Crossing the Rubicon

By Richard Richter

Every story has a beginning and an end. What lies between these two points is the journey. Crossing the Rubicon is the story of seven remarkable teens as they survive the unbelievable.
What started out as a weekend, caving trip, turned into a journey which would stretch 275 years, had them cross multiple continents, and stretched them to their limits.
Discover how they survived with just the clothes on their backs, some limited technology and their wits and resolve. In a world without computers, without the basic items we use each day, could you survive?
Follow Trinity, Jacob, Keara, Tom, Kim, Andy and Robert, as they step across the Rubicon, never to return. Live with them through their story of adventure, courage, love, and honour. Taking you from the mountains of Canada to New Spain, Europe, and South Africa, Crossing the Rubicon is a powerful story of survival, based on historic fact.
They lived life like no others and experienced more in three years, than most people would experience in ten lifetimes.
Come cross the Rubicon and share their journey!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Richard Richter
• Release date: May 19, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301977772

Richard Richter

R C Richter was born in 1964 to German parents and resides in Calgary, Alberta Canada, just 45 minutes from the Rocky Mountains where his book Crossing The Rubicon begins. After graduating from school, RC Richter’s first job was as a structural gas plant pipe designer, which only lasted one year before he moved on and pursued his dream of working in the film industry. In 1989 with three of his classmates he started Midnight HWY Film Company. Over the next 11 years, they produced well over 100 national and international TV commercials, music videos and films. During his time with Midnight, RC won a number of awards for commercial, music video and documentary projects. He also began writing a number of screen plays. On January 1, 2000, RC Richter called it quits once again and now followed his other interest in military off road equipment. This evolved into Environmental Rescue Equipment, where he built special off road firefighting equipment for wildland fires. This further evolved into ERE Logistics which designed and built military emergency bridge systems, based on the company’s fleet of all wheel drive trucks. Over the years RC Richter has traveled extensively, through Europe, the Middle East, Africa, North America and South America. Visiting most of the places in Crossing the Rubicon. In February 2012, on his way to work at the aircraft hangar/shop facility in Southern Alberta, the story of Crossing the Rubicon once again came into play. The first ideas for the book were originally envisioned back in 1992 as a screenplay after exploring the Chungo Caves. 20 years later, on that trip to the hangar, he made the decision to return to those original notes and write the book. RC Richter has always believed you have to follow your dreams and never give up. Crossing the Rubicon, shares this important vision from start to end.

Book preview

Crossing the Rubicon

The Journey

A Book

By

R.C. Richter

Copyright 2012 R. C. Richter

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

R. C. Richter

http://www.rcrichter.com/

Front Cover and map illustration design by Jirka Väätäinen

http://www.jirkavinse.com

Interior layout and art design by Naïma van Esch

www.naimavanesch.com

Spanish language translation & editing by Morella Villalobos

[e-mail]

Thank you to: Marielle Perikly Kokosidou

ISBN: 1477455221

ISBN 13: 9781301977772

Crossing the Rubicon was first envisioned back in 1992 when my friends and I first explored the Chungo Caves. It was a story, which would take twenty years to bring to print. Like the characters in this book, who each day struggle to survive, they make a point never to give up. If you have a dream, a purpose, never let go, see it to the end.

Acknowledgements

I want to thank the incredible group of people who were part of this project. Plus those who found time to help in reviewing this book and making it the very best it could be.

I also want to thank my awesome family who this book is dedicated to. For the love, support and inspiration you have given me, during this amazing journey Crossing the Rubicon.

To my loving wife, Sandra J. Richter for her countless hours of proof reading and editing to make this project come to fruition.

To Jirka Väätäinen and Naïma van Esch for bringing my characters to life through their brilliant art work that was such an integral part of this book. To Morella Villalobos, for her time editing and ensuring that the Spanish translations in the book were done accurately. And a heartfelt thanks to Bill Biko with his out of the box thinking, his thoughts and insights on the project, his creation of our online presence with Facebook, YouTube and the website and who made me almost wear out the phrase great work Bill in my emails with him.

www.BillBiko.com

Dedication

This book is dedicated to Trinity, Bianca and Erich.

