This is not how this adventure was supposed to end…

CONGRATULATIONS KATIE ❤️

Staring at the banner, the noise in her Tribeca loft was a blur. She needed a change of scenery. She was eighteen years past due to take a gap year. Approaching forty it was time to take some “me time”.

Katie was sad to see her baby absorbed by a major monster. Her boutique marketing firm landed its first seven figure client while still finishing her MBA at UW Foster School of Business college.

The nine figure buy out eased the pain.

Robert, a rising star on Wall Street, took some convincing. After a few more drinks, Katie planted the idea of taking the time off and returning to start his own firm. He could monitor trades from the trail.

Katie’s sudden cash influx shifted their financial status, exponentially. He showered congratulations, but Katie sensed Robert’s wounded ego. It was poorly disguised.

They had discussed marriage, many times, in passing, each being more serious than the other at various points in the relationship.

Children? NO! Their post Sunday Brunch ritual included mocking stressed out parents in Washington Square park.

But for the first time, Katie took a breath. She remembered a time swimming in rivers, climbing rocky bluffs, and riding horses. She wasn’t always a New York It Girl. She wasn’t always addicted to the hustle.

Her best friend from college, Cynthia was already dating her future third former husband, her latest guiding light. When not held together by her latest anchor, Cynthia was in and out of rehab.

Had she remain, Katie imagined a similar life. That fear of failure, of becoming Cynthia, drove the engine. She was a force.

Steve, a self proclaimed guru, a hippie in yuppie garb, was living off the proceeds of his numerous self published books and consulting business.

As the crowd weened, the foursome cracked one more bottle of Moet.

“You two should join us,” Katie suggested.

“Sounds fun,” Steve agreed. “It could be great research for my next book.”

“I can’t, we can’t afford,” but Cynthia was cut off…

“Nonsense!” Katie whipped out her black AMEX with a grin.”Let’s go see some trees!”

“Fine! Let’s do it!” Robert popped up. “Tomorrow. I say we go tomorrow.”

After a few laughs they decided forty eight hours still recklessness enough to seem spontaneous yet more prudent. With airfare booked and dawn approaching, Cynthia and Steve crawled into their guest loft.

“I’m pretty sure he’s a drug dealer!” Robert complained.

“She needs this more than I do” Katie whispered as she rolled over, knowing what Robert needed to close this deal.

After a couple days in Atlanta gathering supplies, they reached Springer Mountain, Georgia on the first day of Spring. Katie posted a selfie with hash tag “#newbeginnings”

From day one the boys were in competition. But there was none. Steve turned out to be quite the asset. Katie was a former girl scout, but her outdoor skilled were a distant past. Cynthia is always a party but little help in any situation.

Meanwhile, Robert didn’t like being called a Kennebunkport Eagle Scout, but Katie knew what Steve meant. A cousin to the Kennedys, Robert’s warrior skills in the board room did not translate well to the wilderness.

Steve was a gentleman. Any lesser man would have punched Robert weeks ago. Cynthia smiled a lot trying not to flame each daily fire.

After the first eight weeks, six hundred miles, Katie was ready to call it quits as they stumbled into Pearisburg, Virginia. Taking a much needed break from granola life, Katie milked every moment of the B&B life for forty eight hours.

Steve questioned, “I’m pretty sure a SPA day ruins the thru-Hike cred.

Katie quipped, “I’ll risk it.”

The second night, Robert and Katie dined with Parker Billings and his wife. Once Robert’s Mentor, Robert joked that Parker had given up the good life to be a hippie teacher in the back woods. Taking it all in stride, Parker cherished the slower pace of southwest Virginia but retorted, “Teaching high school is far more stressful than Wall Street.”

Now a professor at Virginia Tech, Parker had hiked this portion of the Trail many times. “If you follow this creek,” pointing at the map, ”just two miles west off the main trail, there’s a waterfall few humans have seen, and a swimming hole. It will change your life. GPS won’t find it. I’ll draw you a map.” 

Back on the trail, Robert insisted taking the lead. Gung ho, he seemed less reinvingorated, and more in need of something to prove.

“Male Ego strikes again?” Cynthia breathed to Katie

“That’s a Tuesday for Mr. I’ve Got This,” Katie was less and less amused.

Two days later they woke up early to crackling thunder. They are not where they thought they were. They were lost. 

Steve said, “I told you that was the wrong creek.” But he was done arguing with the New York hot head. “Let’s follow this until we find some remnants of civilization.”

“Come on,” Robert insisted his way. “That way is a B-line back to the trail. Retracting steps is so redundant. If you enjoy the moment, avoid panic, are you truly ever lost?:

“YES!” All three screamed.

“Oh so you arr with them now?” TKO for Robert’s ego.

In New York they liked the same restaurants, the same plays, the same politics. She had seen his ugly side before but never trained on her. She had wasted too much time on this narcissist.

“Both of you are fired.” Cynthia, who usually let the boys be boys finally spoke up. “We should have found the trail by now. I nominate Katie to take charge.”

