By Shirrel Cooper
The frostbite on my foot is finally starting to fade, so I figure I should get around to telling the story. I really have been meaning to, I promise. But school has been crazy and I haven't been able to find a good, captivating beginning to the frostbite epoch.
I'll just stick with the easy.
Once upon a time, in a little (medium) sized town called Logan, there lived two college friends. (Well, technically there were more than two friends in Logan, but this story is focusing on these particular two.) They were named Shirrelie and Joshie.
Shirrelie and Joshie lived for adventure. They loved taking drives when they were bored and did crazy things like wade in the off-limits fountain on campus. One Thursday night, Joshie and Shirrelie even drove to Idaho Falls just because it sounded like fun.
One fateful day, Joshie and Shirrelie were both looking for another adventure when Joshie suggested they drive to Evanston.
"Evanston?" balked Shirrelie. "You HATE Evanston! Remember when your car broke down in Wyoming last year and you vowed never to set foot in Wyoming again? Remember the CURSE!!"
Joshie looked at Shirrelie and shrugged. "We went to Idaho. I think we need to go all directions. Tonight, lets go to Evanston."
Shirrelie couldn't fault his logic. And it was pretty surprising he had even suggested Wyoming. Who knew if she would ever drive to Wyoming with Joshie again.
"Ok," Shirrelie said. "Let's go to Evanston."
So began the infamous adventure. A long drive from Logan to Evanston in which Shirrelie fell asleep. As much as Joshie had wanted an adventure, Shirrelie was bored of driving. And bored of Evanston. She did not want to drive back the way she came. The canyon at night was not a very adventurous or pretty drive. So Shirrelie did something she never should have done. She suggested a different route....
Through the Uintas.
Maybe it was because Shirrelie forgets that Joshie is from Texas, or maybe it was just because Shirrelie was extra tired from the drive... but whatever the reason, Shirrelie suggested to drive the back roads back to Layton...to Logan. She knew it was midnight and she knew that it would be faster to go back through the canyon on the freeway, but Shirrelie just wanted an adventure.
One fateful decision, and a willing driver, led Shirrelie and Joshie down the path to a moutainous road toward adventure. However, neither realized just how adventurous this adventure would become.
Shirrelie watched out the window at the passing highway and the few deer along the side of the road, ignoring all thoughts of warning that should have been going through her head. She had mentioned to Joshie earlier that the road through the mountains might be closed, but neither Shirrlie nor Joshie paid the thought any mind.
Perhaps that is why it was so easy for both to assume the same thought process when they saw the sign.
Road Closed: Not Maintained For Winter
"Joshie?" Shirrelie asked. "Should we turn around.?"
Joshie looked at the road just past the sign. There was no snow on it. And there did not appear to be any storm approaching.
"Meh," Joshie said. "We should be fine." Shirrelie watched as Joshie drove around the sign and continued on toward adventure.
But then it happened.
The roads started looking wintery. And the flakes started falling. Every-so-often Shirrelie would ask Joshie if they should turn around. And each time Joshie would reply that the car was fine. The roads didn't seem bad at all.
When the snow started getting particularly deep, Shirrelie made one final plea with Joshie.
"Joshie...It's getting bad. We should turn around. And we don't have cell phone service if we get stuck..."
Joshie was not yet willing to accept defeat.
"Maybe it's better on the other side of this hill," he said. "If it's not, we'll turn around there." Shirrelie didn't think Joshie could turn around on the snowy road. The snow was getting deeper and he didn't have snow tires on his Rav4.
"Ok..." Shirrelie said. But she didn't have much time to consider what would happen if they couldn't turn around. Joshie and Shirrelie never made it to the top of the hill. The poor car had slid off the road into a snow bank. As Joshie got out to survey the damage and attempt to dig out, the wind started blowing and the snow started falling. Shirrelie opened her door to try and help, but then she remembered that she was wearing sweats... and slippers....
"Shirrelie," Joshie said. "Stay in the car. You aren't dressed to help." Shirrelie complied, silently cursing her decision to wear her green fuzzy slippers instead of her shoes. But they were going for a drive... not a snow date. Thinking fast, Shirrelie emptied out the McDonald drinks they had bought in Evanston.
"Here, Joshie," She said. "Here is something to dig with." Shirrelie smiled at her quick thinking and fast acting decision. Though she would later regret this, at the moment, she was relishing in the adventure. However, the feeling wouldn't last. An hour later, a wet and cold Joshie stumbled into the car.
"Shirrelie," he said. "I think we are going to have to spend the night." Shirrelie was not phased. Not initially. How fun, she thought, to be able to spend the night in the car. It was as she was settling in for the night that she realized how flawed this logic was.
Joshie and Shirrlie hadn't told anyone they were leaving Logan. Joshie and Shirrelie hadn't told anyone they were going to Evanston. And Joshie and Shirrelie were on a road that was closed for the winter. How were Joshie and Shirrlie going to be ok?
It was then that the panic started setting in. Poor Joshie. He never saw it coming. Shirrelie honestly believed she was going to die. And in her intense fear, she saw the need to speed up the process.
"Joshie!! I need to lay in the snow and die now because I don't want to die of starvation."
