Winter was right in the middle and our whole group withdrew to the tents early to sleep. The looks of frustration on some of the boys grew as the snow carpeted the forest floor. The purpose of the winter camp was to have fun, and believe me the fun shone about as bright as the sun on a full-moon night. After spending the first three of the fifteen days the camp lasted playing dominoes, the boys began to wonder if the freeze would end in time at least to take a good photo of the brown bear that was a typical prowler of that natural habitat. The pack leaders began to consider having to end the excursion and in order to analyze the situation they lit a campfire and talked into the early morning, guarding themselves from the cold with a bottle of rum that by the end of each night left them deeply asleep. The morning of our fourth day gave us new hopes accompanied by a sun that began to shine right in the middle of the firmament. We all started packing up the tents and preparing our backpacks, the leaders, who by the way didn't look too good, began ordering the 17 boys who made up the expedition. The group was split in two, the advance party consisted of 5 young men and two pack leaders, the remaining 3 leaders would follow close on our tracks, exactly 500 meters behind.
As we began to ascend the cold grew drier and the harshness of the weather made us stop until the next morning. Being one of the oldest members of the group, I was selected to go in the advance party, which instead of being a privilege was without a doubt more work, because it fell to us to set up almost all the tents and on top of that cook. But more bad than good we were happy that after the three days wasted earlier we were finally moving toward what they called “the roof.”
The roof is a mountain that stands approximately three thousand meters above sea level. It's called that because seen from the front it gives the impression of forming with its highest part a tilted canopy that covers with its shadow most of a plain surrounding it. The mountain is truly a challenge for any novice climber, since you can't climb it from the back or the edges because of the snow that settles on what would be its spine, as it stays in constant motion because of the mountain's angle of inclination. Thus causing various avalanches and sinkings that could bury the best climber under an enormous layer of snow, whereas from the front it makes it just another of the training mountains for young climbers.
My watch alarm rang insistently telling me a new day was beginning. Coming out of the tent I realized I had set the alarm a little earlier than usual because no one was awake yet, not even the pack leaders. The sun shone today with even more splendor than the day before and the fabulous spectacle of kilometers and kilometers around carpeted in white made me experience a feeling of being lost. I sighed deeply when right behind me I felt someone hit my shoulder. – well, well, and what bit you that you're up so early? -, I must confess I got a little scared but when I turned around all I could do was laugh and answer the question as best I could. – the same thing that bit you beast, you almost scared me to death! -, – come on! did I really scare you? -, – as if!, I'm still gasping for air! -, Manuel was a little taller than me, he had enormous blue eyes that in the reflection of the snow looked almost crystalline. His hair was light brown and his voice was high-pitched, considering that at 23 most of us guys have deep voices, but with Manuel it wasn't so, he still had the same shrill voice from when we were kids. Manuel or Mino as in kitten, I had met in elementary school and since then we had become inseparable. We started talking about the other members of the group, of whom we only knew one more who was our friend and who knew us from the same school and shared our age, all the rest, excepting the pack leaders whom we already knew from having attended two previous camps, excepting them all the rest were complete unknowns to us three.
Javier got up late as was his custom and sat inside his cabin looking as if he weren't there, completely calm and noticeably sleepy, keeping his gaze fixed on the horizon. Suddenly bam!!, an enormous snowball smashed into the face of Jifa (that's what we used to call him, because he looked like a giraffe from how tall he was and the way he walked), his jet-black eyes reddened with rage and he began reminding Manuel and me of our entire family tree, while he and I rolled around laughing, far enough away to avoid any revenge from Jifa. Shortly after wiping all the snow from his face, he began walking toward the supply boxes, his thick black hair completely full of snow and with every step he took he cursed. – Javita?, don't get mad it was a student prank! -, said Mino holding back from collapsing in laughter. – Little prank!, what little prank those are damn tricks! -, replied Javier while sticking his head into a yellow box. When I noticed him a little calmer, I asked, – How about this little day?, you ready to waterproof the roof again, Javito?-. He went completely still at hearing my question, without moving he kept his hands and head stuck in the box. – Mino, give me a hand here please -, he said. When Manuel bent down, all I could see was Javier leap up spraying him with shaving foam, – Your mother Javier!! – Manuel shouted while vigorously rubbing his eyes. The laugh died completely in me when I saw Javier running toward me yelling – And you come here, Chicken -. Everything seemed to be looking up, spirits were appearing again and the feeling of a bad excursion was beginning to disappear.
