A retired miner living in the mountains, my character from The Blue Mist, Jim, isn't a connoisseur of fine foods. While there is no focus on food in the actual story—though Jim does toss back some whiskey when things get tough—one can hazard a guess as to what he might have eaten (when cleaning up after the mist didn't put him off his food, that is).
The Blue Mist is set in Rocky Mountain National Park, nestled in the Rocky Mountains and adjacent to Estes Park, Colorado. Jim is a holdover from the days of mining, settled in the park to get away from people. Locals don't believe that something is eating campers, no matter how vociferous Jim is, so they view him as a crazy man, referring to him as Prospector Jim. Wanting to avoid having missing persons cases pinned on him as murder (and not being a fan of whispered nastiness and sideways, suspicious glances), he avoids town as much as possible, using his wiles in the woods for the bulk of his food needs, and venturing into town only occasionally for his dry goods, such as flour, salt pork, dried beef, potatoes, apples, and beans. Canned fruits and vegetables tide him over in winter.
And he never forgets the coffee or the whiskey. A man's gotta keep warm. Especially on nights where screams reverberate through the evergreens and aspens.
Luckily for Jim, elk and deer are plentiful in the area, and two species of cutthroat trout reside in the waters flowing down from the snows melting off the rugged peaks. There are also squirrels and rabbits, handy staples when nothing bigger comes around; his trusty old dog, Bessie, helps catch these for them to share. Despite being in the alpine area, there are edible plants for foraging, including raspberries, wild strawberries, and wild asparagus.
As for what the creature in the Blue Mist eats…well, maybe that's better left unsaid.
Thanks for stopping by to share your food for thought, Shannon!
You can find Shannon here:
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