"You aren't going to die, Shirrelie."
"Joshie!! Nobody knows where we are! Nobody knows we're even out here! They won't miss us!"
"They'll miss us, Shirrelie."
"Joshie!! No one is going to drive down this road! It's CLOSED!! And I am going to starve!"
"You can eat these two fingers Shirrelie. You can eat my foot."
"Joshie!! I'm thirsty!"
And so the night continued. Joshie patiently keeping Shirrelie in the car, while Shirrelie's mind played the worse tricks imaginable on her. All while the wind and the snow swirled around outside the little SUV.
Joshie and Shirrelie should have been trying to get sleep. Instead, Joshie tried to convince the hysterical Shirrelie that she would live to see her family again.
And poor Shirrelie. She had to go to the bathroom in the snow. With no shoes. Because her fuzzy slippers were no protection from the cold and Shirrelie did not want to ruin them in a snow drift.
When light finally peaked over the trees the next morning, neither Joshie nor Shirrelie had slept much. Both were tired, hungry, thirsty, and a little (well, some more than others) scared. For some reason Shirrelie and Joshie thought that everything would be better when it was light outside. Neither were thinking that they would be even more snowed in after a night in the blizzard.
"Joshie! We're going to die out here!
"No Shirrelie. I am going to try to dig us out again." Shirrelie decided to help this time. But Joshie and Shirrelie couldn't get enough of the snow away to get out. Shirrelie and Joshie had a decision to make. Stay in the car and wait... or walk back the way they came. Joshie knew that with Shirrelie's intense fear of dying in the car, they would both have to walk out.
Joshie put his shoes on and gathered a few belongings. He got out of the car and stopped to help Shirrelie. That is when he noticed Shirrelie's feet. Shirrelie was unprepared for the mountain rendezvous and suddenly Joshie could tell. Shirrelie was wearing green slippers. Joshie had nothing to offer but an extra sweatshirt that Shirrelie had used to dry her feet on in the middle of the night. Making sure that Shirrelie was as bundled as was possible, Joshie began leading the way out of the mountains.
The snow hadn't stopped falling and the wind hadn't stopped blowing, but both Shirrelie and Joshie continued to walk. At first both were optimistic, but as time passed, both grew weary. Shirrelie worried that they would never make it to cell phone service. Joshie worried that his car would not be dug out until summer. Shirrelie thought she was going to die. Joshie worried that Shirrelie would stop walking and he would have to carry her off the mountain.
It is little wonder that Joshie ignored Shirrelie's complaints about her frostbitten feet.
"Shirrelie, your feet will be fine."
But Shirrelie knew the truth. Each painstaking step through the snow allowed for more ice to form around her heels. And each step on the forming ice grew more painful. It was all she could do to continue walking. That, coupled with the thick layer of ice under the falling snow, made the trek down the road treacherous and slow. At one point Joshie took Shirrelie's arm to urge her forward.
After nearly three hours, Joshie and Shirrelie saw something in the distance.
"Do you see that?" Joshie asked.
"I thought it was all in my head!" Shirrelie responded. But as they got closer it was evident. There was a truck and trailer directly in their path. As direct in their path as it was, both Joshie and Shirrelie felt like it took forever to reach the vehicle. And as they drew nearer, both realized that there was no one in the truck or trailer.
"Joshie, I'm tired. I just want to sit down. And I have frostbite."
"You don't have frostbite, Shirrelie. And you aren't sitting down. We can rest against the trailer for a minute."
Then Joshie looked opposite the truck and trailer. On a raised mountainside road, a car was parked. And there were people inside.
"Joshie. Just find out how much longer we have to walk. I'm tired."
Shirrelie watched as Joshie walked through the snow and knocked on the car window. She shivered waiting for him to return. But then Joshie was walking towards her and motioning for her to follow.
"They're going to let us wait in their car, Shirrelie. Their family is going to try and dig us out."
Shirrelie and Joshie tried hard not to drip or shiver as they crowed in the back seat of this small family's car. Three children--Katelyn, Carlie, and Drew--and two parents--Kate and Andy--conversed with Joshie and Shirrelie as they slowly warmed up. Then Joshie went with Andy and the rest of the men to dig out the car.
When Shirrelie and Joshie drove past the road closed sign that day, nearly nine hours after hiking in the snow, they both breathed a sigh of relief. But for Shirrelie, the adventure had not quite ended. She knew she had frostbite. The doctor was the next stop.
That night, after a big dinner and a nice warm bath (shower for Joshie), both Shirrelie and Joshie sat on the couch in awe. The miracles that had happened to get them off the mountain were astounding. And the wonderful people who had been sent to save them were amazing. And, to Shirrelie's surprise, Joshie had been right. They had made it People had missed her and she did survive.
And Joshie admitted he was not right about everything. Shirrelie did have frostbite. And for that, he felt horrible. The green slippers were never a good match for the snow. Joshie wished he would have believed her. But then what could he do?
Shirrelie and Joshie are still adventurous, but both are also more cautious. Neither ignore road signs anymore and both try to tell people when they are leaving for a drive.
But most importantly--They have both vowed never to return to Evanston.
