Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Diary of a Struggling Student Entry Eight



Aug. 23, 2016

Dear Diary,

Here is the plan:

We will set the pulleys up on the tree that was used to tie the tube when it got pulled through the portal.  We will run the rope through the pulleys tying one end to the tube and the other end we will be pulling on to take the tube back through the portal.  It isn’t that far as the original rope was not that long.  I just hope the portal opens in the same place each time.

Once we have completed that task, we will go to the water, get in and get on the tube.  As soon as the water starts to rush, we will pull like crazy.

“Wait,” he said.  “How do we even know if the water will start to rush?  What if it doesn’t and all we do is let them know where we are and that we are still alive?”

“Sometimes you just have to count on the pattern repeating.”  I can’t believe I was using the words my math teacher used.  “Look for the pattern and you will often find the solution.”  The pattern was when either one of us got in the water, it began to rush.

“What if the tube tips over?  We will be washed downstream and all will be lost.”

“We will need to secure ourselves to the tube.  Consider that our lifeline.  We will go where the tube goes and that is out of here!”

“What if the current is so strong it pulls the line right out of our hands?”

“That can’t happen because the pulley piece I am using with us is one way.  When you pull the rope through it locks and it can’t go back through.  You keep pulling.  That is what rock climbers depend on.  Until they release the rope, it can never go back through.”

“You do realize if this does not work, we will not get a second chance.  They will be coming for us and know exactly where we are.  Even if the water stops rushing, we will not get away.  They will be waiting and get us before we can get out of the water.  Do you trust your plan enough to risk your life?”

“I know that you have to try in order to succeed.  There is risk with everything but taking the risk is better than giving up.  I do not want to stay here forever and watch other people getting pulled in and eliminated.”

I just realized, I had not seen anyone or heard anyone go by since I got here.  To have all those backpacks means a lot of people passed through.  There were a lot of backpacks.  Just how long had he been here?  Do I ask the questions or just get us out of here?  If he gets cold feet or backs out of the plan because of the questions I ask, I don’t think my chances alone are as good as together.  I decided to ask the questions once we were on the other side.  Truth is; if we don’t make it, it won’t matter.

“What do you say, go or stay?”  I asked.

“When are we going?”

I must admit I wasn’t sure that was the answer I was going to get.

“We leave tomorrow morning.   We will set everything up before it gets dark and have it ready to go in the morning.”  I really did not want to try this in the dark.

“Okay.  I will help you after I take a look around the perimeter.”

“Great, I will go with you to check the perimeter and then we get to work.”

“No, you should stay and get everything together.  I won’t be long and we need to get this done before dark.  I do not want to be near the water at dark.”

Something was not right and I knew it.  I mean, this is like a movie where you say to the actors, “How could you be so dumb?  Check in the closet or under the bed or don’t go into the dark house.” 

Was I really being that stupid?  I decided I was going to the perimeter no matter what the outcome.

“Actually, I will go with you and if we don’t finish before dark then we will go the following day.”

The only problem, he didn’t hear me say that because when I looked up to say it, he was gone!

So, here I am getting it ready and tomorrow morning we will go.

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Diary of a Struggling Student Entry Seven

Aug. 17, 2016

Dear Diary,

Well knowing how to use a pulley system and making a pulley system is not the same thing.  I figured just hook them up together and pull.  Well that didn’t work.  I used 7 pulleys and thought that was too many but I wanted to make sure it would work.  I tied myself to one end and hooked the pulleys to a big branch.  I pulled to see if I could raise myself up off the ground and that did not work.  I figured it was because of the angle of my pulling so I had my new friend pull and see if he could raise me off the ground.  NO, NO, and NO.  It looked so easy when I watched people pull engines out of cars and move a shed to the other side of the yard.  Think about a bike and how when you change speeds it makes it easier to pedal.  Well this did not work.  Now I realize it is how and where you place the pulleys in the system that makes it work.  I am not even going to tell you what I had to do and how long it took me to figure that out.  But, now I can pick myself up off the ground and there are more than 15 pulleys involved in the setup.  Remember, we have to pull against the current.

Now we had to figure out where my friend came out of the water.  I needed to know because he said his tube was tied to a tree and he didn’t go very far downstream.  If we tied the rope to the same tree and got in the water where he got out, then we know we would definitely have crossed the portal when we reached the tree.  Then, when the portal closed, we would be on the side where we both started.

This all sounds good but I quickly found out that building the pulley system was the easiest part. 

Here is what happened when I announced my plan:

I said, “We need to make sure we set up the pulley system using the tree that you had tied your tube to when you ended up here.  We will tie one end of the rope to the tube and then thread it through the system and we will climb on the tube and pull the other end.  You know, like hand over hand.”

Well the look on his face was one of absolute shock!  His face got red and I thought he was going to explode.  Well he did sort of explode, at me! 

