Pam Bales, an experienced hiker, stepped onto snow-covered Jewell Trail. The hike up the lower part of Jewell was1. But less than an hour later, the weather was showing its teeth. Bales began to think about calling it a day. Then she noticed something: a single set of2in the snow ahead of her. She'd been3unclear tracks all day and hadn't given them much4, because so many people climb Jewell Trail. But these, as a volunteer of the Valley Search and Rescue Team, she5, had been made by a pair of sneakers, which was surely not for this kind of trail. Strong wind screamed, and6was just hours away. If Bales continued to follow the tracks, she'd add7to the journey. But the tracks ahead meant someone might be in8She could not let this go. She silently scolded the absent hiker for9normal safety rules and struggled to walk carefully in the direction of the10.
After about tracks to 30 yards, she rounded a corner and saw a man sitting motionless. He wore tennis sneakers and a light jacket. She checked him for any sign of11. There was none. Bales had been trained in search and rescue and knew that he was hypothermic (体温过低的) and would12soon if he didn't get out of there. The man said he had lost his way and was extremely13. Bales brought a pair of soft-shell pants, a winter hat, and a jacket from her pack. She helped the man14the warm, dry layers onto his body and offered him some hot cocoa.15he stood. She offered continuous encouragement—“ Keep going! You're doing great." Just before 6 p. m., they arrived at the trailhead very16. Her climb up to the spot where she17the man had taken about four hours. Two hours had passed since then.
A week later, the president of Bales' rescue group received a letter in the mail. It read:" On Sunday October! 17, 1 went up my trail, Jewell.18was to be bad. But without thinking too much I was dressed to go quickly. Next thing I knew this lady was talking to me, changing my clothes, making me warmer. She just kept19me. Finally, I learned her name was Pam. The entire time she treated me with compassion (同情心),confidence, and one hundred percent commitment..."
In the nine years since she saved John, Bales has become something of a hiking legend (传奇人物). It's a(n)20she never sought or wanted, but one she certainly has earned.
