More rumbling of shifting, falling snow in the distance confirmed his words. The sluffs may not be deadly, but they were dangerous enough and an injured person in shock would slow them down considerably. It was going to take several hours to get to a clearing. They all needed to mentally prepare for the trek ahead.

“Tank, I’m going to need your muscles, man,” Reed said.

Tyler and Cruz had already started to assemble their best version of a litter out of blankets and sleeping bags. Everything was wet and heavy and the guy weighed at least two hundred pounds. This wasn’t going to be an easy trek out.

Tank nodded. “Tell me what you need.”

Within moments, Tank, Tyler, Reed and Asher—the injured hiker’s friend—lifted him carefully in a hammock-style litter and the group began to make their way back to safer territory.

“These hikers were lucky you guys were in the area,” Erika told Cassie. Her annoyance at her friend had dissipated the moment she saw her. She still had questions, but they could wait.

“Yeah, we saw the avalanche indicator this morning and decided to start our trek out earlier than planned, along the north trails where it was safer... We were making good time, but once we saw the beacon, the entire group decided that the best thing to do would be to check it out. I don’t usually bring my camping clients out in this weather,” she said, looking slightly distraught. “And I certainly don’t try to turn them into search and rescue, but no one wanted to leave anyone out here.”

Obviously Cassie was doubting her actions. “You couldn’t have predicted this freak snowstorm or this mild weather,” Erika said, touching her friend’s shoulder. “And you all did the right thing. Who knows how long these hikers could have been out here alone. There’s no way Asher could have gotten his friend out by himself.” She glanced at the man in the litter, now out cold. She hoped they weren’t already too late. The extent of his injuries was bad and there could be more they didn’t know about. He trembled beneath the heated blankets, and her practical, professional side suggested they were too late, but for the first time in her life, she refused to believe it. Yet.

A loud cracking sound blasted behind them and they turned in time to see the side of the mountain fracture just feet away...

The ground broke into large pieces and gave way beneath two of Cassie’s campers, sending them sliding down the mountain between the cracks.

“Move!”

She wasn’t sure who voiced the command, but they were all instantly running away from the cracking mountainside, down toward where the two campers had disappeared.