“We have to keep going, or we might die!” John yelled over the blizzard. Mark yelled to John that his feet were bleeding and they needed to hurry up, but the wind was not letting up. John yelled back to Mark to ensure he was okay and got no response. He trudged back through the thick snow just to find Mark’s body just lying there limp.

_  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  

“John, can you come down here please?” Said Mom. John made his way down the creaky wood stairs as he stared out the large iced windows at the cold colors of winter.  “Mmmmm, this smells good!” John exclaimed with his mouth-watering. John saw his little brother Mark sitting in the corner waiting for the steaks to be ready. He was playing games on his phone while he kept itching his short brown hair. “The steaks are ready to eat, we have some oven-roasted potatoes and a salad as well.” Stated Dad. John happily made a plate and sat down at the table. John placed a piece of the warm tender steak onto his tongue, the juices filling up his mouth. And with the addition of a perfectly seasoned, crispy potato, it was like a match made in heaven. He and his family all talked about how his trip will be in northern Washington. He talked all about what trail he was going to take and the gear he was bringing. “Can I come too?” said Mark. 

“I just don’t want to be left alone as the only child in the house.” 

“Uhhh, I would have to think about that.” Stated John.

A day later, John went into Mark’s room, admiring the beautiful oak bed frame their dad had made for him years ago. John told him he could come, he just had to be prepared. He handed Mark a list of things he should bring so that he could be ready. The first thing John saw Mark pack was his childhood blanket for comfort. And after a long week of preparation, with both ready, they said goodbye to their parents and went off. After 4 long brisk days of driving in and out of wonderful hotels and stopping at countless gas stations for the bathroom, they made it to Washington. When they entered the park, they both marveled at the beauty of the trees; the tall pines were covered with snow making it look like a soft blanket lying atop. “Hey, why are these trees covered in snow, I never thought it would snow this early in the year?” asked Mark curiously. “Not sure.” Stated John in a reassuring tone. They went to the hotel they would be staying at, went straight to their room, and slept the night. The next morning both of them gathered their camping supplies, ate breakfast in the dining hall, and set off to the trailhead. When they reached the trailhead, hundreds of rays of light peered through the large green pine trees. “Nice view eh?” Said John in a relaxed tone. 

“Sure is.” Replied Mark. John took the chance to start walking the icy trail as Mark was still admiring the light. John yelled back to Mark saying, “I didn't want to leave you behind, so catch up”. Once Mark caught up with John, they walked together, with each landmark beginning to get more and more beautiful. While they hiked they saw a beautiful glistening pond with water surrounded by the cold winter pines. so pure it could cure evil. They saw animals all around like rabbits, foxes, and even a deer. Right around the middle of the trail, the altitude started getting higher and higher, the air getting thinner and thinner, and the winter air getting colder and colder. Nearing the summit, being in a cheerful mood, John picked some snow, balled it up with his scarred hands, and threw it at Mark. Mark retaliated with a snowball and before long it turned into an all-out snowball fight. they began running into the forest on their right, and by the time they got tired of throwing snowballs, they realized something.

John looked around and could not see any paths, roads, or pitstops along the way. Just forest as far as the eye can see. John started to panic but Mark stopped him. Mark tells John that they should just try to find shelter somewhere, he agrees and they both start walking in the direction they think is the trailhead. After countless hours of searching, they couldn’t find anything other than trees. Meanwhile, while they were searching John was creating a plan for what to do if they could not find anything. So John took charge and told Mark to go and find sticks for a fire while John set up the tent he had in his backpack. John set up the tent quickly and with a little daylight left, he started to plan out rations for the food that he brought. John told Mark when he got back that the food would only last approximately 1 month. In the first week, they had to get into a rhythm during the day. John would stay home and create S.O.S signs out of large branches in the tree openings just hoping a helicopter would see it. On the other hand, Mark was tasked with gathering the wood for the day. 

After both things were done they would both go in a straight line for a certain distance to try to find something. Every few hours, John made sure to check on Mark to make sure he was okay. This is something he has always done as sort of a brotherly instinct. After doing these monotonous tasks for weeks they were getting restless. John noticed that every night, Mark would snuggle up with his childhood blanket at night. He made fun of him each night but Mark didn’t care. In the last week, John and Mark started to panic because it was mid-winter at this point and everything was getting below freezing at night. With below-freezing temperatures and almost no food left they made a plan. After a day or two they found a day outside where the weather seemed agreeable and they set off on a journey with everything they had in their backpacks. John took the lead to make sure Mark was okay. They walked and walked not even stopping to see the beautiful scenery, but were more focused on the task of staying alive. After hours of walking John looked around tired and he caught a glimpse of a trail starting to form in the distance. With his last bit of hope left John and Mark ran to the spot and low and behold, it was the trail. Both John and Mark let out a large sigh that they had wanted to let out for weeks. They started in the direction of the trailhead, but when John looked up, he began to see dark clouds forming. 

He thought nothing of it and kept walking. Mark looked around after about an hour and just stood there with pure terror in his eyes. “Mark why are you just standi… OH MY GOD!” shouted John. They both started to run as fast as they could away from the blizzard. Mark slipped on a piece of ice and fell. While John was helping him up, the blizzard entrapped them in the heart of it. With the freezing winds whipping their faces and the not-so-thick clothing John and Mark had on, John began to worry. He shouted to Mark that they had to keep going to find shelter down the trail. Both of them, still panicking for their life slowly but surely started making their way down the path. John heard something from behind him.

“My legs hurt, John we have to stop!” Mark shouted through the blizzard. “We have to keep going, or we might die!” John yelled over the blizzard. Mark yelled to John that his feet were bleeding and they needed to hurry up, but the wind was not letting up. John yelled back to Mark to ensure he was okay and got no response. He trudged back through the thick snow just to find Mark’s body just lying there limp.

He ran over to Mark and tore off his shirt with his numb hands, he saw Mark’s childhood blanket that always calmed him down but ignored it, he felt his chest for a pulse and luckily felt one. Mark could not walk on his own, so John slung him over his brother with tears coming out of his eyes, praying to God that they could make it out safely after about another 30 minutes of freezing winds and a slow walk to the trailhead. John made it, the Blizzard finished about 5 minutes ago and John was trying desperately to warm up. He made a fire and lay Mark on the ground next to it. He wanted to make sure he was still breathing and when he wanted to feel for the same pulse. There was nothing. John cried out and slammed his fist on the ground before sobbing. He felt it was all his fault because he had let him come along with him. But he knew he couldn’t do anything now.

_  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  

John had made it back to Wisconsin, where he and Mark had lived with his parents.

As John walked through the door Mom got out of her chair excited as ever to see her two sons. She asked if Mark was gathering his things in the car or something. John stood there with no response just staring at the floor. “Mom, I have something to tell you, you might want to sit down.” Stated John in a solemn tone.