The Year Without Summer: A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller Page 4

  Myers raised his eyes as he plunked down an orange cone. Logan looked at him and then apologized. “Look, I’m sorry. Just a little on edge today.”

  “You know, I’ve been meaning to speak to you. Just… it’s never been the right time. I was sorry to hear what happened to Jenna, Logan. She was one of the good ones.”

  He nodded thinking back to the way she made him feel. The way she could walk into a room and capture the attention of those around her. He couldn’t believe she was gone. In the days and weeks after the incident he’d tried to make sense of what had happened. He’d contacted Yellowstone’s geologist, Hank Peters, and had him look into the river with the belief that perhaps the caldera beneath the park had moved and increased in size but that idea was dismissed. According to Hank it was nothing more than a transient geologic phenomenon because the water was no longer roiling and the venting had stopped.

  Logan didn’t believe him.

  Although he wasn’t one to buy into conspiracy theories, especially about Yellowstone, he couldn’t help wonder if the recent multiple earthquakes and the Steamboat Geyser eruption wasn’t a sign that the major tectonic plates beneath the earth’s surface had shifted. Like many in the park, he was well aware that seismic activity, ground deformation and increased gas outlet at the surface were the three warning signs of an imminent eruption. And despite having disagreed with Jenna’s father in the past over the safety and effectiveness of the park’s emergency evacuation plan or lack thereof — the truth was the park didn’t have one. How could they? The park was too vast. Cell reception was spotty, and besides the twelve campgrounds there were another 300 backcountry campsites scattered throughout the park’s 2.2 million acres. It would have been like trying to evacuate a small country. He’d been informed at the beginning of his career that if anyone were to ask about an eruption of the caldera, he was to explain that the YVO (Yellowstone Volcano Observatory) had highly advanced equipment at forty-six stations that would alert them months before it happened. And while he believed the system was effective at monitoring, that didn’t mean it was foolproof. Logan thought back to his discussion with Hank.

  “Logan, volcanoes are erupting all the time around the USA and most don’t cause deaths. We have technology today that gives us warning signs. We’ve learned from the past and the ones we are watching today are well monitored and our ability to interpret these signals and anticipate future activity is improving. What I’m trying to say is that the chance of the caldera unzipping completely is slim to none. It’s more likely to be a small eruption.”

  “But it’s possible.”

  Hank groaned. “Anything is possible. Look, generally we don’t get a warning when it comes to small hydrothermal explosions because water can flash to steam quickly but before a lava flow, there is usually weeks or months of activity. We are talking about lots of earthquakes, tens of thousands, and a considerable amount of ground motion.”

  Logan replied, “Okay, but that’s based on a natural eruption. What if it wasn’t natural?”

  Hank frowned. “Okay, now you’ve lost me.”

  “NASA,” Logan interjected.

  He chuckled. “What have they got to do with it?”

  “C’mon, Hank. I know about the drilling project that the USGS and NASA are working on. It’s meant to cool down the magma chamber, right?”

  “I don’t know where you heard that. NASA has no role in the YVO, or in Yellowstone monitoring.”

  Logan pursed his lips. “Really? Are you sure about that?”

  He paused to give him the opportunity to rethink his answer. Seeing that he wasn’t going to expand on it, Logan jumped straight back in. “Then maybe you can explain why NASA’s website has an entire section on Yellowstone. It says they are using Landsat satellites to track the caldera’s underground heat. The Landsat Program is managed by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey.”

  “Well that’s news to me.”

  Logan raised his eyebrows. “Just like the visits we’ve had over the last year?”

  “Those were scientists from the NASA Research Center. They are doing research into living things.”

  “Really? And might that also include preparations for drilling?”

  He scoffed. “You are reaching. Why don’t you leave the study of the caldera to us and you focus on guiding those tourists around the park.”

  Logan hadn’t liked his condescending tone. The information was out there for everyone to see, and there had been enough rumors swirling about scientists from NASA showing up in the park over the past year that it was pretty obvious they weren’t there just to study organisms.