“Are you really that stupid?  We did all this work and now you tell me that we are going to get into the water and go upstream against a current that is raging?  I can’t believe I have wasted my time with you and that you are that, that, that, that STUPID!!!”

If he hadn’t been yelling at me I think I would have laughed.  I have never seen anyone so mad.  He walked, or no, he stormed away and I could hear him even though he wasn’t saying a word.  I now understand what they mean when they say body language.  It comes through loud and clear.

He kept walking right out of the campsite and into the woods.  I thought maybe he would stop when he got to the next state, if there was a next state.  He sounded like a moose going through the woods.  Did I say he was mad?

Now what?  I could try it alone but then I would take his only way of getting out of here with me.  He didn’t want to go, so really, I wouldn’t be taking anything that he would actually use.  If it worked and he saw it work, then the problem would be he couldn’t do it because I had the tube.  That would be awful.

“HAVE YOU LEARNED NOTHING WHILE YOU HAVE BEEN HERE!”

I went at least 10 feet into the air.  He scared the life out of me and I won’t write what I said.  Talk about red marks on my paper, I would be thrown out!  Once I could breathe, I turned and said, “You don’t have to holler, I am right here.”  (You know, it is fun to use these adult sayings.  I’m gonna have to listen more closely and pick up a few more.)  I really wanted to punch him in the … oh off topic. 
 
How did he get behind me without my hearing him?

“Look, we both worked hard on this and I think we both need to calm down before we continue.  You will know when you are calm enough to speak to me when you stop using the word ‘STUPID’.”

With that I turned and walked away.  I went over to the fire and sat down.  I found some of the trail mix from the supplies and ate that.  I really wasn’t interested in the nuts and raisins; I wanted the M&Ms.  Chocolate does settle my nerves. (I do just love these adult expressions.  Settle my nerves, like you could really do that.)  Chocolate just tastes good and that makes me feel good.

When I did look back where he was, surprise, surprise, he was gone.  This time I figured I would walk around the perimeter of the camp to see just what was out there.  I realized I had never gone beyond the campsite since I got here.  Everything we did was right in this area.  Well, today that was going to change.

I thought I will take some of the supplies with me just in case I get lost.  I wasn’t going to go far, but you should never go into the woods on an unknown trail without supplies.  I put the back pack on and headed to the area where he had gone the last time sounding like a moose.  I just started into the woods when I saw him walking toward me.  How was that for timing or was it?

“Let’s go back to the campsite and talk.  I promise not to yell or call you... you know.”

I said, “You go ahead, I am going to take a walk and clear my head.” (Like anyone can really clear their head!)

“No.  Let’s go back and talk about this now while I am still willing to listen.”

Was he trying to keep me from going into the woods?  Was there something there that he was so anxious to keep me from seeing that he would listen to a plan he called stupid?  I stood for a minute and decided, getting home was more important.

“Come on,” I said.  “But this time you have to listen to the whole plan and then discuss it like an adult.”  (At least I could get in that one last jab!)

Friday, August 12, 2016

Diary of a Struggling Student entry Six



Aug. 12, 2016

Dear Diary,

The plot thickens.  I always wanted to say that!

“How is your head feeling?” he asked.

I just about jumped out of my skin.  I was watching the whole area and there was no way he could have gotten this close to me without my seeing him.

“Where did you come from?” I screamed.  “What is going on around here?” 

He looked shocked and said, “I came from over there and thought you saw me.  I saw you looking all around.

“I didn’t see you and there is no way you could get from there to here without me seeing you!”

“I didn’t mean to scare you.  Sorry,” he said.

I just looked at him.  I know I didn’t see him and he couldn’t get over here without me seeing him.  Yet, here he was in front of me.  Could I just have missed him?  Was I day dreaming?  Something just doesn’t feel right.

“Where were you?  We got to the site and then suddenly you were gone.”

“I gave you the icepack and thought I would make sure the site was secure.  I do that several times a day.  So far, they have not come away from the water, but who knows when they will.  I walked around the perimeter (Like that word? It is a math term.) to make sure there were no signs of anyone or anything crossing into our site.”

I handed back the icepack as my head was feeling better.  It wasn’t bleeding and the headache was gone.  I had to figure a way to get out of here and back to my family campsite.

“I think we need to figure out a way to get back home,” I said.

“I told you, there is no way to go back.  The portal opens when the water is rushing downstream and there is no way you could possibly go upstream against the current.”

“You need to change your attitude.  I had a teacher once who said there are many ways to ‘skin a cat’. (That is okay to say but not the other word for eliminate!  Personally, skinning a cat sounds disgusting and then to add different ways to do it?!?!)  He would always tell us to look at the problem and use the skills we are good at and then figure a way to use them to solve the problem.  We get stuck when we try to use a method we don’t understand.”

