Trail

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<<audio nature1 play>> <h1>Trail</h1> <div style='font-size: 300%;'> [[Start]] </div>

<<cacheaudio "nature1" "https://project-trail.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/BirdCalling.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "crowd1" "https://project-trail.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Convention_Hall_Ambience_Noise.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "crowd2" "https://project-trail.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Crowd_Talking.mp3">>

<<audio nature1 loop play>> It is a beautiful <<linkappend "morning.">> The sun is shining and the [[birds]] are singing.<</linkappend>> <<timed 5s>> [[Peace...]] <</timed>>

You have heard the call of these birds for the last 25 <<linkappend "years.">> You like to think its their way of welcoming you to work.<</linkappend>> They always brought joy to your <<linkappend "mornings.">> As the years have gone on you realize you need as much [[joy->Peace...]] as you can get. <</linkappend>>

The dirt road walk from the parking lot to the entrance of your work is quiet. All you can hear are your [[footsteps]], the birds, and the small gusts of wind against your <<linkappend "ears.">> You are an environmental specialist for a national park and your job has gotten more difficult the past few years. As you step up to the entrance the sign above you reads <div class="camp">Mountain Trail Park</div> The sign is [[dated, faded, and scratched.]] [[Clock in]]<</linkappend>>

You and these boots have been through a lot together. They have been with you on your best and worst days at <<linkappend "this job">> They have had to take more of a beating recently. <</linkappend>> <<return "Back">>

This sign looked a lot different when you first started this job. The colors were brighter and the wood wasn't as scratched up, but it gives the sign character. <<return "Back">>

As you walk under the sign and towards the visitor center you see [[Jenn]] leaning against the side of the building having her morning coffee. [[Walk inside]]

You wave at Jenn. She waves back and greets you, "Good morning, hopefully it doesn't get too crazy today." [[Walk inside]] <<set $Jenn to true>>

The visitor center is a mingled mess of the old and new. It's nice, but things don't quite fit. The front half of the building was recently rennovated thanks to some funding donated by a wealthy individual who frequents the <<linkappend "park.">> You walk towards the back of the building, where the [[breakroom]] and [[lockers are->Lockers]] <</linkappend>> <<audio nature1 stop>> <<set $radio = false>> <<set $watch = false>> <<set $rope = false>> <<set $backpack = false>> <<set $map = false>> <<set $items = false>>

You walk into the breakroom and see a couple park rangers having a conversation. On the counter next to you is the coffee machine, to the right of that is the refigerator. <<linkreplace "Approach the coffee machine">>Somehow the coffee is already cold.<</linkreplace>> <<linkreplace "Open the refrigerator.">>You pour yourself a glass of orange juice and quickly drink it before walking to your [[locker->Lockers]]<</linkreplace>>

The employee lockers are kept in a hallway that's been around since the park was established. You walk to the middle of the hallway to get to your locker #34. You open the door to find your usual tools used to survey the park: <<if $radio is false>>[[Radio]]<<endif>> <<if $rope is false>>[[Rope]]<<endif>> <<if $map is false>>[[Map]]<<endif>> <<if $backpack is false>>[[Backpack]]<<endif>> <<silently>><<if $radio is true and $rope is true and $map is true and $backpack is true>><<set $items to true>><<endif>><</silently>> <<if $items is true>>[[Start the day.->daystart]]<<endif>>

You use this radio to report guests going where they shouldn't more than anything else. <<set $radio to true>> <<return "lockers">>

Always good to have in case of an emergency. <<set $rope to true>> <<return "lockers">>

You put all your tools inside the backpack. Inside you also keep other items that might come in handy during an emergency. Water, food, first aid. <<set $backpack to true>> <<return "lockers">>

Your map is an extremely detailed layout of the park. You use it to mark areas that need attention due to wear and tear. <<set $map to true>> <<return "lockers">>

<span style="color: #c19851">Part of your duties are walking as much of the park as you can before guests arrive. Seeing the park this early is always a bitter sweet moment. You wish it looked like this more often but you know it never will. As you step outside of the visitor center you open your map to decide which part of the park you want to survey first.</span> <span class ="altlink"> [[Two Bridges]] [[Twin Snake Trail]] [[Ditch of Doom]] </span> <<audio nature1 loop play>> <<set $bridge to false>> <<set $snake to false>> <<set $doom to false>>

Twin Snake Trail has always been your favorite and has been around since you started working <<linkappend "here.">> It has always been your favorite because there is a small quaint historic cabin that resides here that belonged to a famiy long ago, before this land was turned into a national <<linkappend "park.">> [[Follow the trail towards the cabin]] <</linkappend>><</linkappend>>

Ditch of Doom has always been a crowd favorite. At the center of the trail there is a small reservoir that will fill up with water during the wet <<linkappend "season.">> During the dry season guests are allowed to walk the base of the reservoir, but that soon won't be allowed <<linkappend "anymore.">> This trail gets so much traffic during the dry season it's causing too much <<linkappend "erosion.">> If it gets much furthur, the bridge connecting the two sides of the reservoir will have to be taken down. [[Survey the reservoir]]

The walk to Two Bridges is very peacful. A lush green trail that leads to a large but slow moving <<linkappend "river.">> Eager to start your trek you secure your backpack and start making your way West. These are the only times you can truly enjoy these trails. [[Begin surveying Two Bridges]]<</linkappend>>

Walking the trail you see the change that has occured over the <<linkappend "years.">> Changes of unwelcomed <<linkappend "necessity.">> You begin to think about how The surrounding nature has been <<linkappend "disturbed.">> Widening the trail path to accomodate the increased <<linkappend "foot traffic.">> Cliffsides <<linkappend "worn away.">> Wildlife forced to relocate. [[Keep Walking]] <</linkappend>><</linkappend>><</linkappend>><</linkappend>><</linkappend>>