May you continue to follow your dreams, never give up and always see things to the end.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface

1. Crossing the Rubicon

2. A New Direction

3. Our First Home

4. New Spain, 1740

5. The Call of Distant Drums

6. Finally at Sea

7. Safe harbour

8. Cape Town

9. The Blood River

10. To Those Who Come After Us

11. We Lift Our Glasses to You

12. With Love

Our Journey 1739 to 1743 Map

Preface

Have you ever wondered where people go? Let me clarify this question. Each year, people all over the world, well, they just disappear. What happens to them? Are they murdered or kidnapped? Do they take their own lives? Or are they just so miserable with their current circumstances that they feel the only way to improve their situation would be by disappearing, never to be found again? No doubt, it is all of these things, and one more.

Every story, every journey has a beginning. Ours began on the morning of March 24, 2014 a story that would lead my friends and I to tears, joy, sadness and in the end...I hope...peace for all who were part of this incredible journey.

As years pass us by, most of us tend to forget things. Sometimes those details are small and insignificant, but oftentimes they are memories that once held importance, but faded as time went by. I remember the morning of March 24, 2014, as if it were yesterday. This day would be for us the crossing of the Rubicon, also known as the point of no return.

It was a journey I tried to document as best as I could under the circumstances we were living, to ensure that those critical details and events would never be forgotten.

My name is Trinity Warner Medina. My father is Carl Warner, and my mother is Maria Medina Cruz. I was named after a character in a movie my parents saw before I was born. My mom was from Santiago, Chile, which is why we use two surnames, (father and mother’s, in that order). I also have two sisters, Ana, ten, and Bianca, thirteen. I’m five feet five, have shoulder-length dark brown hair, and brown eyes. That spring I was pretty fit, and more than able to keep up with the best of the boys.

The day I began writing this journal, I was seventeen. As I sit here today, at age twenty-nine, putting these words to paper, I am reminded of the human spirit, the soul, the drive, and the perseverance that keeps us alive and moves us forward toward our goals and our purpose in life.

It is the love of family and friends that makes us who we are, and it is because of this love that these words are being written. I hope they can somehow bring peace and put a smile on the faces of those dear to us.

I wish I could say we all completed this journey, but unfortunately, that’s not the case.

To our families, the ones who these words were written for; know that we loved you; know that those of us who made it to the end did well, and tonight, as you go to sleep, know that all ended as it should.

Chapter One

Crossing the Rubicon

Day 1

It was spring break, and the seven of us were heading to the mountains for an overnight trip of caving and spelunking. We were best friends, going back five, seven, and in some cases ten years. Our green 4x4 Suburban worked its way along the Forestry Trunk Road to the base of Mount Wapiabi Valley. At the summit of this mountain was the entrance to Chungo Cave. The sun that morning was amazing. It broke over the horizon and filled the rear-view mirror. As we drove up the dirt road, the dust hung in the air behind us as the bright morning light shone through it. The mood was surreal, almost resembling that of an alien landscape. That year, spring had come early, and the snow from the winter before was all but gone. A week earlier there had been a lot of discussion on line about solar storms coming to Earth. This was the worst since 2012, which was all the talk, because the world had been supposedly going to end in December of 2012.

My friend, eighteen-year-old Jacob Kennedy, drove the SUV that morning. He wore his favourite British military sweater, which he had purchased at an Army surplus store. Jacob was five-ten, had a slim build, and wore rimless glasses. He was well liked by everyone. He wasn’t too outspoken and generally respected other people’s opinions. Overall, he did very well in school, especially in math and physics. English, however, was not his forte. His father was in the oil business, and his mother was a fashion model. Jacob had a strong interest in anything that had to do with the military, and we even voted for him in the graduation yearbook as the person most likely to invade a small country by the time he was thirty. This being said, he was one of those people who would risk his own life to help someone in need. Jacob and I had a very special bond. I always knew he had feelings for me, but he never had the courage to tell me. Nor did I have the guts to let him know that I felt the same way. Deep down we secretly hoped that one day our friendship might lead to something more.

Along for the trip was my best friend, Keara Bennett. Keara was British, and had moved to Calgary in 2000. She resembled the actress with the same name. This caused some issues at school, because students would make fun of her constantly.

