Aaron has a story in mind that revolves around the characters of Ethan and Wade. Two men who live their lives isolated, trapped in their own imaginations. When one of them sparks an idea that could lead to adventure, they find their world changed forever. Why does Ethan make his choice? Where will this “Trail” ultimately end? Find out on this episode, of Smirk.
Welcome to Smirk. A podcast that covers society and culture through a storytelling lens. Part creative writing, part discussion, and always interesting. Each week our hosts brings a story to the show, a story they wrote themselves. These stories can cover any topic the host wants to discuss, it can be lighthearted or more serious. No one but the author knows if these tales are truth or fiction, and part of the fun is guessing while you’re listening before the reality is made clear.
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Want to read Aaron’s story “The Trail” in full? Think you can identify the moral or theme for this episode? Read it below, and then take a listen to the podcast.
The Trail
Ethan was kinda lazy. Day in and day out, nothing motivated Ethan more than spending yet another day immersed in an interactive wonderland. Movies, TV, games, books. Anything but reality was his drug of choice.
So, one day, Ethan wakes up and realizes he wants something else. He NEEDS something more. The problem is, he has no idea what that something actually is. He begins his daily internet searches, perusing random sites looking for intriguing concepts, and finds an idea that quickly gains his attention: backpacking.
Why backpacking, you’re probably wondering? So was Ethan. Ever since he crossed the threshold into adulthood, he had led a relatively safe and mundane life. He had no fondness for bugs or nature, little to no interest in exploring, and what little experience he had with camping typically centered around a tent approximately 45 yards from a vending machine, running water and public restrooms. What business would an out-of-shape lug of a man have, wandering a forest alone with little to no cell phone reception and living out of his back?
Upon his reading, Ethan learns that backpacking can be a fairly dangerous activity, and one someone should never attempt alone, especially for the first time. When wandering the wild, there are certain elements you need to plan in advance. Where to sleep, what to eat, how you will use the forest as your personal bathroom, avoiding bears, and most importantly, what trails to take. As stubborn as he is, Ethan is also intelligent enough to realize that if he is going to attempt this insanity, he needed help. Preferably someone with a minimum of survival skills at the ready.
He recruits one of his closest friends, Wade, to join his venture. Wade used to backpack as a teenager, and has been longing to get back in the wild. Together, Ethan and Wade put together a date, a plan, and set out to become backpackers in the UP of Michigan. In a desolate section of 90,000 acres of wilderness known as the Porcupine Mountains.
Ethan and Wade do their due diligence and research. They buy all of the necessities they seem to need: Tent, sleeping bag, food, medical kit, clothes, water purifier, portable fire, pans. They believe they are ready to go, and the next thing they know, the trip has arrived.
A long road trip leads to excitement as Ethan and Wade finally arrive at the Porkies, as the locals call it, and strap on their packs for their new adventure. Their phones no longer work, and there is nowhere to call for help if anything should happen anyway. This is as remote as it gets in the Midwest. They verify with the park rangers that the route they are taking will have sufficient water for their hike, and they arrive at the trailhead, ready for adventure. They are officially on their own.
As they begin their hike of over 20 miles of mountainous trails, Ethan begins to feel queasy. 75 lbs. on his back and little cardio in his life has seemed to do him a disservice. They are only 2 hours and a couple of miles in, and already, discomfort has arrived. There are no restrooms to hide in and no mattress to rest on, and the weather has taken a noticeable uptick, bringing with it a stark increase in the black fly population.
Black flies, the kind that bite and chew through cable wire.
Barely able to hike any reasonable distance without a bathroom break, Ethan and Wade agree to camp there for the night, rest, and start fresh in the morning. It’s a beautiful, quiet night on a lakeside, with no interference from other campers or noise of any kind. Nothing but their own thoughts and conversation to keep them company.
For all of the discomfort, Ethan and Wade realized exactly why they were here.
