Thread: I almost died a few days ago

Hey all, this is a short story i wrote about a camping trip that I went on a few days ago, hope you like it

I had a few days off from work and thought it would be fun to go on a camping trip and hike up one of the local mountains with two of my close friends, Dustin and Jake. I called them up and in a few hours we were on our way to the campground, ready to spend some quality time in the great outdoors. When we arrived we quickly set up camp and began to debate what we should do first. Dustin and Jake suggested that we roast marshmellows around the campfire, but I had something else in mind. "Let's climb Mt. Rainier," I said. Dustin looked over at me like I was some kind of madman. "You're joking right?" he said, pulling out a bag of marshmellows from the car. "That's suicide, we wouldn't make it half way up," Jake added. At this point I began to lose my patience - I didn't come here to sit on my ass all day stuffing my face with marshmellows.

"You guys are a bunch of fucking babies, I'm going with or without you two," I said as I went to grab my hiking gear. Dustin spoke up again, "You're never going to make it, it's impossible!" I had heard enough out of these two, I was going to make it to the peak of that mountain or die trying. "There will be a flag at the peak of that mountain before the sun sets," I declared. I began my hike into the forest with a determination I had never in my life felt before. I walked for what seemed like hours through the quiet forest and the weight of my gear was becoming more and more apparent to me. "What if they were right? What if it is impossible?" i said quietly. Just then a sudden movement in the trees caught my eye. I could hear the rustling of leaves and it seemed to be getting closer and closer. Then I saw it: a massive brown bear was moving through the trees toward me.

In a panic I tossed my backpack toward the bear, hoping the food inside would keep it busy long enough for me to make my escape. I would have no such luck. The beast ignored my bait, instead charging straight towards me, froth dripping from its ravenous fangs. I ran toward a nearby tree, knowing that my only chance of survival would be to climb it. Just as i reached up to grab a branch, the beasts claws tore into my legs, ripping my pants to shreds in the process. A sharp pain tore through my legs, and i let out an agonizing cry that echoed through the forest. I managed to pull myself up onto the branch, just barely escaping a blow from the bear that would have severed me in two. I breathed a sigh of relief, and began to think. My only choice was to wait it out, wait for the bear to give up. For hours I sat on that branch, my legs covered in blood and aching with pain, until the beast left, taking my backpack with him as a prize.

Despite my wounds, I knew I had to press on. I had to finish what I started. I climbed back down the tree and looked up at the peak. It wasn't much further now. Each step sent a wave of pain through my legs as I made my way up. Just a bit further and I would be there. As I finally reached the peak of the mountain, an overwhelming sense of joy washed over me; I had accomplished what my friends thought I could never do. I stood there for a few moments, looking out at the vast landscape and enjoying the warmth of the sun, my wounds still aching with pain. In the distance below I could see our campsite: Dustin and Jake had set up their tents, and built a small campfire between them. I sighed in disappointment, remembering that I had no flag to place in the ground. "They won't believe I made it... not without some kind of flag," I said to myself. It was then that I looked down and realized that my pants and underwear had been completely torn off in my viscious struggle with the bear. I had found my flag. I stood atop the mountain victoriously, my penor flapping in the cool spring breeze.