I forced myself to stay, and we talked a bit more before I paid and headed back to double-check on everything. I was fairly certain with the stuff I had just bought; I was good to go, but I wanted to make sure before the sun went down. They still didn’t know when the blizzard was going to hit, and I didn’t want to be caught trying to do anything in the dark while being snowed on.
I made it home in time to do a thorough check outside and make sure I had everything I needed inside. I was good to go. With the cooler full of meats and veggies that I could simply pack with snow, I could survive comfortably for probably about two months at the very least. I made myself a coffee and stood at the window, watching the sun set, kind of happy I wouldn’t see anyone else in person for a good, long while.
4
Desiree
The weather was supposed to turn pretty bad soon, but I had lived through bad weather all my life. New York wasn’t known as a bastion of warm winters. But the idea of being snowed in in a strange house with no one else wasn’t exactly something I was looking forward to. I was already feeling anxious about it and decided I needed to do something with that energy before the snow fell.
One thing I had always enjoyed that didn’t seem to fit with my city lifestyle was hiking. Some of the few really good memories I had with my parents together that didn’t involve living the lifestyle of a Mob boss was going upstate and hiking through the woods. Sammi and I used to spend many preteen hikes chatting about life. Those were wonderful, innocent days.
Whether it was the anxiousness or the nostalgia or both, I was drawn to my hiking boots and bundled up to go out. The snow was already coming down, but it was extremely light and more than manageable. There was a spot just up the mountain that I had heard was a wonderful hiking spot with a long trail, and just getting out for a couple of hours before the snow really hit seemed like the ideal way to spend some time. I needed something to clear my head and relax a little. Maybe even have a little fun.
I drove up to the spot that was described to me, passing through the small town and trying not to feel the pangs of disappointment as I passed by all the holiday decor on the storefronts and lampposts. I parked in the little area by the entrance to the trail. No one else was there, and I locked up the car before stepping out into the woods. It was so quiet out there, no sound other than my own feet on the path and the snow hitting the leaves. It was still very early in the morning, and the sun was just cresting the mountains in the east. I stopped for a bit to watch it, munching on the granola bar I brought and wondering if I should head back. The clouds were coming in quickly, but the snow was still light and melting when it hit the ground.
There was an overlook ahead that I realized had been my goal for a bit. I wasn’t consciously thinking about anything specific until I was within a few hundred yards of it. As I got closer, I realized it wasn’t connected to the path but just a little way through the woods beside it. The snow was starting to come down a little harder now, but it only added to the majesty of the view. I wanted to get on the rock that was jutting out over the mountain and take a picture of the gorgeous vista to send back to Sammi. It was at that moment I realized I had left my phone in the holder connected to the dash. I remembered to grab the DSLR camera but forgot the phone. Grumbling, I kept moving forward, aggravated that I would have to transfer the pictures I took to the laptop and then email them to myself so I could then text them to her.
As I got to the overlook, however, the snow was coming down harder than ever. I pulled out the camera I brought with me and snapped a few pictures off, but the camera kept fogging up because the snow would hit it. After snapping a few shots and cursing rather loudly, I decided to head back before it got any worse. The idea of slipping into a warm tub and watching the snow pile up was extremely enticing, and I climbed off the outcropping rock and into the woods.
I started climbing back the way I thought was the direction I came down, but the snow was making it slippery. I had to zigzag a little to get to trees I could hold on to or go around underbrush slowly piling up snow on top of them that were now confusingly in my path. After what seemed like far too long, I reached the top of the hill I was climbing, but the path wasn’t there. I looked up and down the area for a few moments before I turned around and tried to see the overlook.