The pack leaders stared at us and finally Beto the oldest of them, approximately 32 years old, blew his whistle. The sound put the three of us on our feet turning to look while he looked at us disapprovingly, then turned around and left us alone looking like fools. Anyway Beto knew well that we cared little what he said to us, since he had dealt with us before and knew us very well.
The other boys got up moments later, apparently the sound of the whistle hadn't bothered them much, seeing the clarity of the morning, almost all began packing up camp and readying their gear, to head at last to ‘the roof’. The youngest already lined up waited impatiently for the signal that the advance party was at a distance so they could begin their trek. The morning looked beautiful, and everything seemed to be going as well as possible.
Mino, Jifa, and I were the first to climb the famous roof. Shortly after, the other companions struggled to make it. That day, the instructors only let them climb and descend ten times. It was the usual to get a broad knowledge of the mountain. When you managed to complete your ten turns you could be sure you had the secret of “the roof.” At least the secret of the front part, because the one of the back part the upper one, nobody seemed to have.
The next day everything went without problems with one exception. A girl, who by the way was the only one in the camp, who I assure you was in no danger from any of the men we were, since she was more unpleasant than a thorn in the throat. That girl pulled her tension reel wrong and unfortunately fell from approximately 5 meters high. She fractured an arm, but beyond sitting and watching the others nothing more came of it. That Friday, I felt that was the best place to be. I was sure I would never forget it, and so it was.
Saturday everything seemed calm, until the pack leaders called roll on all of us. As the young men shouted present, they went off to withdraw to their tents. It was four in the afternoon, mealtime. While I meditated on how eternal the passage of time seemed in those places, something dragged me from my thoughts. It was a name. A name that repeated constantly.
– Martínez Balde….Martínez Balde….Pedro!- there was no answer, only one voice rose among the murmurs of many more. – he didn't come down teacher!- it said. – what do you mean he didn't come down!, where did he go?- Beto inquired. -He said he was going to go down by the upper part…I tried to persuade him not to but I think it didn't do much good….I'm sorry!, please don't tell him I snitched-. The mood of the group turned tense. The pack leaders decided that Beto and some companions should go up for Pedro. Pepe, the youngest of all of them, hurled insults and kicked the snow. “Damn kid!, he's gonna have it real bad when he deals with me!”.
Beto was ready to set out when Mino and his enormous big mouth decided to offer to go with him. Jifa joined them. I didn't wait long to do the same. Pepe helped us tension the thick canary-yellow rope that would keep us united during the ascent and descent. It was something like our umbilical cord.
Five in the afternoon was too heavy, especially at the part where the climb ended and the descent began. The wind resonated in my ears. My eyes couldn't distinguish anything but the thick white formed by the snow the force of the cold air lifted. Even so we continued. The only thing that stopped us was Beto's shout, shortly after hearing something crunch. The moment the crunch was heard, all I could think of were the chicharrones my aunt Cleta used to make. What I heard was identical to the crunch of chicharrón when you bite it. -Beto!, Beto!, what's wrong?, are you alright!!?- Jifa shouted. -It's my leg- Beto answered – I don't think I can go on-. Pepe held him in his arms and helped him get up. – wait here, stay alert in case you see Pedro, I'll be back up soon…- Pepe declared and began to go down with Beto.
Mino cleared his throat and began walking in circles again. The temperature dropped more and more. We started to feel tired of walking in circles trying not to get so cold. Nothing could be heard. Much less seen. Shortly the three of us decided to go down by the side we weren't supposed to go down and find Pedro. If we waited longer for Pepe, Pedro who was a novice would surely freeze, and us along with him. We began the descent.
As we went down we started to sing. That way we'd know exactly where each one was. We kept the chain rope taut. We didn't feel so much fear as concern for the lost boy. If we had any good fortune, we'd find him and in less than an hour we'd be down. We only had half the way left.
