CHAPTER FOUR
Logan
Logan left the orientation, head spinning from information overload.
Bears, coyotes, snakes, fishing for food, pooping in the woods, rappelling from cliffs, navigating using the sun, and a whole day on his own?
It was possible he was out over his skis.
He called his brother while eating dinner at a place called The Rusty Nail.
“What the heck did you sign me up for?” he asked. “You trying to kill me?”
“You wussing out already?” Cooper teased.
“No.” Logan huffed. “It’s just that it sounds a little more ‘off the grid’ than I expected. The lady made it sound like we’d be fighting off bears and sleeping with snakes. And if we don’t catch fish, we starve.”
“Lady?”
“Yeah. The guide is a woman.”
“Really?” Logan could imagine Cooper perking up in his chair. “Is she cute?”
“I mean, yeah. Shiny brown hair, pretty hazel eyes, legs that go on for days.” He shook his head. “That’s not the point. I’ll be lucky to come home in one piece.”
“Oh, you’ll be fine,” Cooper said. “Good thing Dad taught us to fish. Did you check out the property?”
“Yeah. I sat at a park across the street and watched the entrance to gauge traffic—steady flow of people in and out. Then I went in, roamed around, checked prices to see what they were charging for things, and mapped the layout for changes we’d have to make—not many.
And made a ballpark estimate on what renos would cost. It actually looks pretty good. ”
“So, you think the whole package is a go?”
“Yeah. I say go ahead and have the lawyers draw up the offer. I’ll be incommunicado for the next week. No phones allowed. But you won’t need me unless the seller counters or something.”
“Sweet. Well, mission accomplished then. Now you can have some fun and relax.”
“I have a feeling this campout will be anything but relaxing,” Logan said. “In fact, I may need an extra couple of days to decompress afterward.”
“Take your time. I’ll hold down the fort.”
When Logan entered the inn, Max was behind the counter, watching over Lilly, who sat on the floor coloring at a coffee table in the lobby.
Logan stopped to compliment her artwork. “I like the color you chose for the eyes,” he said. “My eyes are green too.”
The little girl looked up at him. “Yup,” she confirmed. “Like my mommy. Her lives in heaven with Jesus.”
The innocent statement punched Logan in the chest. He knew she was too young to understand condolences, so he said the only comforting thing he could think of.
“Heaven’s a real nice place.”
Lilly nodded, but continued to color.
This explained a lot—why Max watched Lilly during the day, the delays on the renovations, and the overwhelming, underlying sadness in Max’s eyes.
Logan left her to her drawing and approached the check-in counter.
“Hey, Logan,” Max greeted. “How’s it goin’?” He said nothing about Logan’s conversation with Lilly. Either he hadn’t heard it, or didn’t want to discuss it, which Logan respected.
“Good. Good. I was hoping to take you up on your offer to store my stuff while I’m gone. That still an option?”
“Sure, no problem. Just leave it with whoever’s here at the desk. We’ll lock it up in the office.”
“Cool. Also, I was wondering if I could tack on an extra day or two at the end of the week.” After getting the campout details of how this was going to go down, he figured he’d probably need to sleep for a day when he got back. And shower for another after that.
Max pecked at a few keys. “You bet. I’ll put in two more, and if you decide on more or less, just let me know.
Also, it’s Friday, so the bar’s open tonight.
” He pursed his lips to the other side of the room.
A rustic, old-fashioned-y but obviously newly built bar stuck out from the rest of the shabby, dated lobby.
Max must have read Logan’s thoughts.
“One of the first—and only—upgrades we did.”
“Smart.” Logan smiled. “Good markup on alcohol. I’ll keep it in mind. If not tonight, I’ll check it out next Friday. Somethin’ tells me I’m gonna need a stiff drink after this week.”
“Where ya headed?”
“I’m doing this weekend warrior thing. Have you heard of it?”
“With Tess? Yeah, of course.”
“You know Tess?”
“It’s a small town,” Max said. “I know everyone. Don’t worry. You’re in capable hands. Tess really knows her stuff.”
“That’s reassuring. Thank you.”
Logan walked to his room, curious how Max could be so flexible with dates.
It was the last week of June, and a place like this should be booked solid with tourists.