  “Alright, well at least tell me this. What are the chances of survival if the caldera erupts?”

  “Sweet Lord. Drop it. I think you already know. There is no engineering solution to an eruption. Your best bet would be to not be anywhere near here when it does.”

  “All well and good if you get the heads-up.”

  “You’re overthinking this, Logan. It would take a swarm of thousands, maybe tens of thousands above M5 and those would have to be concentrated before we start sweating. For example, located in eastern California is the Long Valley Caldera. Back in 1980 there were four M6 events, and three occurred in the same day. Yep, Long Valley has a system just like Yellowstone. But here’s the thing… no eruption occurred. Earthquakes, yes, eruption, no. Now back in 2017 there was the Maple Creek swarm here in Yellowstone, which included 2,400 earthquakes between June and September, and one of those was an M4. Lo and behold, we are still here. It’s important you understand this, Logan, because otherwise you are going to be like all those gullible people out on the internet writing articles that have no basis in fact. We would need to see thousands upon thousands of earthquakes, many of those would need to be felt, and there would have to be lots of strong ground deformation over a period of days to weeks before we started sweating. Having earthquakes and deformation at a place like Mount St. Helens would be cause for concern but in Yellowstone, it’s just par for the course because that’s how this system behaves. Every volcano is different and it takes years of studying each of them to understand their patterns of behavior. If we raised an alarm at the first sign of an earthquake it wouldn’t just be damaging to the park system, but it would raise trust issues with the public and you know what that can lead to?”

  “Crying wolf?” Logan said.

  “Ignoring future warnings. You got it. That’s why the YVO is monitoring around the clock. You have nothing to worry about, and as for the river boiling, it has nothing to do with the caldera.”

  With that said he turned and walked away.

  Logan’s attention returned to the present.

  As Logan finished erecting the remaining sign, he heard a voice come over the radio. “Here, take this, Myers, I’ll be right back.” He handed off two more cones and strolled over to the truck. He leaned in through the window and scooped up the microphone.

  “Go ahead.”

  “Logan, what’s your location?” Hayden asked.

  “Near Firehole Falls. Why?”

  “I’m on my way to Grand Canyon. We’ve got a guy who went over. I’ve been in contact with Grand Teton for the use of the helicopter but I’ll be there before they manage to get the bird in the air.”

  Yellowstone had its own Grand Canyon, it was located around forty minutes east of him and thirty minutes north of the lake. If a hiker went missing or if someone needed rescuing, the park maintained a dedicated SAR rescue vehicle and had an agreement with Grand Teton National Park for the use of their helicopter and rescue team if need be. The SAR team was mostly made up of park rangers and they had all been trained in wilderness rescue techniques, water rescue and specialized high-angle rescue.

  “You got the SAR vehicle?” Logan asked.

  “Yep.”

  He heard Hayden honk his horn. He was doing it either at tourists or bison.

  “Anyone else with you?” Logan asked.

  “Unfortunately no. I
t seems those two assholes are back at it again this year. So our guys are trying to track them down. They were last seen wingsuit diving off Mount Washburn. I tell you, man, if get my hands on them, they are toast.”

  Logan ran a hand over his face and stared out at the vast expanse of Douglas fir trees that lined the road. He already knew whom Hayden was referring to. While the rangers had come close to catching them last year, they always managed to elude them. So when Hayden mentioned Mount Washburn, he knew there were only two guys who had the balls to go wingsuit diving at that location.

  Logan grimaced. “Alright, I’m on my way.”

  He twisted and shouted to Myers. “I’ve got to go.”

  “But how do you want me to handle this?”

  Myers was still wet behind the ears. He’d only been with the park for a month and so he was still trying to find his feet.

  “It’s being handled. A maintenance crew will show up soon.”

  “Soon? Like minutes, hours, days?”

