part0011

They were at a famous gas station, Ted’s Place, at the turnoff into the mountains north of Fort Collins. While Poudre Canyon had built up over the last twenty years, with houses and other development stretching almost the whole length of the state to the west, Ted’s was still considered the last pit stop of civilization before heading into the wild. It was also one of the last places they’d have reliable cell-phone service for the next two weeks, so a good place for meeting their guide. The guide and her assistants would pick them up here, drive them about thirty miles west and north, and then take them into the backcountry on horseback. Tomorrow morning, the assistants would take the horses back and leave them there in the woods with their guide.

It had been difficult to get all four of their backpacks and the five of them into the little Honda, but between the trunk and a large canvas rucksack tied to the roof, they’d managed. This morning, Jill’s sister Ellen had picked them up to drive them to the drop-off spot for their trip so they could avoid leaving their cars. As the trip was about an hour from their respective places in Loveland and Longmont, the cramped quarters had been temporary, but Fiona was still happy to be out of the little car. She stretched from side to side, still a little stiff from Thursday’s workout, but starting, finally, to catch the others’ excitement.

Over the last four months, she’d gone back and forth from reluctant participant to eager enthusiast. She’d been bullied into this trip, but she could nevertheless recognize that what they were about to do was a privilege few people could enjoy. Further, she loved camping and hiking, and had never tried a backwoods trip this long. If she could shake off the last of her resentment, she might enjoy herself—that is, if she could deal with the physical rigors of the hiking.

She’d been working out and training with Jill fairly often since the day she’d heard about the trip, but she was still a long way from fit. She had some muscles again and had put on a little weight, but that didn’t mean she was a superhero now. She and Jill had done a couple of long overnight backpacking trips and one three-day weekend to train earlier this summer with the weight she planned to carry, but two or three days was different than two weeks. Jill and the others had promised to help her as much as possible, but it would probably come down to whether she had the will to keep trying.

Jill and her sister Ellen were talking quietly together near the hood of Ellen’s car. Fiona walked a little closer, and the two of them fell quiet. Ellen smiled at her.

“You’re going to keep my sister safe, right? Don’t let her get eaten by bears.”

Fiona grinned. “You know I can’t do anything to stop her if she really wants something.”

Ellen laughed. “You’re right. In that case, try not to get in the way.”

“Hey!” Jill said, feigning indignation. “If they’re going to eat anyone, it would be Sarah since she’s so sweet.”

“Who’s eating what?” Sarah asked, walking closer with Carol.

The three of them laughed before Jill explained.

Ellen gave Jill a quick hug. “Be safe, lady, and call me when you’re on your way back. Do you know what time I should be ready, more or less?”

Jill shrugged. “Some time in the afternoon or early evening on the Sunday the fourth—that’s all I know. We’ll be coming from Wyoming, so if you’re out, you’ll have some time to drive up here. Hopefully, I’ll be able to call when we get back to the trucks.”

A few minutes later, when they’d gotten all the packs out of the trunk and the canvas bag from on top of the Honda, two pickup trucks turned into the parking lot, both hauling horse trailers. The parking lot had long spaces for RVs and trailers, and this early in the morning they had no problem pulling into two subsequent spots. They kept the engines running.

Because of some work obligations, Fiona had yet to meet Rosalinda—Roz—Delmonico, their guide, but she’d heard all about her from the others when they’d met her this past May. Her three friends had gushed about how gorgeous and butch she was, Sarah going so far as to say she was no longer put off by the fact that they had to have her with them the whole trip. Fiona was curious to see if the woman lived up to the hype.

The driver’s door to the truck on the right opened, and a young man jumped out, jogging over to them. He wore a bright-green bandana on his forehead, the color so glaring in the sunshine it was almost neon. Jill met him partway and shook his hand before leading him to the others.

“Jon, this is Fiona. You’ve met everyone else.”

Jon extended a hand. “Hi, Fiona—sorry we didn’t get to meet earlier. It’s been a crazy summer.” After they shook, he made a gesture at their bags. “Let me help you carry this stuff to the truck. You guys are riding with me. We’re going to follow Roz and the others up to the trailhead.”

It didn’t take long for them to move the packs into the back, and then, after a final good-bye to Ellen, the four of them climbed into the extended cab of Jon’s truck. Fiona tried to spy Roz, but her view was blocked by the other assistants, all of whom waved at them from inside the other truck. Like Jon, they too wore the green bandanas, and Fiona wondered if it was some type of uniform or if they’d chosen to wear them. At least they seemed friendly. Hopefully Roz would be, too. Female Adonis or not, the last thing Fiona wanted was to be around some sullen weirdo for the next two weeks.

The drive was uneventful. It was early enough that they’d avoided the traffic that would clog the canyon later in the day—tourists with RVs that were afraid to drive quickly and out-of-staters creeping along, looking for wildlife. Fiona had driven or had been driven up this road countless times since she was a kid, first with her parents, and then with her friends and girlfriends. Several nice campgrounds were located right here along the road, but she generally preferred to backpack at least a mile or so away from the sound of the traffic. Most of the campgrounds they passed were already full, normal for this time of year and this close to town. She spied the first sites she remembered staying in on her own—well off-season and virtually empty when she was there as a younger woman. All of this was familiar ground so far. They turned on the road toward Red Feather Lakes, and here, finally, something was different from her usual visits up here.