“So, what are you thinking?”

“I am very good with outdoor activities like camping, hiking, climbing and survival.  I learned a lot from my dad and also doing those activities.  You said that you had tied a rope to a tube and the rope kept you from going too far downstream.  Do you still have the tube and the rope?”

“Yes, but I told you that I could not pull myself back because the portal was not opened.  I ended up doing the same thing you did.  You walked back up stream but never got back to where you entered the water.  The portal is the only way back.  The current is way too strong to go upstream.”

“The actual problem here is how to go upstream when there is a very strong current going downstream.  That is the problem to solve.  Do you think if we both got on the tube and pulled on the rope that we would be able to fight the current and move upstream?”

“No, even with both of us pulling, we would not be able to make it.  It would be way too hard.”

“So now the problem is how to make the pulling upstream easier.  If we could figure a way to make the pulling easier, we would be able to move upstream.”

“How do you plan on doing that?  When there are two of us on the tube, it will be heavier than with one.  We do not have the strength to do what you are thinking.”

“You are right, we don’t.  But, I have seen people lift and move very heavy things with the aid of pulleys.”

“How does that work?”

“Don’t ask me to explain a pulley system, but I know how to use it!  The question is; where can we get some pulleys?

“I can help with that.  The hikers who do rock climbing have them in their packs.  They are not that big, does it matter?”

“No, it will be how we set them up and then how many we will need.  We also need to know exactly where you came out of the water.  You said you were just inside the portal, so we want to get as close as we can to the opening so we don’t have far to go.”

“I know exactly where I came out of the water.”

“Now that the cat is skinned, we have work to do.”

“But, how are you going to get the portal to open?”

“I have an idea and you are not going to like it. So, let’s build the pulley system and then move to the next step.  You do still have the tube, right?”

“Yes.”

I feel like Dorothy – I am going home!

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Diary of a Strugggling Student Entry Five



August 9, 2016

Dear Diary,

The story continues:

I am heading to the water!  Why am I going to the water?

Great, now I can’t see, my legs won’t move and my head hurts.  I can taste dirt in my mouth.  I realize my eyes are closed and I open them.  I am laying face down on the ground.  I roll over and see a face looking at me.  “What happened?” I asked.

“You were heading to the water and I needed to stop you.  I was afraid if we made any noise they would know we were here.  I didn’t know what else to do so I picked up a rock and hit you over the head,” he said.

“Did you think maybe just telling me to stop would have been enough?”

“I didn’t dare speak or make noise.  They don’t know I am still here.  Why were you going to the water?  You know that they want to hurt you.”

“I couldn’t stop my feet from going to the water after they told me to come to them. It was very strange and like I had no control.”

“That is why I hit you.  I didn’t know what else to do.  Once you were unconscious, I don’t think they could sense you.  They stayed around calling for awhile and then left.”

“What do you mean awhile?  How long was I out?”

“Quite a while, I thought maybe I killed you.  That was pretty scary.”

“I don’t know whether to thank you or slug you.  My head really hurts and there seems to be some dried blood back there.”

“Hold on, and I will get you an icepack.  That will help ease some of the pain.”

“Where are you going to get an icepack?”

“I have lots of them.  They come in pretty handy around here.”

“Wait, are you telling me there is a drug store around here?”

“No, there are no stores out here.”

“Then, where did you get the icepacks?”

“Remember when I said there were others that were taken but you were the first that I tried to help?  Well many of the others were backpackers doing the Appalachian Trail or hikers climbing the mountain.  When they entered the water and got pulled in, they naturally got out of their backpacks in order to have a better chance to fight the current and save themselves.  The backpacks washed up on the edge of the water or got caught on a branch and I got them out and took them to my camp.  I never opened a backpack until several days had passed just in case the owner had made it out of the water.  No one ever did come looking for their backpack.  You would be amazed at what people carry.  Nothing that is extra but they have emergency supplies and food that doesn’t go bad.  Lots of nuts and dried fruit, beef jerky and stuff like that.  I even have a couple of tents and sleeping bags.  Once I dried them out, they have come in pretty handy.  Let’s go.  My camp is very close by.”

I got up and followed him back to his camp.  I was very surprised at what I saw.  There were lots of backpacks and everything you would need to camp.  This included: pots and pans, canteens, lighters, tin dishes and cups, clothes, hats, gloves, rope, emergency kits and food.  I couldn’t help but wonder just how many people had gone by.  Were all these people really dead –I mean eliminated?  Why did he choose to help me and not any of the others?
 
I turned to ask that very question and he was gone.  How could that be?  I followed him to the site and then glanced around and now he is gone.  How is it he can move and not make noise?  I thought, I need to find out a little more about this guy.  I will sit in the middle of the open space with this icepack on my head and see him when he returns to the camp.  I will also see “how” he returns to the camp.  And now, the wait begins…