The inn had great bones and a ton of potential.
Max’s decision to flip it was a good one, and it was a shame he was having to put it on the back burner to mourn his wife.
Logan wondered how or if he could help somehow.
He’d give it some thought over the week.
The next morning, he dropped his suitcase off with a woman at the front desk and drove to the trailhead where Tess had told them to meet. It was just before dawn, and the early morning light exposed a tired group.
“All right, y’all,” Tess said. “Hike’s about five miles.
Might not sound like much, but the terrain’s tough and the pack gets heavy fast. I mentioned this yesterday, but it bears repeating…
Take care of your feet. You will be very sorry if you let blisters form and have to hobble around the whole week.
Any, and I mean any, discomfort, rubbing, soreness, whatever, slap some moleskin on it.
It can’t hurt, and it might save your life. No heroes. Am I clear?”
Everyone mumbled their understanding.
“Okay, then,” Tess said. “Let’s go.”
They hoisted their packs and set off. Logan thought he was in decent shape. He worked out five or six days a week—cardio and weights—but within minutes, he was huffing and puffing alongside everyone else. Tess hadn’t exaggerated about the pack becoming a burden pretty quickly.
Along with his personal stuff—sleeping bag, tent, clothes, emergency food rations, and bare-essential toiletries—he hauled his share of the group’s equipment.
As part of the gear check process, they’d divvied up all the supplies they’d be sharing—cookware, which included a coffee pot, a skillet, a pot, and a fire rack, food basics like flour and instant coffee, fire and water collection necessities, including an ax and a couple of buckets, gear for rappelling, and other miscellaneous essentials—tarps, rope, first aid kits, et cetera.
They’d split it up by weight, so supposedly each man’s burden was the same, but that didn’t negate the fact that the junk was heavy!
Every twenty minutes or so, they stopped to drink, have a snack, and confirm with Tess that their feet felt fine. On one stop, Ashton scarfed down a granola bar and pushed the trash under a log.
“What are you doing?” Tess asked with a frown. “Pick that up. Right now. We do not litter.”
“It’s just a wrapper. It’ll biodegrade, won’t it?”
“It’s not only about that,” Tess said. “That’s what lures animals, including bears. Trash goes in a ziplock bag. Period. I catch you doing that again, and you’ll pack everyone’s trash out.”
“All right. All right.” Ashton retrieved the wrapper and shoved it into his pocket. “Damn, you’re bossy.”
“You have no idea.” Tess shot him a glare. “Let’s get moving.”
No one had the breath to chat while they hiked, but on the breaks, they started to get to know each other.
Carter and Ashton struck Logan as kind of douchey, but Joseph and Grayson seemed cool enough. When Tess wasn’t barking orders or teaching them something, she mostly stayed quiet.
Along the way, she showed them which berries were edible. And which were not. She pointed out poison ivy and warned to watch for it before engaging in any bare-butted squatting.
“Anyone else about to tap out?” Grayson asked during one of the breaks. The group laughed nervously.
“Not yet,” Carter said. “But am I crazy, or is it getting harder to breathe? Are we so high the oxygen is thinner?”
Tess nodded. “Considering you’re from Boston, yes, we are definitely at a higher altitude. We’re almost there. This is about as bad as it gets, and your body will adjust.”
True to her word, they popped out into a flat, beautiful clearing about thirty minutes later. A sprawling, clear azure lake spread out before them. Towering trees surrounded the meadow, and off in the distance, Logan could hear a river rushing down the mountain.
Grayson ran forward and kissed the ground, and once again, the group laughed. Apparently, the shy genius had a sense of humor.
“It’s beautiful,” Joseph said. “And as if it was made just for this purpose. With the flat open space here.”
“It’s one of a few places we camp. Everyone, take a quick breather, and then let’s get started on chores and set up camp.
It’ll be dark before you know it, and we gotta be settled before then.
Oh, and before I forget. You can’t see it from here, but there’s a significant drop-off from the ridge about a hundred yards that way.
” She pointed north. “Better just to stay away from that area. Especially at night.”
The “chores” involved collecting small branches for kindling, chopping up larger pieces into logs, starting a fire, setting up tents, and gathering and treating water.
