In 1994, my husband was employed by a drilling company based in Calmouth Falls, Oregon.

He traveled quite a bit around the country, taking natural gas and water samples from various wells.

He worked with a crew of three other men, and their schedule consisted of 23 days

on the job, followed by 10 days off. The four would pocket their per diems, money that the company

offered as an allowance for expenses, and sneak aboard the freight trains to and from drilling sites.

Their favorite spot was near a California town called Portola.

As the train would begin to slow crawl up the mountain, they would jump off by a ranger station.

The crew would unpack their camping gear and proceed to enjoy the next ten days of freedom,

fishing and hunting, and enjoying the isolated beauty of the forest in its nearby waterfalls.

It was a great place to be at one with nature before heading back to the rough and tumble reality

of their drilling jobs. My husband and his crew were tough men, seasoned veterans of the outdoors.

They didn't fear anything because they all shared a mutual respect and understanding of their

surroundings. But on this particular day, however, something would happen that would shake them into

their core.

My husband was the first one up at the campsite that morning, while the others barely stirred

in their sleeping bags. He grabbed some clean clothes and shampoo and then made his way the

300 yards to the waterfall. It was perfect for bathing. The basin at the foot of the falling water measured

30 square feet and was enclosed by 25 feet of rock like four sides of a wall. One of the crew members,

a mountainous man who dwarfed the rest of them at 6 foot 4 inches, had already measured the

depth of the pool by walking out to the middle of it at six foot four inches, had already measured the depth of the pool by

walking out to the middle of it until he was totally submerged. His bare feet sunk into the

black sediment while his outstretched arms and fingertips extended just above the water's surface,

...