  Logan was already in the vehicle and had fired it up. He veered around the melting road and stayed on the hard shoulder gunning the engine. A dry swirling mass of dirt and grit billowed up behind the SUV as he switched on the emergency lights and hit the siren.

  Chapter 4

  The pale stone of the Grand Canyon cut through Yellowstone’s vast greenery. Thousands of tourists flocked to see the spectacular sight that was divided into the Upper, Lower and Crystal Falls. The first large canyon on the Yellowstone River, it was close to twenty-four miles long and three quarters of a mile wide, with depths ranging from 800 to 1,200 feet. Visitors would usually show up at the brink of the lower falls, or head over to Red Rock Point or Artist Point, or position themselves along the South Rim Trail to take photos. When Logan pulled up, Hayden had already brought out ropes and tied them off to a tree and sign. He glanced over the edge and raised his eyebrows. Curious onlookers watched while two more rangers tried to keep them back.

  “Is he alive?” Logan asked hurrying over and giving him a hand with the rest of the rope.

  “Oh he’s alive. Lucky guy dropped twenty-five feet and landed in a crevice. I expect he’s pretty broken up though.”

  “How did it happen?”

  “How do you think?”

  Logan shook his head. “Selfie.”

  “Bingo. Damn guy was trying to take a snapshot of the sign over there when he toppled over the stone barrier. The only reason he didn’t die was he managed to brace himself in the crevice down there.”

  Logan looked over. The sound of water crashing at the bottom of the falls was loud, and a large spray of mist blew up in his face.

  “Seems like we were here only last week.”

  “Seems that way, don’t it?” Hayden said. He was all geared up in yellow with a red hard hat on. He had climbing gear over his shoulder and was making sure the ropes were tight. Yellowstone was a notorious place for accidents. Most of them shouldn’t have occurred but those that did weren’t because of a grizzly or a bison attacking, it was usually people not reading signs, straying from the footpaths or trying to capture a snapshot for their social media accounts.

  “You going over?” Logan asked.

  “Yeah, I tried dropping the rope down for him to secure it to the pulley system but he’s too panicked. I hope that helicopter gets here soon. By the way,” he slapped him on the chest, “it’s good to see you again, buddy. Haven’t heard from you since you took that position.”

  Logan nodded. “Yeah,” he said looking down at the guy below. Their friendship had kind of gone by the wayside since Jenna’s death. Hayden blamed himself, saying that he shouldn’t have invited them into the water in the first place, but he wasn’t to blame, no one was. They’d been there countless times before without issue. It was a freak accident; at least that’s what the geologists would say. Still, the strain of losing her made conversation between the two of them tense at times. It might not have been a problem but Hayden kept bringing up the incident and acting all apologetic and Logan just wanted to forget it. It was like reliving a bad nightmare. Even though law enforcement still worked with the general rangers, the move over to that department had made a huge difference. He no longer had to have Hayden ask how he was doing every day, or turn him down when he and Allison invited him for dinner. In truth he felt like a third wheel around them and working with Hayden only served to remind him of that daily.

  “So what you been up to?” Hayden asked.

  “Let’s just get this guy up. Look, stay here, I’ll get the rope attached to the pulley and then you can come down and help me get him on the rescue litter. Just make sure you keep a firm hold while I go down.”

  “You sure?”

  Logan nodded.

  “You always were better at this.”

  Logan returned to the rescue truck, slipped into some climbing gear and returned a few minutes later to go over the stone barrier. He began abseiling down the cliff face. Hayden stayed at the top to make sure he was secure until he reached the victim. Down below Logan could hear the man groaning in agony. He looked to be in his early twenties. He had dark hair and was wearing a jean jacket and blue shorts. Logan glanced at his legs that were torn up and bleeding. His girlfriend leaned against the barrier at the top and was sobbing her heart out.

  In the distance Logan heard the sound of a chopper.

  “Please hurry,” the man yelled.

  Logan tried to reassure the man while he worked his way down the rocky cliff. “It’s okay, sir. We’ll have you out of here in no time.”

