It was so innocent starting. That’s how it always is, isn’t it? Every little decision no matter how small takes you to where you are right now. As I’m writing this note I’m standing in the middle of a patch of woods in the Appalachian wilderness. The night is going to fall, and by morning I will either meet her again, or I will no longer stand.
My name is Colt Whitman, I was a geologist studying at Duke University, and for my final project, I decided to go to the Appalachian mountains to do a study on the rock formations and geography there. Me and a small group of ten students, led by a faculty member, went hiking into the woods almost ten years ago. This is the story of how N’yala changed me, stripped me of my humanity. Nature can be scary.
It was a sunny fall day, I finished packing my backpack and started to head out to the charter bus. My phone rang. The caller ID was my dad.
“Hey, Dad, what’s up?”
“Just checking on you,” his warm voice came through the speaker. “About to go on that trip?”