You have seen first-hand all sorts of different creatures here move deeper into the <<linkappend "wilderness.">> Animals which were once a common sight on this trail are now a <<linkappend "rare occurrence.">> When there weren't so many people walking through here the wildlife didn't notice our <<linkappend "presence">> much. Now it is unmistakable. [[Keep walking->on nature]] <</linkappend>><</linkappend>><</linkappend>>

The wildlife was never what drew people in to this <<linkappend "park.">> It has always been the natural <<linkappend "landscapes.">> That's why the disturbance to the local fauna has gone mostly unnoticed except to those that have worked here for a long time. [[Approach the first bridge]] <</linkappend>><</linkappend>>

The trail narrows as you begin to reach the first of the <<linkappend "two bridges.">> Across from the bridge you notice a rock formation looks <<linkappend "different.">> On closer inspection you see that it has fallen apart on one <<linkappend "side.">> Tourists frequently climb this rock for photos. It was invetiable for this to <<linkappend "happen.">> The <div class="warning">'do not climb'</div> signs help a little, but there is always some visitor that 'doesn't see it'. As you take a picture to send to the park director you notice the time. [[What's next?->Go to the next trail.]] <<set $bridge to true>> <</linkappend>><</linkappend>><</linkappend>><</linkappend>>

You know that if they had to call you back up to help out it has to be <<linkappend "bad.">> As you get closer to the visitor center the chatter from the crowds of people becomes <<linkappend "clearer.">> What was once a place for people to come for meaningful secluded moments with nature has turned into an assembly line of tourism. [[Walk closer]] <<audio crowd1 loop play>> <</linkappend>><</linkappend>>

Reaching the visitor center you see just how many people there <<linkappend "are.">> You freeze in place at the sight. This is by far the largest amount of people to come in one <<linkappend "day.">> The park isn't meant to handle a crowd like <<linkappend "this.">> <div class="camp">Mountain Trail Park</div> is falling apart enough <<linkappend "already.">> The place you love is withering away in front of your [[eyes...]] <<audio crowd2 loop play>> <</linkappend>><</linkappend>><</linkappend>><</linkappend>>

You think it's time to retire.

<span style="color: #c19851"><<if $bridge is false>><span class="altlink">[[Two Bridges]]</span><<endif>> <<if $snake is false>><span class="altlink">[[Twin Snake Trail]]</span><<endif>> <<if $doom is false>><span class="altlink">[[Ditch of Doom]]</span><<endif>> <<if $bridge is true and $snake is true and $doom is true>> As you wrap up your notes on each of the trails you get a call over the <<linkappend "radio.">> You are getting called back up to help with opening <<linkappend "duties.">> Apparently there are more people coming in today than projected. <span class ="altlink"> [[Walk back]] </span> <</linkappend>><</linkappend>> <<endif>>

Sankes used to be an issue here (hence the name). During the first ten years you worked here you would hear a handful of stories each month about someone getting <<linkappend "bit.">> Fortunately you have never been one of those <<linkappend "people.">> You start to see the [[cabin in the distance.]] <</linkappend>><</linkappend>>

The cabin has been falling apart more and more each year. <div class="camp">Mountain Trail Park</div> used to give tours of the cabin, but that was shut down a while ago due to safety concerns. The maintenance needs are always <<linkappend "put off.">> Just like every other park in the country, certain maintenance has been set aside. Budgets get slashed over and over and this year is no <<linkappend "different.">> The irony is this only makes the repairs even more expensive. In total now, the repairs for this cabin are reaching upwards <<linkappend "of">> [[500,000 dollars.]] <</linkappend>><</linkappend>><</linkappend>>

As you approach the cabin you take out a pen and pad to note any new <<linkappend "damage.">> You take a seat in the corner of the main living quarters and let the silence fall over you. As you take a few deep breathes you think about your <<linkappend "retirement.">> You love this <<linkappend "place.">> But it's hard to watch a place you love <<linkappend "fall apart.">> You never knew it was going to be like this. If things were even just a little bit different you might not even be thinking about retirement for another few years. But it might be [[time.]] <<audio nature1 stop>> <</linkappend>><</linkappend>><</linkappend>><</linkappend>>

You finish touring the cabin and didn't have to write anything in your <<linkappend "notepad.">> You walk outside to make your way to the next trail. [[Go to the next trail.]] <<set $snake to true>> <</linkappend>> <<audio nature1 loop play>>

As you reach the base of the reservoir you reach down and pick up a piece of trash sticking up out of the <<linkappend "ground.">> Last year during the government shut down, the majority of the park's employees were <<linkappend "furloughed.">> This meant there were a lot of unsupervised guests making their way into the park. A lot of those people left trash lying around at the base of the<<linkappend "reservoir.">> During the shutdown daily storms started to roll in and soon enough the reservoir was a <<linkappend "mess.">> It took staff weeks to get it all cleaned up. You still find some trash every now and then that has been jostled loose from the [[ground.]] <</linkappend>><</linkappend>><</linkappend>><</linkappend>>

You put the piece of trash in your bag and look around for more as you think about the future of the <<linkappend "park.">> How much longer can this place keep <<linkappend "going?">> Can <div class="camp">Mountain Trail Park</div> <<linkappend "keep up?">> What happens if funding doesn't come through? Will these parks just have to continuously <<linkappend "shut sections down?">> Even the budget proposals for the coming year are aiming to cut funding even <<linkappend "further.">> This uncertainty cannot be [[sustainable.]] <</linkappend>><</linkappend>><</linkappend>><</linkappend>><</linkappend>>

You didn't find any other trash and finished surveying the trail. [[What's Next?-->Go to the next trail.]] <<set $doom to true>>