Tuesday started like any other day. I thoroughly enjoy my job. I do what I aspired to do as a child and cant wait to go to work almost every day. I got up at 0500 hrs., ate breakfast, showered, dressed and headed to the office. I had my day planned and laid out ahead of me. I arrived at the office around 0600 hrs and began my routine. I opened my work email and began reading a message from headquarters. In light of the Sequestration the country is faced with, not only do we have to cut our budget 550 million dollars but now it is up to 700 million. The Agents Association has been sending emails that couldn't be more to the contrary. According to the Agents Association the government had reached an agreement, a continuing resolution was in place and all was well... With the conflicting information I believed the message from headquarters to be more accurate. Translated, it means one or two days off without pay per pay period. A fairly significant chunk of change out of my pay check for the foreseeable future. My bliss changed to discontent instantly. When my supervisor arrived I was on my way out to go across the street to the United States Attorneys Office and continue my scheduled day in spite of my newly changed mood. Before leaving though, I expressed my feelings about having been mislead by the Agents Association. After wrapping up all of my planned work in Rapid City, I headed south to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation to serve some subpoenas, track down some folks for interviews, and hopefully locate a fugitive I have been looking for. I was still stewing about the pending furloughs. Typically when I found myself in this sort of funk I would drive to the airport and go for a short flight. Thirty minutes up in the clouds always cleared my mind and got me back on the right track. In the past I was assigned as a full time pilot so I could justify the flight as training time. However, since I am currently sans aircraft I continued my 100 mile drive to the reservation to continue my day. I learned many years ago as a cop in Atlanta NOT to take my emotions or personal issues into the work place. Doing so is certain to bring a complaint upon one from the public for inappropriate comments or poor treatment of the public.
As I passed through Scenic, South Dakota I recalled the breathtaking views that can be taken in from an observation point just six miles off the main road south of Scenic up on Sheep Mountain. I needed to clear my head and get in the right frame of mind before continuing my work so I took the short detour up the "limited maintenance" dirt road and parked at the observation point to take it all in and CALM DOWN. After about twenty minutes I felt more relaxed and able to continue. Before doing so I decided to eat an orange and I had to pee. I reached in my healthy snack bag in my work vehicle, grabbed an orange, rolled down my drivers side window, opened my door, tuned my XM receiver to XM 25 - Classic Rewinds, and got out of the vehicle. I went through all of these steps because I wanted to hear some good 80's classic rock while I ate my orange and enjoyed a couple more minutes of the view. Also, I have had the wind blow the door closed in the past and somehow the car locked itself forcing me to inconvenience a coworker to bring me an extra key to my car to let me in. In South Dakota where we work, nothing is close so the coworker was seriously inconvenienced having to drive over an hour each way just to help me get into my car. I don't know what engineer thought it was a good idea to have self locking vehicles but someone needs to have a talk with him.
Once out of the vehicle I began peeling my orange and looking for an opportune location to pee. Being a guy, the mountain was my urinal. BUT, being a guy, and the juvenile that I sometimes am (okay, frequently am) I decided to pee off the cliff down the side of the mountain. I mean, what fun is it just peeing behind your car? How lame is that? I spotted the perfect location to my right on what appeared to be a goat trail on the ridge leading off the side of the mountain. I had been there several times before and wasn't concerned in the least about walking down that path.
I walked toward the spot while still peeling the orange, I know, talent, right? and as I got to the spot I had chosen, I stepped on a muddy spot, lost my footing and over the cliff, down the mountain side I went! Fortunately I fell and was sliding on my back instead of tumbling so with my arms flailing and feet kicking trying to stop my rapid slide down the mountain toward another straight drop and several crevices several things were going through my mind. I recall saying to myself several four letter words but at the same instant thinking "this is NOT going to make my day better." I was able to stop my fall before the second drop off and assess my situation. Nothing had broken. All limbs were intact. Nothing had been pulled off of me either. I was wearing a light jacket, sunglasses and a hat. My Glock sidearm plowed a furrow all the way down the mountain and was completely caked up with mud. My work cell phone was still clipped to my belt. My hand cuffs were still in their leather case on my belt as well.
