“I have a surprise for you!” Jack screamed as he opened the door to his modest one-bedroom apartment he shared with his wife Taylor. They were both still young, so they couldn't afford a huge, extravagant house in the country, but they were happy living in the hustle and bustle of noisy New York. "What is it?" Taylor replied, peering around the corner from the kitchen. He was trying to suppress his amusement at Jack's excitement. “In honor of our one-year anniversary, we're going camping!” “Camping? Where? We live in the center of the city!”“We're going to the Appalachian Mountains, about forty-five minutes from here! It will take about 4 days: two days up, two days down. Jack looked so excited that Taylor couldn't say no. He had always loved adventure, so he thought he'd try a hike. A couple of weeks later, Taylor was frantically running around the apartment making sure they had everything they needed. Jack was standing in the doorway laughing. They would finally leave for the trip they had been anxiously awaiting. Once they reached the mountains, they parked the car and prepared for the winter cold they found themselves in. They had been reading magazines, articles and blogs about dos and don'ts while hiking for a few days. . They thought they were experts. But no National Geographic column could have prepared them for this. Jack and Taylor moved deeper into the ridges of the Appalachian Mountains. Night came and they had made considerable progress on their first day of hiking. They set up camp and tried to stay warm with blankets and a fire. The next morning, they woke up to a sheet of snow covering them... middle of paper... get someone out of the tent. They immediately understand that they have finally found the lost couple. They get out the ropes and rescue gear and quickly get Taylor and Jack to safety in the helicopter. Jack and Taylor thanked God and cried tears of joy over their incredible rescue. They took the couple straight to the hospital because they were terribly malnourished. Two weeks in the snow with almost no food definitely took its toll on them, especially Taylor. Their friends were just happy that Jack and Taylor were safe and doing well. The next day they were free to go home. They immediately crashed on the couch, without even taking off their shoes. Jack looked at Taylor and muttered, "I'm never going camping again." “Okay,” Taylor replied, giving a small laugh. And they have never returned to the Appalachian Mountains since.