They Called Me a Coward, Then the Mountain Came Down

My map was in shreds, and my backup radio had been stomped to pieces by the VP they had parachuted in.

He drew his foot back and brushed off his Arc'teryx shell, as if none of it mattered.

"What's the fun in a paved trail? We take the undeveloped Wildman Gorge. That's how you show real killer instinct!"

He turned to face the crowd of sales staff behind him.

"To keep anyone from cheating with GPS or calling home crying the first time things get hard, everyone hands over their communication devices."

A few people from admin came forward with black trash bags and motioned for everyone to drop their phones in.

I pointed at the storm clouds boiling up fast on the horizon and spoke up one last time.

"Mr. Shaw, the backcountry is not a game.

"Wildman Gorge is shaped like a funnel. One hard rain and you get flash floods and mudslides.

"Taking everyone's phones now means that the moment something goes wrong, you have sent them all in there to die."

Shaw let out a sneer and jabbed a finger in my face.

"Nora, you're just jealous that I got the lead on this race, and you want to keep everyone from taking that $30,000, right?

"Flash floods, mudslides, whatever. I think you're a coward, and you have no business being on a team with any killer instinct in it!

"I'm leading this group. If anything happens, it's on me. I don't need a coward standing here telling us all what to do."

Greg Mullen, the sales manager, jumped in right behind him.

"Exactly, Nora. Every time we push for numbers, you want to talk about compliance, and now we finally get outdoors and you're too scared to move.

"$30,000 is sitting right in front of us. If you don't want it, don't get in the way of everyone else getting paid!"

Tessa Moore rolled her eyes too and tossed her iPhone into the bag.

"Nora's a volunteer rescue worker, you know. She probably figures we aren't worth protecting."

A laugh went up through the crowd.

The $30,000 prize had gone to their heads, and they had completely forgotten that they were ordinary people who sat behind a desk all year long.

One of the older employees hesitated and looked at the black mass of cloud on the horizon.

"Mr. Shaw, it really does look like rain. Nora has an actual rescue certification. Maybe we should listen to her..."

Tessa cut her off with a contemptuous look.

"Rhonda, you've been here ten years and you're still a sales associate. You want to know why?

"Because you're just like her. You have no killer instinct."

Rhonda went pale and hurried to pull out her phone and put it in the bag.

I caught Rhonda's hand and tried to talk her out of it, but she shook me off and went to stand next to Tessa.

Once one person gave in, the rest lined up and handed over their phones.

Each of them looked at me with contempt as they passed.

"Coward."

"She can't stand to see anyone else do well."

"Take your scare tactics somewhere else!"

For that money, they would rather trust a parachuted-in VP who could not even hold a compass the right way around.

Fine.

You cannot talk sense into people who are determined to die.

I took a deep breath, pulled down my zipper, and calmly took off my shell jacket.

"If Mr. Shaw thinks I'm a coward, then I'll volunteer to stay down here and watch base camp.

"I'll be right here. Good luck, and I hope you all come back in triumph."

Shaw looked at me like I was a joke.

"Sure. Stay in the safe zone and keep your head tucked in.

"When we take that prize, you're not getting a cent of it, and I'm docking your bonus for this month when we get back!"

I ignored the threat and walked over to the makeshift supply shed the local villagers had put up nearby.

Shaw waved his arm in triumph and shouted for them to move out.

Eighteen people set off in a long column toward the undeveloped gap that opened into Wildman Gorge.

A few of them were wearing cheap disposable rain ponchos.

I pulled over a folding chair and sat down, watching their backs disappear into the trees.

The wind coming down off the mountain had already turned cold.