To my right was a narrow ridge. On the north side of the ridge was a straight drop much higher than the one I had just experienced. The ground on the mountainside was composed of loose dirt and rock making it impossible to climb back up the steep incline. I inched my way over to the ridge and straddled it. I broke a rock free from the ridge and began carving steps into the mountainside to help me maintain a more comfortable, secure footing. I was able to climb almost all the way back up to the top until I reached a vertical cliff about thirty feet tall. I was at a stand still. As I clutched the ridge with every muscle tensed up in my body I had to make a decision. I was close enough to the top that if someone came up on the mountain they could back my Tahoe to the edge, hook the tow strap to the bumper and toss it over to me and allow me to pull myself up. The odds of this happening however were very slim. I have been to Sheep mountain probably twenty times and only seen other people up there on two occasions. Both of those occasions were in the summer, not in 30 degree winter weather. I thought I could call a friend that ran a business in Kyle, South Dakota, only 30 miles away. I knew he would rush over and help. Unfortunately, his telephone number was not programmed into my work phone but into my personal phone which was plugged in and charging safely in my Tahoe just over the other side of the cliff from me. Still clinging to the ridge for dear life, I removed my work phone from my belt and saw that I didn't have a cell signal. I tried to send a text anyway hoping I had enough to get someone via text. No such luck. At this point I decided I had to get somewhere to get a cell signal and call or text for help. I carefully turned over on the ridge and experienced the slide again but this time at a much more controlled pace. I slid to the edge of the snow filled crevices and started to make my way all the way down the mountain.
As I climbed down through the crevices, I recalled the movie where the guy was in a similar situation and got his arm trapped and had to hack his arm off to get free. I didn't have a knife on me to hack my arm off if I got in that situation...I guess I could shoot if off if necessary, I had 16 rounds but the barrel would have to be cleared of all the mud first...crazy stuff goes through your mind in these situations I guess. Going down the crevices I was extra careful because I didn't know how deep the snow was. I had no idea if the water runoff that created these crevices made them two feet deep or fifty feet deep. I had to hold myself up by my arms while I kicked into the snow looking for a secure footing all the way to the valley floor. I finally made it to the bottom and began hiking north to find a cell signal.
After about 45 minutes I picked up one bar and was able to text. Typically on any given day there are 2-4 Agents on the Reservation at any given time. I sent a text to Rick...Rick is ALWAYS there. He replied, "no, I'm up in Sturgis today." I sent a text to George. He replied "taking the day off." I sent a text to Mike. He replied "handling business in Rapid City today."
Well, Mike was the winner. Before continuing my text conversation with Mike, I received another message from George, "if you have a crisis, I can come down." I didn't waste battery life to tell him I was in a crisis situation because at this point, apart from the initial fall, I hadn't hit panic mode yet.
I began texting Mike...
Me: Im in a bit of a pickle, can you break free? My vehicle is on Sheep Mountain, open, running and unsecured. I fell off mountain. Am hiking north around base looking for location to climb back up or will continue north hoping to find road for pick up. Im okay but need car secured ASAP and will need ride from wherever I pop out.
I didn't tell Mike not to tell the supervisor. It was understood. We learned early in the academy NOT to embarrass the Bureau. I could just see the headlines "Federal Agent falls off mountain, lost in Badlands."
Mike: Yup, need help. En route.
This put my mind at ease a little. Not only was I concerned about embarrassing the Bureau but my car was up top open, loaded, and running. On the passengers side was a laptop, a tablet, and my briefcase with case files in it. Up along the roll bar was my M-4 rifle. On the dash was my Garmin GPS. Charging on the console was my personal cell phone. In the back was an additional handgun as well as many, many other pieces of equipment worth thousands, not to mention the Tahoe itself sitting there running with a full tank of gas ready for the taking.
Me: I will continue hiking northward. Make mental note of vehicles you pass if any coming down the mountain in case I get cleaned out. We can laugh about this later...not in the mood at the moment.
I turned off my cell phone to preserve the battery. After an hour and a half I turned it on again to catch a signal and update Mike.
Me: I have been hiking 90 minutes now, found a fence line, will follow it north.
Mike: 12 minutes out
My car STILL wasn't secured. If any one had come across it I was sure they helped themselves to my stuff. I thought, however, if I came across such a vehicle, I would run as fast as I could because it wreaked of a set-up. My paranoia wouldn't allow me to look around the car. I would call it in as a suspicious situation/vehicle BUT I wouldn't touch it.
I continued hiking.
Mike: Car secure.
At least that was off my mind,
Me: Found some cow patties, maybe near someone's ranch. Continuing north.
I don't know why I thought that was important so I turned off my phone again and continued hiking northward. This was somewhat good news but then my optimism crashed into the reality that ranches in this area are typically thousands of acres so I still likely had many miles to walk. The terrain didn't change much. To the east and west the mountains were too steep to climb out. The valley was rolling hills which continued in a north/north westerly direction. I kept hiking. The ground was wet and muddy so I had to stop and clear the mud off my boots constantly to keep them light. As I topped one hill crest I came face to face with a 1200lb+ buffalo. It looked at me, grunted, turned away and ran to join a herd of 50+ other buffalo which stampeded away from me. Throughout the hike I encounter one more buffalo herd, a herd of antelope and several deer. I also saw several large cat prints. The prospect of being out there overnight and encountering a cat wasn't a pleasant one...
Me: Turns out to be buffalo patties, just spooked a herd. Continuing north, I'm still in hills. Keep running into areas I cant climb...there's no way out.
