Jose Huergo

Mrs. Mann
1501.5 D
29 September 2014
Autobiography Final Draft
When I was twelve years old I got lost in a dense forest by myself for approximately
eight hours. At one point I was panting in the forest, bloody from all the thorns I would run into,
I was faced with the fact that I would probably not make it out. This journey would end up testing me physically, mentally, and spiritually. What made this event so impactful is that I was so
young and innocent when it happened. The fact that I was a victim of such a traumatizing event
at such a young age made me become stronger in all aspects.
I was attending an all boys church summer camp named Camp Del Rio. This camp was
located on the outskirts of Houston by a river. We would play games and do fun activities all day
for a week. We would play sports, make arts and crafts, play board games, and meet new people.
It was a very enjoyable experience. However, everything changed on the final day of the camp.
We were playing a game of hide and seek with the counselors that was supposed to take up the
entire day. All the counselors were hidden so well that it took about an hour to find each one. We
got to a point where we found all but one of them. My group put me in charge of checking the
dorm area by myself, so I split up from them and began to walk over to the dorms. I checked
everywhere and found no one. Then I stumbled on a statue of The Virgin Mary. I was bored
since we didnt find anyone, so I just kneeled and began to pray. Hey Mary, I just wanted to say
thank you for giving me such an experience. Please make me stronger from this camp and let me
bring that home with me. I had no idea what I had just gotten myself into. Right when I finished

my prayer, I heard someone from the other side of camp say HEY! WE FINALLY FOUND
HIM! I was overcome with joy at the fact that we managed to beat the counselors at their own
game. There was a big lake in the middle of the campgrounds. Instead of walking all the way
around the lake, I took the bold choice and decided to cut through the woods. This was the beginning of a remarkable challenge, and a journey which would end up changing my view on life
forever.
The moment I stepped into the woods, I ended up tripping on a large branch which was
hidden under a pile of leaves. I ended up falling on my hand to break my fall, however my hand
took a big blow and felt like it was sprained the rest of the day. The moment I got up was one of
the most terrifying moments of my life. I had realized that I lost my sense of direction. I looked
all around me with my heart rate slowly beginning to rise. Trees, trees, bushes, foliage, rocks,
trees. This was all my surroundings everywhere around me. I had no idea where to go or where I
came from. I panicked and screamed at the top of my lungs SOMEBODY HELP ME! IM
LOST! HELP! However, these screams were in vain. I began to panic horribly. This was getting me nowhere. Amidst my choking for air, I managed to take a deep breath. I chose to face my
problems head on, I decided to somehow find my way out of the forest. I began to run where my
gut told me to. There were thorns everywhere. My legs began to receive painful cuts and scrapes
from the spiked grounds. After about what seemed like an hour, I managed to find a clearing. I
let out a major sigh of relief, I thought to myself I finally found a way out. I followed the trail
for about fifteen minutes. I was greeted with a sign that said the two most dreadful words any
sign in the world at that moment could ever say, DEAD END.
I was crushed. All my hope and happiness vanished in an instant. This was the moment
that all my morale would get destroyed and leave me with no hope. I fell to my knees in misery.

Then, the thoughts began rushing to my head. Thoughts of death. Thoughts of the fact that I
would never see anyone ever again. Thoughts that all I have ever done in my life was pointless. I
looked down and stared at my dirty, sweaty hands, and my thorny, bloody legs. The sun was beginning to fade and I heard what sounded like coyotes howling not too far from me. Then one
final thought rushed to my head. A thought of me never seeing my family ever again. This was
the moment where I managed to gather the last semblance of hope I had. I thought to myself I
don't want to die here. I want to find a way out. I WONT die here. I WILL find a way out. I
stood up. I began to sprint back into the forest. There were more thorns in this new part of the
forest. My left leg received a wound so painful that I still have a scar from it today. In a span of
about four hours of navigating the woods, I was greeted with two more trails that led to dead
ends. I kept dashing back into the woods seeking a way out. The only thing that kept me going
was the fact that I would watch Man Vs. Wild at home. I thought to myself If Bear Grylls can
do it, so can I. I ran into one final clearing. This wasnt a deception, this was salvation.
I followed the clearing into a ditch. I ran through the ditch and was met with a neighborhood. I finally made it out of the dreaded wilderness. I was dirty, sweaty, bloody, tired, and sobbing. I looked up and saw an enormous house which seemed to belong to a wealthy family. Next
to the giant house was a more humble looking smaller home. I wiped the tears off my face and
began to approach the small house. I chose the smaller house because being the little boy that I
was, I assumed that the owner of the poorer, smaller looking house had been faced with many
challenges and could take my situation into consideration. I rang the doorbell and a man answered. He saw what a mess I was. He smiled and asked me Whats wrong? I told him with
tears in my eyes about how Ive been lost in the woods for half the day and how I needed to find
my way back to the camp. He welcomed me into his home and be can tending to my injuries. He

gave me bandaids, water, food, and a phone to call someone to get me. It was then when I realized how I was finally safe. I called my mom and told her what just happened. My poor, worried
mom ended up calling the priests in charge of the camp to come get me. They finally arrived and
the two priests were extremely worried as well. They were ecstatic at the fact that I was safe after
such a long time alone in a dense forest. After this experience my prayer came true. I was coming home stronger than ever. (Word Count: 1,268)