“Fine by me.” Katie knew how to take charge. “We follow the river, we go down the slope. Survival 101. Eventually we will hit a trading post. Or a sign, or maybe even a small town.”

The second she had cell service, UBER and a first class ticket back to the Big Apple. She had seen enough trees, rivers and scat for a lifetime. She included Robert in the latter.

125,000,000 is enough to live the life and never have to work again. She would grow old as one of those upper east side debutants on the board of every museum and non profits in town. Maybe she’ll write a book. Millions of wannabes will read it because they wannabe her. Bethenny Frankel who?

Steve interrupted thoughts and arguments with, “Compass is going nuts.”

“Let me see it,” Robert snatched from Steve’s hand. 

“Great, you broke it, now what?” Cynthia screeched as the compass bounced off the rocks. 

All three were at each other’s throats.

“Quiet, everyone!” Katie heard something.

The forest was thick, blocking out most of the sun. There was a rustling in the underbrush, close, all around, from different sides. Multiple sides.

As the four stood back to back to back to back, picking up a stick, unshesthing a knife, when….

“Heeeellllppppp!” Steve screamed in terror. “Somethings got me!

As the other three turned, he was dragged out of sight. Cynthia screamed as his head and hands disappeared into the thickets.

“Quiet. Listen.” Katie tried to calm her friend.

Don’t panic! You panic? You die. Hopefully her high school lifeguard training would pay off this many miles from the ocean. Steve was panicking.

“Robert, help him.”

Just as Robert got the courage to maybe do something, there was a crunch, a painful moan and then Steve went silent. They All went silent.

Robert decided it was time to take charge again. “I have no idea what just happened, but I think Steve is gone. We only have one option. Run!”

Robert started in the opposite direction of Steve’s assumed end. Katie and Cynthia followed close behind for nearly a mile until Robert stopped at a tree. He gestured to his ear and pointed. Down the hill was the sound of rushing waters. Katie and Cynthia took off until they heard a loud gasp. 

As they turned back, Robert’s legs and feet disappeared up into treetops. Before they could run back to help, Robert voice struggled from somewhere above, “No. Run. Go now. I’m -” his voice just stopped with a grave exhale. 

Katie grabbed Cynthia’s wrist, “Let’s go!”

They tore down the hill, ignoring every scrape and scratch from the thorns and branches.  Behind they heard a bone curdling screech. Hearts pounding, heads throbbing, the entire forest seemed alive and hungry. 

Cynthia was ripped away from Katie’s clutch. This time Katie thought she saw eyes in the shadows as her friend’s fate was sealed. 

In total survival mode, Katie barely stopped to take notice, barreling out of the woods to a cliff. Below, the waters raged. “Wait, did we do all the way to New River Gorge?”

Katie had taken a rafting trip there in college, one of her last non urban adventures. This was at least a hundred and fifty miles west of their next planned rest stop on the trail.  If she was right, the ride would be wild but she couldn’t be far from a town, or at least a campsite. 

Katie took a few steps back, ran towards the cliff and leapt towards the dangerous waters before she felt a sudden jerk mid air before losing consciousness.

They say time slows down in these moments. This was violently quick. 

She slowly opened her one eye. It was dark with a few shards of moon light creeping thru branches and rocks. The other eye wouldn’t open. How long was she out? Where was she? Is this hell?

She tried to wipe her other eye clear, but she couldn’t move her arm. She couldn’t feel her limbs.

She saw something. Flickering shadows in the things streams above. Something closer stirred. Cynthia?

Her face was covered. It was dark. Her body was covered. Wait! Cynthia was alive. Barely.

Katie simultaneously whispered and shouted, “Cynthia!”

Cythia was still at first but then moaned. Her eyes twitched, slowly opened then glared full of terror, fixed on something just past Katie.

Katie struggled to shift her glance over right shoulder.  Was she bound. She couldn’t move anything else. Then she saw it. The thing that had Cynthia in silent tears. Katie imagined there should be some loud orchestra accompanying the montrous sight. 

What remained of Robert appeared a lifeless puppet in the clutches of a creature. This man that knew her more intimately than any other was like a fly, now being drain… by a giant arachnid. 

She looked back to Cynthia who wanted to scream but could not. They were paralyzed. Katie did her best to remain calm. Don’t panic! You panic? You die.

With hey one functioning eye adjusting to the dark, Katie took inventory of her surroundings. And endless network of silk fibers, rocks and thick branches that formed this beast’s lair.

Numerous escape plots flooded her mind, ignoring the anxiety of impending doom as she realized a number of the branches were actually human bones. One of the rocks was now staring at her.

“Steve?” Katie cried.

Katie’s eyes fell back on Cynthia as her friend twitched and moaned and began to seize. The violent convulsions turned her skin purple – head to toe internal bleeding. Aa her body fell limp, Cynthia ripped open from within as thousands of spiderlings scratched their way into the world. 

They scattered in every direction, with a few hundred reaching Katie in a matter of seconds. Her last