Personal Narrative-Bruce Carroll's Journey

As the sun rises high into the midday summer sky, Bruce Carroll begins to pack his bag for the 6 months out in the wilderness. He has decided to make the 6-month trek along the Appalachian Trail. This choice has been hard on Bruce because he cannot bear staying away from his family. His daughter Lillian, is a blonde four year old who always has her pink blanket. The mother of Lillian is a dark-haired beauty. Everyday Bruce wakes up, he compares her to a super model.
His stressful life has been more complicated since the town of Cape Elizabeth cut the Police Forces K-9 Unit back in February. Money has been tight lately, but Bruce has been saving for this trip for years. He cannot wait to breathe the cool crisp air every morning, longing to

see his daughter at the end of his adventure. Tagging along with him is his German Shepherd named Apollo. Apollo was also part of the K-9 Unit prior to the cut. Bruce gathered everything he needs and before he knew it, he was all packed and ready to begin his adventure. As he loaded up the black Ford Super Duty and went across the lawn to Lily and his wife, a tear trickled down his cheek falling into the grass below his feet.
The sound of the Ford’s engine rumbling as Bruce accelerates down the highway, is the only sound ringing through his ears. Not even Apollo makes a sound for the first ten miles. Finally, as he goes around a bend, his eyes dry up, Apollo wags his tail, and the adventure begins. The dusty Ford is shifted into park in the dirt parking lot at the trailhead of the Appalachian Trail. Going through his mental checklist of everything he needs, he realizes how beautiful this will be.
Apollo had a his leash pulled tight pointed towards a beautiful healthy young buck standing by an apple tree. Bruce whispered to Apollo, “Easy boy.” Just then Apollo jumped at the buck and started chasing it. All Bruce could do was try and keep up with the dog’s pace. While trying to navigate his feet around rocks and roots, Bruce’s foot gets caught in between a rock. Stumbling down the rocky slope, Bruce hits his head and his eyelids fall shut.
The darkness seemed like eternity for Bruce. When he woke up he was confused. The only thing he could remember was his daughter Lily. He felt something warm and furry on the ground next to him. It was Apollo, he had come back from chasing the deer to protect his owner. He was unconscious at the base of a steep rocky slope about twenty feet high. The undergrowth of adolescent pine trees surrounds Bruce. Where his head was in the sand, the stain suggested he had been bleeding. The gash on his head was about one centimeter long and had sand embedded within it. Searching for more injuries he notices puncture wounds on his right leg. He could not explain these wounds, but they looked to be bite marks. With most of his equipment falling off during the accident, Bruce is left with minimum supplies. His wallet, knife, and a spare change of clothing is all he has. He notices a gigantic cat track by where he had been bleeding from his head wound. Next to the crimson stained sand is a cat track so large it made Apollo look small. Now knowing there is a Mountain Lion tracking him he starts to prepare for survival.
As Apollo and Bruce make their way around the outskirts of the clearing slowly and cautiously, Bruce collects sticks that could be used for multiple tasks.

Looking through the thick pines, Apollo stops and points his tail. His mouth is bearing the ivory-like jaws ready to greet the threat. The stench of death is blowing through the wind. Bruce looks around. First he spots dead carcasses everywhere, then through an opening in the trees all he can see is the gigantic head of a mountain lion mouth dripping with crimson droplets from its fresh kill. The big cat backs away, snapping every branch on the way out. With the adrenaline racing through his veins, Bruce charges through the limbs raising his knife. He gets to where he last saw the beast and then he sees nothing. Not a single track. He kneels down to examine the lions fresh kill. It was a… just then the sensation of knives jabbing into Bruce’s back awakens him from his confused state. The razor sharp claws sink deep into his flesh. Bruce lets out a blood curdling yell as the pads of the enormous feet slide down his back. The only thing Apollo could do to save Bruce is snap at the legs of the mountain lion. As the weight of the giant cat pushing down on Bruce’s back, his legs collapse. The cracking of bone sends shivers up Bruce’s Spine. As he lays there in pain as motionless as can be, he can hear the fight between the cat and Apollo. Bruce cannot move to help Apollo. The snarls and growls rage on for several

minutes until Bruce hears the last whimper of Apollo. As Bruce looks up at the tree branches he has the illusion of Lily coming and laying down next to him, her blond hair brushing his arms. Bruce lets out his last breath saying the words, “Lily I…” That was Bruce Carroll's final thought. He had only made one mile between his truck and where he was.