Mike: What's around you?
What was around me? Mountains, mountains, and a few more mountains. After several hours I came upon a grass covered mountain I could climb. The grass gave me traction to climb. I took me fifteen mountains to get to the top but I needed to go up to get an aerial view and reassure myself I was headed in the right direction.
Me: Found a mountain covered with grass....will climb up to get a better look at how screwed I am.
I climbed to the top and accessed the GPS on my phone. It picked up the satellites and confirmed I was still headed north. From the mountain top I saw, yep, you guessed it, more mountains. BUT several miles ahead to the north I saw a row of dead trees. To me the trees indicated the presence of a river. I knew that northwest of my location was the Cheyenne river. All the streams I passed up to this point were running the Same direction I was travelling. If the river flowed that direction I was right on track. Rivers don't run over mountains so there had to be a pass out of the Badlands if I continued along the river.
Mike: I'm moving Northwest to Indian Creek road. Will look for an access road into the Badlands.
Based on two years of driving (80000 miles) in the area I expected to come out somewhere along Indian Creek road. By now it was 1630 hrs. Darkness was coming in a few hours.
Me: If you haven't notified the supervisor yet, go ahead. I don't like the idea of spending the night out here.
I wasn't aware, because of my limited communication abilities, but my approaching sense of urgency and Mikes were a couple hours apart. Mike notified the supervisor a couple hours before I suggested it. The supervisor made notifications to the National Park Rangers, County Sheriffs Office, and State Police. Search and Rescue was sent out. the State Police helicopter was on standby. Mike stopped at a rancher's house and asked if there was an access road into the Badlands from Indian Creek road. The rancher told him where to go but said he wouldn't even go down the road this time of year on his horse because it was too wet. Mike disregarded his advice and headed down National Park Service Primitive road 2179 into the badlands. I continued my hike toward the river. I came across what appeared to be snow filled truck tracks.
Me: Found old ranch road leading to river...following road
Mike: Do you see windmill?
Mike was asking if I saw the agricultural windmill used to pump water for cattle. I wasn't close enough yet. I continued on along the truck tracks straight to the river. Once at the river I found a better dirt road which ran through the river in several locations. Some river crossings were too deep to cross so I had to walk up or down stream and cross in a more shallow part then return to the road. Around 1700 hrs I located a marker. "National Park Service Primitive road 2179."
Me: Found road marker National Park Service road 2179. Following road north.
I turned my phone off again. I was down to one battery bar and wasn't convinced I was out of the woods yet. After travelling the road about a mile I spotted the windmill. To the left of the windmill was one of the best sites I have seen in a long time...and I don't even like Ford Explorers. Mike was parked in a position to maintain cell phone contact with me and radio contact with everyone else. I yelled out and saw him exit his vehicle and walk in front of it. I assumed he had heard me. I continued walking toward him but still had to watch my footing. I took my eyes off his vehicle to watch my step and when I looked up to him again, the Explorer was gone....I immediately wondered if it had been a mirage...or had he not seen me and left to try another location. Happily, he had seen me and was temporarily out of my view, driving toward me. Mike radioed in that I had walked out and everyone was called off. After a long 6 hour hike I got in the car with Mike and drove out with a couple hours daylight to spare.
As we drove out of the Badlands we had to drive through the river at at least four locations. He and I were equally shocked and impressed that the Explorer had successfully travelled as far down the road as it did in the wet conditions. As we headed back to Sheep Mountain to get my Tahoe we stopped and spoke with Search and Rescue. I jokingly told Mike to keep driving. He stopped and a female search volunteer approached my window. It was obvious I was the "lost Agent," I was covered in mud. When she got to my window I said "we couldn't find him." "Nice try" she said. I apologized for all the trouble and we parted ways. Our supervisor sent me a text and said he hoped there wasn't a huge welcome party at my Tahoe but he only notified who he thought was necessary. At the Tahoe only one Ranger was there and two of my fellow Agents...dodged the media!
The Ranger made me feel a little better when he said several people have fallen off the mountain but most usually were seriously injured or killed. I called our supervisor and told him my son had a doctor's appointment on Wednesday so I would be taking Family Sick Leave. In addition to the Dr. appointment, my pride needed some time to recover.
Wednesday morning, I woke and could hardly move. Every muscle in my body ached it seemed. It took all I had in me to drive to my son's appointment. Afterward we came home and I retired to bed very early in serious pain.
Around 0300 hrs Thursday morning I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. I went into the office around 0330 and caught up on paperwork from my day off. At 0700 I headed back to the Reservation to complete the tasks I didn't complete due to my unexpected "flight" off Sheep Mountain.
As I approached Sheep Mountain I knew I had to go back up and face my new demon - the mountain edge. I turned off the main road, drove the point I parked in two days earlier and exited my vehicle AND FACED THE DEMON!
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