When I stopped hearing the voices of my two friends, I began to pull on the chain rope. It wasn't taut. At one end was what used to be one of the rings of Jifa's belt. At the other there was nothing. I began to shout. My shouts grew larger. My desperation rose in pitch. I had to find them. I had to seek help. I started running downslope, and I fell. It hadn't been a slip, I had tripped over a bundle. It was Jifa, he was trembling. I tried to calm him, I lifted him and carried him on my back down the slope. Once safe I left him on an enormous rock at the foot of the mountain. I went back up where I shouldn't, I began to search for my friends. I shouted their names. Mino finally answered. -My hands!, my hands!, I can't feel my hands- he moaned desperately. I thought from the cold they had gone numb. Indeed, one was numb, but the other wasn't there. Beside him lay what used to be his hand. The cold had frozen it and when he tried to push himself out of the hole where he had fallen, it simply came off. I hugged him carefully. I began to think that if I squeezed him too hard he would break in two. I left him by the same rock at the bottom, and went back for Pedro…and for Mino's hand….This time I walked almost to the crown of the mountain, without having found anything. When I was returning, the floor that stretched beneath me collapsed. I don't know exactly how long I was trapped. I tried to move as much as I could, it wasn't much. I only thought I had to get out of there. Mino and Jifa were below, probably already dead from the cold, Pedro must have been turned into an enormous ice cube, but even so I had to get out and help them!, and the hand, the hand! I was sure I'd get out of this. I managed to curl my body and place my legs against the layer of snow that kept me from getting out. I began to kick it. But it didn't move. I felt tired. I lost all hope and preferred to sleep. I wanted to die without realizing I was dying. The silence was sepulchral. Right at a point between death and life, the earth began to move. The snow emitted a sharp sound like the one two unicels make when you rub them. Everything began to move, and I began to roll. I wanted to die peacefully, because right at that moment all this had to happen, I'd surely end up crushed under millions of tons of snow on top of me. Everything was over. I was dead…
When the noise ceased I realized I was still alive, and besides that I could move, and not only move but that I was flying, yes!!, I was flying!! My eyes contemplated the whole area we had passed moments before. It was an unmatched aerial view. I felt at peace. Sound didn't exist. The ground seemed so distant. Suddenly it began to approach. I began to fall in a dive. The speed was impressive. When I saw the ground near I felt my throat burn. I closed my eyes and Coughed hard. Opening my eyes Pepe looked at me scared. He was completely pale his face seemed wrapped in a milky color that looked more scandalous from the contrast the nylon of the tent gave it. We were in the tent!, I was alive!, I was alive!, Pepe spilled tears down his cheeks though his face drew an enormous smile. -Damn! For a moment I thought you'd die, are you alright? – he asked with enthusiasm. -And Jifa?, and Mino?, where is Pedro?- I asked. – they're outside – Pepe answered – want me to call them? — they're alright aren't they?, who found Pedro?, how is Manuel with his hand?…the questions flew fired from my mouth.
– if Pedro hasn't gotten lost, and Mino has nothing wrong with his hand, don't ramble dude!
– how the hell not!, then how did I get down from the damn mountain!, how did you pick me up when the avalanche dragged me downslope, huh?, why am I lying here?
– neither avalanche nor shit, you fell asleep with the tent open and this morning you had a fever of over 40 degrees!, I think it left you an idiot!
That day after the fever subsided, and after Manuel showed me his “new” hand. Everything had been a dream. I was completely calm. Everyone was fine, I was fine!. What happiness. Once I controlled my joy I left the tent and sat down to drink coffee with the group leaders. They laughed at me until exhaustion. My adventure seemed to be the story of a clown. I paid them no attention. It was when I stepped away from there that an idea struck my mind.
The next day, I already felt too well to stay shut in the tent. Besides I had something to do. I climbed to the crest of “the roof,” and waited. The snow began to grow thick. The temperature still wasn't that low, but the cold began to cut. That was when I saw him.
– where are you going!!?….I said
– nowhere!!…..he answered scared
– go back with the others right now…..I ordered him
– alright….he answered disappointed
– ah! And one more thing…-I said- I don't want to see you passing through here again understood?
– yes Jorge, I'm sorry, it won't happen again
– I hope so Pedro.
Everything that remained of the camp passed unnoticed. The novices had a great time. Manuel, Javier and I became expert domino players, and Pedro returned to his mother's arms safe and sound. Many times I've thought that what I dreamed helped me save a life. Maybe that's how it was or maybe Pedro wasn't doing “anything” out there. The truth is that's how I like to remember it. Just to keep my sanity. That way I don't go crazy, nor do I cry so much when I visit my three graves…