  The crash of rushing water far below reminded him that all it took was one slip and Hayden could very well be doing a double rescue. Injuries in the park were on the rise with the introduction of selfie sticks and people trying to capture that unforgettable experience. Sadly twenty-two people had lost their lives and many more had injured themselves, including three employees who jumped into a hot spring at night, thinking it was a small stream. And that was just the ones that were reported. It was common to have people experience thermal burns but not notify anyone. All the incidents he’d been called out to over the years came back to him as a few rocks crumbled away from the rock face and disappeared. Then of course there were the grizzly attacks. Those were nasty. There had been eight since the early 1980s but that didn’t dissuade tourists from flocking to the backcountry areas where they were often seen.

  The sound of a chopper could be heard closing in on their location.

  “How you doing?” Hayden yelled.

  Logan gave the thumbs-up. Sweat trickled off his brow as he let more rope out and eased his way down. It didn’t take long to reach the guy. He was bracing his body and feet on the opposing sides of the crevice. Below him was a 200-foot drop. A few inches to his right and they would have been bringing him up in a body bag.

  “Hey there,” Logan said upon reaching him.

  “I think I’ve broken my hip and possibly a rib or two, and…” He motioned with a nod to his left leg where a large chunk of flesh had been torn away

  “How do your legs feel?”

  “Painful but I don’t think they are broken.”

  “You really are lucky, you know that? What’s your name?”

  “Jason. Jason White.”

  “Well Jason, I’ll have you out of here in a jiffy but I need to get these ropes and pulleys in place first. You okay there?” Initially Logan kept his distance as he’d seen from past experience how easily people could flip out. Fear had a way of driving people to react in a crazy manner and he couldn’t afford any mistakes.

  Jason nodded.

  Logan inched his way over until he was able to slide a drag and lift harness around him. Because Jason could move his body, it was clear he hadn’t injured his spine. Well, that’s what Logan was hoping.

  “Now I’m going to have to lean you back a bit here.”

  “Am I going to fall?”

  “No. Just take a deep breath.”

  Logan looked up as he began gettin
g him into the harness. It was tricky because of the crevice. Usually they used these on flat surfaces. Essentially the harness would keep his arms and legs from slipping. His body would press back against the orange stretcher, then Logan would attach a pulley to the top and they’d be able to pull him up without the use of the helicopter.

  If Jason had been further down they would have probably brought the helicopter down and hauled him out but they were only twenty-five feet away from the top.

  “Alright we got arms in, I just need to secure your legs and…”

  Logan felt the cliff face shudder. Small rocks gave away and trickled down like water. He glanced up at Hayden for a second before there was another tremor, this time three times harder than before. An earthquake shook the cliff so violently that Logan lost his footing and both of them slipped down another ten feet. The whine of rope made Logan’s heart jump into his throat. Jason let out a loud cry as they dropped and then jolted to a stop. If it hadn’t been for Hayden, and another ranger at the top, there was a good chance they would have dropped even further. They slammed against the face of the cliff twice before coming to rest.

  “I thought you said I was safe?”

  Logan paid no attention to him; instead he placed a hand against the cliff to brace himself, and another around Jason.

  “Get us up!” he yelled.

  Within minutes they were hauled to the top. The rescue team loaded Jason and his girlfriend into the helicopter and took off for the closest hospital.

  “I knew it. Those guys in Grand Teton National Park said this might happen,” Hayden said as Logan took a minute or so to catch his breath and slip out of the climbing gear. He didn’t immediately respond because his mind was still chewing it over, along with the melted road. Hayden continued. “Logan. Logan! Did you hear me?”

  “Yeah.” He looked at him and then over to a crowd of tourists who were ushered away by a ranger. “What has Grand Teton got to do with this?”

  “I was chatting with a ranger buddy of mine a few days ago. He said that a 100-foot fissure opened up in the rocks over the weekend down there so they’ve closed off certain areas to the tourists. They think it’s related to the caldera.”