If you have been following my blog for some time now you know that when I go on big adventures that something always happens to me. Always. There are no excuses and whatever this Earth has in store for me...well it really knows how to put my buttons and get me going in certain ways. For instance, in Iceland, I did a hike on the side of a canyon, fell into a river, got three to four miles out, and had to turn around and high tail it back to my camper. In the process, I almost died and by some miracle and survival instinct I made it back soaking wet and pissed off. I cried in anger when it was all said and done. (If you want to read that post click here, your in for quite a treat)

Yesterday was no exception. Right now we are a week into our two-month journey and everything was going well until...I made a decision. A decision that made me go bonkers. I lost my drone, on the side of a mountain. We were at a white mountain and the hike around the top of the ridge is about two miles. It's beautiful with no guard rails and its a little narrow in some spots. It has plenty of ledges for you to stop and enjoy the view and lots of picnic tables. There's even a campground and some cabins. 

We get up to the top and after a pretty tricky drive, we rest and hang out for a bit before hitting the trail. The view was spectacular and after a half-mile I pulled out the drone. I sent it up and started to video. As I was bringing it back the drone took off on me trying to figure out where I was....even though I was already having it come back. I stared at the drone as it flew around and finally settled on a landing sight. I watched as it went down the ridge, snagged a tree, and heard a sad thud. 

shocked, unsure of what to feel, and just confused Lylah, and I did the rest of the hike and I kept looking over the edge to see if there was a way down. Maybe I could rescue it. Maybe I could get down there, find it and come back up before the park closed. Just maybe. So the entire two miles I planned and looked around. Once we got done with the hike I put Lylah in the car and did my first attempt at rescue. 

Now I know what your thinking. Why would you do that? you're crazy? Its a mountainside, there is no way you can get it back. Of course, I knew this but something in me told me to go look. I know where it landed, I had a location and there was a trail down there along the ridgeline. I just had to get to it. So I went down this trail and quickly realized I was out of luck on this side. I thought that if I went from the trailhead that cuts between the ridge and the road that I could get there that way. I somehow got lost and in my attempt I got filthy. 

Defeated I went back to the car. I turned on the AC and looked at Google maps. There was a road down the mountain that looked like it would be a shortcut of sorts to get to the done landing point. SO we went down, I parked the car, got out my walking stick and starting climbing the side of the mountain. The first half wasn't bad. I got to the trail in about ten minutes. Despite the spiders and brush, I was able to get through. The second half on the other hand was brutal. Webs, rotting trees, plants I didn't recognize, and so on. All of it was unfamiliar and despite the disgusting amount of sweat, I felt I kept going. I was covered in webs and I told myself I could find it if I just made it to the ridge. 

And I did. I made it there. I followed the ridgeline and tried my best to find the drone but despite all my efforts, I couldn't locate it. After about fifteen minutes up there looking for my lost drone, I realized I had to head back. It was getting dark and trying to make my way down the mountain in the dark was a bad idea. I didn't know the area and I had no way of knowing what would happen. So I made my way down. It was harder, I fell a few times, I got tangled, pricked and thrown around but I managed to get back to the car. Guzzling water I found a campsite with a shower and scrubbed my body raw. After all, I don't know what poisons could be on my skin. 

So with my defeated self, I went to bed. Yes I lost my drone and yes I tried to make a dumb rescue attempt but I'm not one to just let things go like that, especially if I know the area it landed in. I felt so close but sadly I didn't find it in time. Someday I'll replace it and next time I use it I will keep it closer so if that happens again it will land somewhere I can get it back easily and without having to try and go up the mountainside