Few things in my childhood were more fun than getting together with my cousins from Canada. One summer break, when I was about eight years old, we traveled to the \u201cGreat White North\u201d to visit my relatives. We decided to take a day hike to Jasper National Park in Alberta to see the glaciers.<\/p>\n
Our older cousins and my brother Chris and I took off ahead of our parents along a snow-packed trail up into the mountains. We ran a good mile or two up the path. An iced-over lake was to the right of the path.<\/p>\n
We stopped for a breather and scanned the frozen surface next to us. \u201cI want to go ice skating,\u201d one cousin said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMe too,\u201d said another. \u201cBut the ice might crack,\u201d my brother said. \u201cHow do you know it can hold you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll just have to test it, that\u2019s all,\u201d someone else reasoned. \u201cWho\u2019s the smallest one here?\u201d I volunteered. I was the smallest one, so who else should test the ice, but me? Not only was I a bit of a show-off, I was also the youngest in the group and felt the constant need to be accepted.<\/p>\n
As my cousins and big brother cheered me on, I slid one tentative foot onto the ice. It was holding. I slid my foot out a bit farther and stepped off the snowy pathway onto the ice. I inched out still farther, waved, and yelled, \u201cCome on, you guys, it\u2019s\u2014\u201d Then I screamed as I broke through the cracking ice into freezing water.<\/p>\n
A thousand needles seemed to pierce my skin through my clothing as I sank into the glacial runoff. I was already in water too deep for me to touch bottom. My drenched clothes clung to me, weighing me down. I hung onto the edge of the broken ice.<\/p>\n
\u201cHelp!\u201d I pleaded with my cousins and brother on shore. \u201cHelp me out!\u201d \u201cWe can\u2019t, Janice! We\u2019ll fall through,\u201d one cousin yelled back to me.<\/p>\n
Even as scared as I was, I could see the terror in their eyes. I spun around in the water, clawing at the rough icy surface, trying to grab hold of anything to pull myself out. The ice kept breaking around me into a wider circle.<\/p>\n
The more I tried to climb out, the bigger the hole of broken ice became. \u201cHelp! Somebody, help!\u201d I screamed, bitterly cold and desperate. \u201cI can\u2019t hold on much longer!\u201d<\/p>\n
No adults were around. My cousins and brother wouldn\u2019t leave me but they couldn\u2019t help me either. Just then, a man wearing running shorts and a tank top came around the corner. He must really be cold with no long pants on,<\/em> I thought.<\/p>\n The man ran to where my cousins and brother stood. He didn\u2019t stop, but he slowed down and walked out onto the ice. He leaned over and grabbed me under the arms.<\/p>\n I stared, unable to believe he was standing on the ice. He dragged me out of the broken hole and back to the pathway. He stood me on my feet. \u201cAre you all right?\u201d he asked. Despite being soaked and totally chilled, I nodded. He backed up a few steps. <\/p>\n I was soaked and began shivering and shaking uncontrollably. My brother and cousins sprang into action, huddled around me and offered me their clothes. The runner sternly looked from one child to another. \u201cDon\u2019t go out there again.\u201d All of us shook our heads. \u201cI won\u2019t ever do that again,\u201d I said.\u201d I promise.\u201d The others also assured the man that they wouldn\u2019t go out on the ice. <\/p>\n The runner smiled, turned, and took off running up the snowy path. He left me standing with the others, dripping wet, in shock, but alive. We all stared after the runner in disbelief. Then reality hit us.<\/p>\n \u201cHe walked on the ice,\u201d my brother said. \u201cHe . . . he didn\u2019t break through the ice,\u201d my cousin said. \u201cHow did he walk out there?\u201d another cousin asked. \u201cJanice broke through and she\u2019s the smallest.\u201d<\/p>\n They tried to figure it out but I stopped them with my frantic plea. \u201cI\u2019m freezing to death!\u201d My wet clothes clung to me and were so heavy I had trouble walking. The rough, frozen denim scratched my legs like a million bee stings as I shuffled back to the path and toward my parents. Painful knots in my muscles took over as I put one foot in front of the other.<\/p>\n They temporarily forgot about the runner and helped me get back to our family. I reached my parents with crunchy, frozen hair. My clothes had rubbed my skin raw while I walked. Dad grabbed my icy hand in his and led me back to the car to find dry clothes. I didn\u2019t have to stick around for the scolding the mothers gave my brother and cousins.<\/p>\n \u201cDad,\u201d I said, through chattering teeth, \u201cknow what?\u201d \u201cWhat, Janice?\u201d he said hurriedly, trying to get me to warmth and safety. \u201cA man saved me,\u201d I said. \u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n My dad kept moving me along at a good clip. I wanted him to carry me because I was so tired and cold, but he forced me to walk to keep me warm. \u201cYes,\u201d I continued. \u201cA man in running shorts sa-sa-sa-saved me.\u201d My teeth chattered.<\/p>\n \u201cA man in running shorts? Are you sure?\u201d \u201cHe walked right out on the ice and pu-pu-pulled me out.\u201d \u201cBut you broke through,\u201d my dad said, staring at me. \u201cYes, kinda crazy, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n I don\u2019t remember much else about that day except that the kids weren\u2019t allowed to run ahead anymore. We eventually saw the source of the glacier we were looking for, but I was to stay only for a few minutes after my long hike.<\/p>\n The name of the glacier we visited in Jasper National Park is called the Angel Glacier. I\u2019ll never forget that adventure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Few things in my childhood were more fun than getting together with my cousins from Canada. One summer break, when I was about eight years old, we traveled to the \u201cGreat White North\u201d to visit my relatives. We decided to take a day hike to Jasper National Park in Alberta to see the glaciers. Our […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":25906,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[152],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[2312],"class_list":["post-14396","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-angels"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n