Out of Bounds.

We’re all wearing goggles, but the bright sun reflecting off the snow still makes me squint. And as soon as we step into the tunnel the contrast in the darkness engulfs us. Bryan and Val have been this way dozens of times before and proceed without stopping. They swiftly remove their goggles and head into the darkness.

It’s my first time taking this shortcut through the mountain and I insist that they pose for a quick picture before we lose all of the light. Actually, that’s not even accurate. The tunnel doesn’t go through the mountain and it’s not a tunnel at all. We’re about to walk into an unused train shed that was built to protect mountainous train routes from being covered by snow in the winter. The shed is at least 30 feet high and hugs the side of the mountain as it winds along the side. Bryan and Val and I are walking through it to traverse the side of the mountain without having to hike through hip deep snow.

I pack my camera back up and grab my gear. Bryan and Val have already started on ahead and I walk in quickly so I don’t lose them in the dark echoes of the tunnel. As the path winds around the side of the mountain we quickly lose the sunlight shinning in from the entrance. I’m pleased to realize that the wooden slats of the shed let in narrow shafts of light. They don’t fully illuminate the tunnel, but they enable me to keep up with Bryan and Val without slipping on ice patches on the ground.

And of course it cold inside the tunnel too. While the sun shines outside, I can see my breath in the slivers of sunlight that sneak through the spaces between the warped boards. I can hear Bryan and Val up ahead shuffling along the gravel and dirt, they’re talking to each other but I can’t make out the words.

But then Bryan shouts from up ahead and his voice echoes up and down the tunnel, “Make sure you follow along the wall for this next section, there are a bunch of rocks in the middle here.” And as I approach the approximate place that he called back from, I make my way to the left side of the tunnel and walk with my hand brushing along the coarse rock of the mountainside. I can barely see the dark outline of the rocks that Bryan warned me about.

After another dark section we come upon an opening in the wooden panels that is wide enough for us to crawl out. We all stop for a moment and peak out into the snow and the sunshine. Val kicks at the pile of snow spilling into the darkness and then heads further down the tunnel without a word.

We follow the gentle right hand turn of the tunnel a ways further until the darkness transitions to light. We’ve reached the other end and I make sure to put my goggles back on while we all squint in the sunlight.

We sit for a moment to warm up in the sun and eat a snack, and then we’re off; flying down to the bottom of the hill and the long trek back to the car.