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We were neither stuck nor lost.

I made a gallant attempt at hiding from the media during that fateful snowmobile trip, yet somehow that local newspaper got a hold of not only the circumstances of my situation, but saw fit to print my name and job title.

Bad karma, I guess.

Their saving grace was that they spelled my name correctly.

Although appreciative of the efforts of the Routt County Search and Rescue and several family members and friends, the real issue wasn't whether we would get out of the notorious drainage safely, but when.

The question wasn't whether anyone would find us, it was when would we find them.

Truth be told, we didn't want anyone to come to the rescue because of the precarious location of our party the snow was deep and dry, and the hills steep.

There was that possibility that someone might alert authorities yet another media trap.

Could we have walked out? Of course. Did we want to walk out? Of course not.

A warm fire, some beef jerky and ice cold H2O seemed a much more appealing alternative to a dark two-mile hike uphill in waist-deep snow (not the exaggerated two-miles uphill, both ways that everyone of our parents experienced while walking to school). Bears live out there.

Although we knew our geographical location, and everyone was physically capable of riding their snowmobiles into the night, we had to take a couple of concerns into consideration.

A 5-year-old boy was with our party, and we didn't know what elements we might encounter further into the hills as nightfall approached.

What we did know was the possibility of encountering icy water and treacherous passages was very real, in fact, likely. We also knew that a cold, wet body wouldn't last long in freezing temperatures.

Thus, we made the decision to spend the night out in the wild, wild west beneath the stars.

I can tell you that I will never again pass a dead tree without reminding myself of how thankful I am that all trees must someday die trees that are alive just won't burn.

I am certain that my coat, pants and gloves will carry the aroma of smoke for years to come.

After regrouping and building a fire, morale was again restored. It is amazing what the light and warmth of a fire will do for the mind all is safe and comfortable once again.

Then, the waiting began.

We had things to do I had to take my socks and boots off (they had gotten wet), and instead of roasting marshmallows, we hung my SmartWool socks on a stick and cooked those. A pair of fingered gloves (which we used to warm my toes) could double nicely as a pair of chicken feet in case you need an emergency Halloween costume.

At 7 p.m., life wasn't too bad, after all, we only had 12 hours until daylight. Heck, I spend that much time at work everyday, time should fly while camping with friends, right?

At 4 a.m., I had time to think. Everyone was tired, not too many people were talking, and it dawned on me that I hadn't bothered to tell my family where I was. Yes, I am 26 years old, live on my own and don't have to check in with mom and dad, but there's an unspoken obligation.

I envisioned my dad answering a telephone call at 2 a.m. to find out that his only daughter is trapped in the woods. Immediately he would assume that I had been caught in an avalanche, a bear was gnawing on my body, and he would never recover the $20 loan from 1998). He had no idea I had even taken a trip.

I now know that he received the call at 6 a.m., and the few extra hours of sleep didn't make him any less grumpy.

It was then I envisioned my manic depressive golden retriever (really, he's certifiably mental I think they call it some sort of attachment disorder. Every time he is left alone overnight, he goes off the deep end for a number of days) sitting on a piece of furniture he shouldn't be on to begin with, crossing his legs and patiently waiting for any responsible adult to arrive with a key to the door.

The most disheartening realization was that we would endure the night, only to face the same situation we had put behind us the night before. Just because dawn arrived it didn't mean that all of a sudden knew how to get out of our predicament, it merely provided light by which to do so.

Ultimately, we knew what we would have to do turn around and head back the direction that we came. Deja vu.

After conquering one pitfall after another icy water holes, fallen logs as big around as small vehicles and steep uphill climbs we decided that we would go home to a warm, comfortable bed no matter how much pushing and pulling and walking we had to do. Not one person in the group was willing to commune with nature again oh, it could be done, but the images of a hot shower and change of clothes overruled.

Next time I go snowmobiling, I'll bring a deck of playing cards and a pillow.