The next day, they loaded their overstuffed packs and headed back on the trail. Several miles later, after some beautiful scenery and solid bonding between friends, they arrived at their next campsite. A soft bed of pine needles surrounded by a running creek directly to the east of them. A serene picture found only in postcards and Nicholas Sparks novels.
As this was bear country, they hung their packs 50 feet in the air, relaxed a bit, and finally got some sleep.
The pine needles cracking woke Ethan up first. Outside this tent, very close to this barely covered hiding space, there was an animal. The breathing followed next, deep, heavy breathing. It sounded as though Darth Vader had invaded the North Woods. Whatever it was had come to their campsite, most likely on a hunt for human flesh. Ethan was fairly terrified, and possibly tinkled a little, but he kept his cool and eventually the demon in the night sauntered off into the darkness.
When Ethan and Wade awoke, the first thing they noticed were the claw marks on the tree. Overnight, SOMETHING had clawed a nearby pine tree to shreds. One could assume an animal was searching for bugs, Ethan and Wade chose to believe the devil monster was sharpening his nails for the kill, scared off only due to the 2 day lack of showers sleeping within those tent burritos.
They laughed, while secretly realizing they escaped a face-to-face with a bear, packed up and headed on their next hike. The final two days of this hike would take care of those last 12 miles, splitting them in two, as they moved up and over the mountain and back to the car where a short ride later, ice cream and cheeseburgers await.
A couple of miles traveled and something began to sink in…there was no water. Anywhere. The temperature was rising, hottest day of the year thus far, and the streams and ponds these two were promised were nowhere to be found. Not a drop. They continued their trek, ultimately running out of water, even after careful moderation.
If they were near home, this would not be a problem. Hit a gas station and refresh yourself. But this was the middle of a forest in a heatwave, with 60 lbs. on their backs and an uphill climb. There were no other campers. No convenience stores. No water supply. And what little in their bodies that remained was sweating away with each and every step.
Ethan and Wade needed to make a choice: Head back down and around to where they came, and where water was still in supply, or skip camping this night, barrel through and finish this trail, uphill, with no water to assist them. They choose the latter, and uphill into hell they went. For 10 miles. With 60 lbs. on their backs. Each man motivating the other at the slightest hint of quit.
As the trail grew steeper, the duo became quieter. No longer laughing, Ethan becomes increasingly irritable and frustrated. He understands the rules of the forest – you throw nothing on the trail, you pack out what you carry in – but he was becoming dehydrated and dizzy. As each mile passes, his faculties diminish as well. Cloudy vision, dissipating energy, exhaustion.
Halfway up the climb, Ethan caves and dropped to the ground. Wade was exhausted and dehydrated as well, but Ethan had also grossly overpacked for the trip. This weight was slowing down his ascent. Frantically, he began tossing heavy items from his backpack. This was a poor practice among backpackers, but Ethan had pondered the risks and knew he needed to do this in order to make the hike out.
As Ethan and Wade continued on and ultimately reached the peak of their hike, both realized they had lost the ability to sweat a couple miles back. No perspiration nor saliva was present for either man. They knew they were in dire straits when they finally emerged atop the trail head.
They pushed each other with every ounce of energy, small steps felt like they took hours, and it took all of their remaining will just to get to their car, but they made it, together. They also guzzled as much water as they had handy. 2 gallons between the two of them were emptied as both men waited to feel some semblance of normalcy again.
As the feeling of life eventually seeped back into their core, the men waddled back over to the trailhead and looked down at the 10 miles of sheer hell they had just endured. If they told their friends, many would just laugh and say it was no big deal, but both Ethan and Wade knew the truth. They had just brushed death’s door.
And as they looked down at this trail, eventually the exhaustion gave way to relief, which led to an odd sense of accomplishment. When their eyes met again, they both knew exactly what this meant: they simply HAD to do this again!
Now, listen to the full episode as we dissect Aaron’s story.