Keara was the girl every boy had a crush on, but never built up the courage to ask out. She had long, light brown hair and hazel eyes. She had a slender build and a beautiful smile. When she walked into a room, everyone noticed. She was my height, and enjoyed the outdoors and spending time with friends.

Sitting next to Keara that morning was Kim Wong. Kim was eighteen, a volleyball champ, and gymnast. She was planning to try out for the university team, and her goal was to one day make it to the Olympics. In university she was going to study medicine and hoped to be a doctor. She was five-four, and had beautiful raven-black hair cut in a trendy bob. She had been born in Hong Kong, and when she was two years old, her father and mother immigrated to Canada. Her father was a doctor and her mother a lawyer. Kim had one older brother named Jason. Kim was a remarkable person, full of life, caring and we all loved her.

Crowded into the backseat was Robert Osment, also eighteen. Robert loved the whole camping thing and was quick to educate all of those less experienced, such as myself. He played on the school football team and always had a strong following of females. Regardless of his popularity, he was a very nice guy to all. He had light blond hair and was around six feet tall. Robert planned to study engineering once he graduated. His dad was a car salesman and his mother a stay-at-home mom. He also had a younger sister named Mackenzie.

Then there was Tom Wilde. Tom was a great guy. He was five-eleven and had curly brown hair. This year his goal was to excel in school so he would have a good chance of getting into an Ivy League university. He was quite handsome, and characterized by his strong Roman nose. Tom aspired to someday be a lawyer. His dad managed a tree farm business, and his mom worked for an accounting firm. He had a fifteen-year-old sister named Jennifer.

And then there was Andy Taylor. He was five-six, with thick strawberry-blond hair, and covered in freckles. He had to carry sunscreen all the time. Andy always made us laugh. I think his sense of humour is the one thing that I will always remember.

Unlike most of us, Andy was a little lost. He didn’t have a clue what he wanted from life. He just needed some time to figure it out. Andy was the son of a Mormon minister. A rebel who was constantly breaking the rules. This behaviour extended to his family life, which quickly turned him into the black sheep. He had three brothers, and five sisters. Sorry, but I can’t remember their names. There were just too many of them, and I saw them only once or twice over the years.

The seven of us were best of friends, all from very diverse backgrounds. I think what connected us to one another was that we all loved adventure. We did what every teenager enjoyed doing. We would go to parties, watch the latest movies, go hiking, and even attempted skydiving. We were on a mission to enjoy ourselves as much as possible before reality pushed us to grow up and become productive adults.

We had even been talking about going backpacking to Chile that summer. I had family there, since my mom was from Santiago. She met my dad when she came to visit Canada in1995. In a short time, they fell in love, and she never returned home. Our family had visited Chile several times in the last decade, so I had many relatives who had offered my friends and I a place to stay.

We pulled into the empty parking lot at the base of the mountain around nine that morning. Everyone grabbed their backpacks, and we walked a short distance toward the river to set up camp. The hike to the cave would take us about two hours, and after lunch, we headed out with maps and daypacks in hand. The trail to the cave was poorly marked, but Jacob had made the trip last summer and more or less knew the way.

After a gruelling two hours, we arrived at the entrance of the cave. The climb almost killed us. We just assumed we were in great shape because we were young, but we were obviously wrong. I probably slowed down the group, but we did manage to make it around 3:00 p.m.

What had started out as a bright, sunny day suddenly turned into a strange mix of clouds and fog. The temperature dropped, and it felt as though, at any minute, it would begin to snow or rain, yet something was preventing this from happening.

The Chungo Cave was a four-by-six-foot gap in the rock that ran down in a forty-five-degree angle into the heart of the mountain. If you didn’t know where the entrance was, you could very easily miss it.

We were well equipped, or so we thought at the time: lights, helmets, three hundred feet of rope, warm clothing, a first aid kit, and gloves, all the things you could possibly need, on this sort of trip, and more.

I still remember the view from the top of the mountain. I could see the river valley as it stretched for miles. The seven of us just stood there in awe. We managed to find a tree with a low-lying branch, which we used as a makeshift tripod, and took a group photo standing by the entrance of the cave. There wasn’t a sound. All we could hear was the wind.