Tess gave them two options for a “bathroom”—everyone on their own in the woods, or build a communal latrine by digging a hole, lashing together a wooden toilet seat, and erecting a privacy curtain.
They unanimously voted for the homemade outhouse.
It might be the only bit of “civilization” they got during the week, and they took it.
By the time the sun set and they were all gathered around the fire, everyone was exhausted. And hungry. Dinner had consisted of granola bars and beef jerky, which was hardly satisfying.
“Is it just me, or did it seem like there were a thousand hours in this day?” Carter asked.
“More like ten thousand,” Grayson agreed.
“My feet are killing me,” Ashton said, pulling off his shoes and socks. The flames from the fire illuminated about a dozen quarter-sized blisters.
“For the love of all that’s holy!” Tess gasped. “What in the actual hell?”
“Crap. Guess I got a few blisters.”
“Was I not very clear about taking care of your feet? Have I not been harping on you guys all day about it? How did you let that happen?”
Ashton did not take the scolding well. “You don’t have to yell,” he said. “I didn’t think it was that bad.”
Tess sucked in a long breath and let it out slowly, clearly digging deep for patience. “Get the first aid kit and take care of yourself,” she ground out. “And don’t think you’re getting out of any chores because you can’t walk. All that…” she waved a hand around Ashton’s feet, “was preventable.”
“Fine.” Ashton scowled. “I’m gonna go stick my feet in the lake.” No one said a word as he hobbled off.
“Idiot,” Tess muttered, shaking her head. “Anyone else have blisters?”
“Like we’d tell you if we did,” Grayson said, breaking the tension and causing everyone to laugh—even Tess.
“I should go help him,” she said.
“Why?” Joseph said. “You warned us a million times. It’s his fault. Let him live with the consequences.”
They all nodded in agreement.
“I get it,” Tess said. “It is his fault. But up here, we have to work together, as a team. Everyone will make mistakes. You’ll make less if you do what I say, but either way, we’re gonna have to trust and rely on each other.”
Everyone mumbled, maybe not in agreement, but at least in understanding.
“Think we’ll see Bigfoot?” Grayson asked once Tess was out of earshot. “Don’t tell Tess, but that’s the real reason I’m here.”
“You don’t really believe there’s an eight-foot mythical beast roaming the mountains, do you?” Joseph asked.
Grayson shrugged. “It’s possible.”
A wolf howled in the distance.
“Anyone else rethinking their decision to try this?” Carter glanced toward the noise nervously. “And am I the only one, or does the dark make everything creepy?”
“Little bit,” Grayson agreed.
“I think Tess was talking to me when she mentioned setting aside our taste for the finer things,” Joseph muttered.
“We’re definitely not in Kansas anymore,” Logan added. He actually liked the cricket-filled darkness, but felt obligated to say something in solidarity.
Ashton and Tess returned from the lake. Ashton plopped down with a first aid kit and used the firelight to apply ointment and Band-Aids, the way Tess had taught them the day before.
“Y’all survived day one,” Tess said. “Good job. I know dinner was sparse, but we’ll have more time for food collection tomorrow. Joseph and Carter, you’re on fire duty in the morning. That means up by dawn.”
Joseph groaned and stood. “I’m hittin’ the hay then. Night, y’all.”
While they’d opted for a group approach to the bathroom, they decided on a little more privacy for tent setup.
Tess had let them choose between a circled-wagon scenario—all the tents close together near the fire pit, or an every-man-for-himself option, which meant as long as you were within eyesight of base camp, you could go as far as you wanted.
Carter and Grayson had set up near the water.
Ashton and Joseph, over by the treeline.
Assuming Tess knew best, Logan had followed her lead and, while giving her plenty of space, pitched his tent midway between the lake and the forest. He thought he saw a hint of approval in her expression.
After crawling into his tent, he stripped off his sweat-soaked clothes, wiped off with some waterless bath towelettes he’d purchased from The Outpost, and wriggled into his sleeping bag.
Exhausted, he was sure he’d pass out right away. But, used to crashing on four inches of memory foam, he spent half the night tossing and turning on the hard, bumpy ground.
Finally, in the wee hours, he was lulled to sleep by a symphony of crickets, owls, and coyotes.