Mount Merbuk.

Mount Merbuk. This was ok, but what shook me was that I had to be a minimum of 8-12 kilometers off the mark of where I thought I was. I vaguely remember the mountain. Not because it was a big mountain but because it was highlighted on the map. This was interesting because it is not very tall and not visited.

That would explain why there are not many people around. Also explained why people would take much longer than I had thought to rescue us. What I was not sure about was, how did we get so far from our original destination. I was not a good navigator, but Steve was.

My only guess was that our GPS signal had to be way, way off in order for us to drift off course by that much. This also meant that the rescue effort or the help I was waiting for may also experience similar issues. This was a terrifying thought, but I did have these people here and eventually, I had hoped they could help me get back to civilization.

The rain kept coming down. I don’t remember how or when I fell asleep, but I felt my eyes shut on their own and do not recall falling asleep. I woke up to terrible thunder outside and 2 pairs of eyes staring at me while a candle burned on the small table in the room.

Had they been watching me sleep all this time? Creepy, I thought to myself. Then I truly questioned the weather. Yes, I was alive, fed, and somewhat comfortable, I needed to get out there and look for Steve, and get back home.

I fell asleep once more and woke up with the sun in my eyes and realized the rain was over and done with. I got up and stepped outside. This was the first time I was well enough, strong enough and not raining since my hosts graciously accepted, rescued, or saved me.