We tied the first of our ropes to the same tree, which was about ten feet from the entrance. Cave maps in hand, we started the descent into the caves.

Who wants to lead? Tom asked.

Jacob knows the way, I said.

Jacob smiled and started his way down the two hundred feet of rope. It’s not too bad. Watch your footing.

One by one we started heading down. Very quickly day turned to night. If it hadn’t been for the lights on the headlamps, we couldn’t have seen anything.

Soon we were in the first cavern, named the Cathedral. Millions of years of water and ice had carved this grand space. It was very cold, and we could all see our breath against the bright light of the headlamps. Water gradually turned to ice, and we really had to pay attention to our footing. The walls of the cave glistened as our lights hit them, like out of some sci-fi movie. We took some photos with our iPhones, which unfortunately didn’t turn out that great. The cave was just too big, and we didn’t have the light needed to get good shots.

A number of offshoots, or side tunnels, led deeper into the mountain. I can’t remember which one we chose, but I don’t think it would’ve changed the course of any of the day’s events.

As the seven of us started down a very small tube, a feeling of claustrophobia came over me. The thought of being stuck there was overwhelming, and I silently began to panic.

After seventy-five or so feet, we came to a small chamber with a large hole, right in the middle. It went straight down. About fifteen feet below was another chamber. Jacob tied a rope off in a carabiner left by some other people. He dropped the lines down.

Who wants to go first? Jacob asked.

I decided to take the lead and go first. Having learned to rappel at the YMCA, I headed down. Behind came Kim, Keara, Tom, Andy, Robert, and lastly Jacob. The thought of all seven of us down in this hole was quite frightening. What if the rope broke on the way up?

The time was around 4:00 p.m. We all decided to turn off our lights for a minute. We sat there in total darkness. All we could hear was the sound of our own hearts beating.

Okay, this is weird! Andy yelled out.

You think? replied Tom sarcastically.

Okay, I think it’s getting late and we should start heading out, Keara said. The darkness was starting to get to her.

She’s right. It could be raining up top as far as we know, said Jacob.

We started our way back up. Kim went first, while Jacob and Tom acted as the anchor line. Keara followed, then me. We joked that we should drop the rope down the hole and leave the guys there.

It was then that it happened, and the course of our lives would change forever. When I think back, we all had a somewhat different description of the exact events, but the first thing I remember was a soft static sound that caused an uncomfortable ringing in my ears. The sound became more intense, and I could actually taste it. It was like when you were a kid and put a nine-volt battery on your tongue.

Quiet! What’s that sound? Robert called out.

Then a sequence of lights, similar to an aurora borealis, swept from one side of the cave to the other. It felt as though it were trying to embrace us. Our headlamps immediately went out, but the light was still there, more intense now.

As quickly as the sound and light came, they were gone. We all stood there speechless and in total darkness. I didn’t know if I should feel scared or relieved, but I was glad it was over.

What the hell was that? Now what do we do? I asked, startled.

We tried our lights, but none of them worked anymore. It couldn’t have been the lights—they were LED—so the only other explanation was that the batteries had died.

Jacob called out to us, Are you all right up there?

I called back, telling him we were fine. Were we? I was scared. I couldn’t see Kim or Keara. Don’t move! You could fall down the hole! I yelled out.

Then from below, there was a green glow. Jacob had broken a green glow stick he’d been carrying in his backpack.

I’ll say it again. What the hell was that! cried Andy.

I don’t know, said Jacob, but let’s get out of here.

Kim pulled her iPhone from her pocket, hoping to use it as a flashlight, but like everything else, it was dead.

Tom, Andy, and finally Jacob made their way up to us. Once we were all together, Jacob pulled a small windup flashlight survival unit from his pack. He wound it, and we all watched anxiously as it glowed to life.

It works, so whatever happened sucked the batteries dry, Jacob said.

We had one light and one glow stick. We were desperate to get out now. We worked our way to the Cathedral. Once we arrived, we got ready to head up to the surface.

That sucks, Tom said. Does anybody’s watch still work? Mine stopped.

We all looked at our watches. The only one who still had a working watch was Jacob. It was an Eco self-powering solar watch, which started to come back to life when we shone a light on it.

Jacob said he