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Carina Cumming

Ms. Levesque

English

6 November 2017

Meeting Everett Ruess

It started off like any other day. My father, five year old brother, and I lived in a four

bedroom house in the middle of Escalante. My mother, Elizabeth, died two years ago. Ever since

then my father has raised us all on his own. Life is simple. Every day I wake up, make breakfast

for my father, and look after my brother, Max. Another responsibility of mine was taking care of

the animals, and I quite enjoy it. I rarely work in the fields, but when I do, I imagine how boring

and painful it must be for my father to do it every day. I don’t love having to look after my

brother without any help, but I always remind myself that it is my way of helping out.

Nothing very exciting ever happened on our lonely little farm, and I always hoped for

something new. I was at home playing with Max when my father came into the house at exactly

4:00 pm just like he does every day, only this time he wasn't alone. Behind him there was a tall,

skinny boy who looked about eighteen years old. He had brown eyes and hair with an old floppy

hat on his head. Though he was barely an adult, he seemed like one of those people that has seen

everything and knows all. “Carina,” my father said looking at me. “This is Everett. Everett will

be staying with us for a few days. He is going to help me around the farm, lots to do around

here.”

“Hello,” Everett said smiling at me. He extended his hand, and I shook it.

“Hello, I’m Carina,” I said back to him hesitantly. I heard a bray coming from the front

door. I looked out the window and saw two burrows tethered to the front porch. “Are those

yours?” I asked him.

“Yup,” he replied. “Just got em.” He shuffled outside and untethered a kayak and some

blankets from one of the burros. “Where should I set up?”

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“Just in here,” my father said, leading him to a small room on the far side of the house.

“You can sleep in here. It used to be my mother's.”

“Thank you,” Everett said smiling. His toothy grin was contagious. Whenever you see it,

your mood changes in an instant.

After helping Everett set up his room, my father called me into the kitchen. There wasn't

much to the kitchen. A small, three person table, barely big enough to fit anything on it. On the

other side of the room was a coal burning stove and large, wooden cabinets surrounding a small

sink and a window. “Why don’t you cook something up for us, Carina,” he said, “I’m starving.”

I prepared a chicken, some assorted vegetables, and a warm loaf cornbread for supper. When the

chicken was almost done, I set the table, almost forgetting to set an extra placemat for Everett.

We rarely have guests, but when we do it throws me off.

I called Father, Max, and Everett into the dining room. Father invited Everett to sit at the

head of the table. He ate like I had never seen someone eat in my life. He quickly gobbled up

everything I put in front of him. I almost ran out of food to give him. He chugged on cranberry

juice and ate buttered cornbread for what seemed like hours. After supper, Everett thanked my

father and I for dinner. “I’m gonna hit the hay, got a long day tomorrow,” he said yawning.

The next day I woke up, and Everett and father were already in the kitchen sipping on

coffee. “Good morning,” I said cheerfully.

“Morning,” they said simultaneously.

“I’ll cook you up some eggs,” I said.

After breakfast, they stumbled out to the fields still half asleep, and I watched my brother

while they were gone.

After some time, Everett came back without my father. “Your father let me off early. I’m

gonna go for a hike, wanna come?”

“Sure!” I said. “I haven't been on a hike in forever.”

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I told my brother to go and help my father out with the crops while I was gone.

Looking ecstatic, he dashed off across the gravel road toward my father. He rarely had

the

privilege of working in the fields. After we packed a few essential items in my rucksack,

Everett and I started walking across the large fields on the far side of my property.

Eventually, we reached the rusty old barb wire fence marking the perimeter and saw a little

dried up wash not far from where we were standing. “That looks perfect!” he said.

I looked at him with a frightened look on my face. “A little steep don't you think.” The

butterflies in my stomach started to flutter around as I looked at the almost vertical climb

standing in front of me. When I said I hadn't gone on a hike in forever, I really meant a long walk

not a hike.

He grinned at me, “You'll be fine. Trust me.” We clambered up the wall of rocks on the

left side of the wash, and about half way through the hike we stopped to rest in a clearing. I

brought some food from home, and we munched on it while we looked down from the hill we sat

atop of. “Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful,” he said.

“I guess...” I shrugged.

He looked at me, eyes glinting. “Well sure it is, you just don’t know what you are looking

at.” I shrugged. As I opened my mouth to say something, we heard a rustling in the trees behind

us. Out of the trees came a huge bull moose. It was unlike any moose I had ever seen. It must

have stood at eight feet tall. Its rippling muscles and huge antlers were overwhelming. This was

the kind of moose that could kill a black bear in an instant. He pawed at the ground and snorted

as his eye widened. It was a threat; he was going to charge.

“Don’t move,” Everett whispered in a shaky voice. The moose must have been fifteen

feet away. Twelve feet. Ten feet. He was so close I couldn't take it anymore. I jerked around to
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run but tripped on a rock. The sudden movement aggravated the moose, and it charged. I

scrambled up and ran, Everett running after me. We darted toward a grove of trees too thick for

the moose to chase after. “I think we lost him,” I said. “That was close”

By that time it was too late to go back home.Everett looked up at the sky and just by

glancing at the position of the moon, he could tell the time. “About seven thirty,” he said

squinting his eyes. “Better find somewhere to sleep.” We climbed up a patch of slickrock and

found a little alcove that looked safe for one night. I panicked every time I heard the wind rustle

the trees, I didn't want to be attacked again. Though the heat burns your skin to a crisp during the

day, the nights are cold and bitter. There were moments where I thought that I would freeze to

death.

The next day I woke up to a warm fire next to me. Over the fire, Everett was already up

cooking some eggs we had brought from home. Though the fire was warm, it was far too cold to

climb out from under my blanket. “Morning,” he said beaming, his breath fogging in the frosty

air, “Breakfast is almost done.” I slowly crawled out from under my blanket and shuffled to the

ledge of the little cliff that the alcove rested on top of. The sun was peeking behind the junipers,

and I let the beams of light hit my face in attempts to warm up. This was the first time I had

noticed the beauty of the vermilion hills that surrounded me; watercolor cliffs stretched on for

miles without end in both directions.

Everett walked over to the ledge where I was standing. “I think we should get a move on

after we are finished up with breakfast,” he said, “Once we get back, I will do some chores for

your father. After that I think it’s best that I leave. Once he hears about this he will not be

happy.” I said nothing in reply. I didn’t know him that well, but I did not want him to leave. I

have not had this much fun in a long time.

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The hike back seemed easier ad faster than it was coming up. Once we arrived back at

home, Everett fixed a few fences for my father, and after that it was time for him to move on to

other adventures. We said our goodbyes, and I soon returned to my everyday schedule. But

something seemed different. I was more eager to explore now and learn more about the land

around me. Everett Ruess had inspired me, and I will never forget the time he came out of the

wilderness and into my life.