weak than before. I rolled onto my back and let the sun dry the tears on my face.
Slowly, my muscles began to relax and I decided a few moments of sleep wouldn't harm anything.
The splash of water woke me some time later. Blinking, I lifted my head from where it had been pillowed on my arm. My vision cleared slowly, revealing a large animal at the edge of the river. A gasp left my lips before I could stop it.
A brown bear was pawing at the water.
What was I supposed to do about this?
Holding my breath, I remained as still as possible. After a few moments, the bear turned and lumbered off into the trees, satisfied with whatever it had done. I breathed out, going limp with relief.
After a moment, I picked myself up. I crawled to the edge of the river and drank my fill. I frowned at my reflection, seeing nothing of the young lady that had left San Francisco not a month earlier. Shaking my head, I leaned away from the water and then forced myself to get to my feet.
I walked until sunset. With each step, my stomach growled louder and louder, reminding me I hadn't eaten in hours. Several of the failed miners Daddy and I had spoken to had made mention 0f being able to scavenge food off the land, but I had no notion what was edible and what would kill me faster than starvation.
Still, knowing I would more than likely die by eating the wrong thing, didn't make it any easier to keep walking. My hands began shaking and walking in a straight line was near impossible.
When it became too dark to see, with clouds shrouding the moon which had guided me the night before, I decided I needed to find some place safe to pass the night. My brief afternoon nap had done little to restore my energy, and I knew there was no possible way I could make it through the night. The idea of coming across a bear in the dark was also a motivator for me to stop.
My first attempt to climb a tree did not go well and I landed hard on my back. Frustrated, I brushed at the tears that welled up in my eyes and pulled myself back up to my feet. I grasped the tree branch and hauled myself up. Triumphant, I managed to climb several yards until I found a comfortable perch that would not be easily seen by intruders.
With exhaustion hanging heavy on me, I spent little time in thinking before I fell asleep. When the dawn finally came, I was stiff and felt no more rested than the night before. I more fell out of the tree than climbed down. The cold river water revived me somewhat, though did nothing to staunch the pain in my stomach.
Determined to be more observant, I set off. As I walked, I tried to take note of what the birds and squirrels were eating. I chewed on pine needles. Anything to stave off the pain in my stomach.
The scent of a campfire drew me further out of the trees. It was strange for there to be a fire burning at this time of day as the sun still had several hours left in the sky. Cautiously, I crept forward, hoping I would find some kind of scraps of food.
For several days, I had begun to think I was drawing near to some kind of civilization, finding footprints in the dirt and hearing the lowing of cattle. How I longed for some farm with a kindly housewife to tut over me and welcome me into her home. That I could be on the property of a family with no woman never occurred to me.
Catching sight of two horses, I used the brush to hide my approach.
"Anyhow, I'm just passing through!" An older, belligerent voice carried to me and I stopped dead in my tracks. Instinct made me fall a few steps back. My last encounter with men had left me with little inclination to meet another in the wilderness, especially not one whose voice slurred from drink.
"Yeah, well, next time you just go around, y'hear?" A second voice, more kindly, but firm, responded to the first. This statement was followed by the two horses racing off.
The older man who was by the campfire began to mutter too low for me to understand and he put out the flames by dumping dirt on them. He then walked to his donkey, a plate in one hand and a iron skillet in the other. My mouth watered as I watched him tip the plate and whatever had been his meal slid to the ground.
He stored his belongings into saddlebags and looked up. Swiftly, I ducked below a far too small bush and then retreated, cursing my carelessness. Whether he saw me or not, I couldn't tell because when I looked again he had turned and had begun leading his donkey away.
My mind on the possible food, I forced myself to wait some time before I darted forward. My feet skidded on the dirt and found the piece of fried meat the old miner had abandoned. It was cold, tough, and impossible to determine what exactly it was. Still, I tore through it in no time and liked my fingers clean.
The little bit of food eased my hunger. Adjusting my hat, I glanced around. The two hoof prints led into the distance and I wondered if they led towards a trail that would take me to a town. Deciding that I had nothing to lose, I began walking in that direction.
My wilderness wanderings had to come to an end sometime.