About five miles past the turnoff onto this secondary road, the truck in front of them slowed before turning onto a gravel road to the west, into the woods. The lead truck stopped about fifty feet in, and by craning her neck to the side and smashing her face against the window, Fiona could see someone getting out of the truck in front of them—one of the other assistants. A gated fence barred the way, and one of the men unlocked a padlock and took off a chain before pushing the gate open for the truck. Jon followed the other truck, and the assistant locked the gate behind them before running back to the truck in front of them.

“This is so much closer to the city than I expected,” Jill said. She was sitting up front with Jon.

“Amazing, right? Sometimes the best things are hidden in plain sight. But don’t worry. Once you’re back in these woods, it’ll seem like you’re a million miles from anywhere. You guys will be really isolated in a couple of days. No one around for miles in any direction.”

Fiona’s stomach dropped at the thought. Of course she’d known this would be the case—isolation was the point of this whole trip, after all, the entire appeal. During one of the last trips they’d done together as a group, they’d had to share a camping space with other backpackers. That situation was becoming more and more common with the local population growth and increasing popularity of the Rockies. Still, now that they were almost in the protected forest, the reality of their situation filled her with something like dread. What happened if someone was hurt or wandered away from camp? They wouldn’t have cell service back here. They would be on their own. Fiona’s arms broke out in gooseflesh, but she chided herself for being so silly. After all, they’d have an experienced guide with them. She’d know what to do.

Branches of pines and aspens were swatting the side of the truck as they drove, the sunlight flashing inside the cab almost strobe-like. Every twenty feet or so, Fiona caught a sign warning off trespassers, the words harsh and red, with steep fines posted on the bottom for violators. If someone came this far without a permit and didn’t heed the warnings, they clearly meant to break the law.

The trees suddenly broke in front of them, and Fiona saw that the growth had been cut back here a little for a small parking area. The lead truck pulled over to the left, and Jon turned easily to the right, the horse trailers now pointing toward each other. The trip from Ted’s Place had taken less than an hour.

Everyone piled out of the trucks, and the area was a mass of bodies and activity for several minutes while Fiona and the others moved their gear out of the way. They waited near what was clearly the trailhead, another large warning sign propped nearby promising fines and jail time for trespassers. Two of the assistants were busy getting the horses out of the trailers, and by the time Fiona remembered to look for her, Roz was standing with her back to her, directing the others. She was too far away to hear clearly, but Fiona could see the assistants watching her and nodding at times as they were told their various tasks. From behind, the woman was tall, solid, her black, curly hair cut very close to her head on the sides, longer on top. She was wearing neutral tones, beiges and greens, and the muscles in her arms and shoulders were visible under the light cotton fabric. Unlike the men, she’d tied a dark-red bandana tied around her neck. Even from here, Fiona could see that it was wet, likely to keep her cool.

The operation was efficient, unhurried. The assistants’ gear was set in a neat pile as the horses were lined up, attached to leads, and saddled. Roz inspected each horse, and Fiona finally saw her face when she moved to the horses on the far side of the line closer to her and her friends. Roz’s expression was stern, hard, her brows low, her mouth and jaw set in a firm line. She was clearly concentrating, which explained her expression, but Fiona had the immediate impression of someone who knew what she was doing and suffered no fools. Her eyes and lashes were very dark, like her hair, her skin a warm, light-russet brown. Despite the hardness she saw there, Fiona couldn’t look away.

Jill elbowed her. “What did I tell you?”

Fiona didn’t reply, still staring at the woman. The sight of her was mesmerizing. Beyond seeming confident, sure of herself and what she was doing, Roz was clearly not a person to mess with. This woman could probably handle anything.

After Roz checked the last horse, she nodded slightly at her assistants before finally glancing their way. Her eyes rested briefly on Fiona’s before moving on to the others. She lifted a hand and walked toward them. Fiona’s heart leapt, and she forced her gaze away from the woman’s face.

“Hey, guys. Nice to see some of you again. I don’t think I’ve met you, yet, though. Fiona, right?”

Fiona made herself meet her eyes. Fiona was slightly shorter than average, and this woman had a good seven or eight inches on her. Their eyes met for a second, and Fiona’s face heated. Realizing she was supposed to speak, she managed to sputter out a reply.

“Yes. That’s me.” She remembered to offer a hand at the last second. Roz’s was warm and strong and strangely soft.

“Okay. Nice to meet you.”

Roz gave her hand one more squeeze before letting it go, and Fiona had to force herself to put her own back at her side. Roz’s gaze had already wandered away from hers, and Fiona made herself look away again. It was going to be hard not to stare at her this entire trip.

“I guess since we’ll be spending some time together, I ought to let you all know now that I’m an early riser, and I’ll expect the same from everyone this trip. I want to be on the trail no later than eight every morning.”

“Sure, Roz, whatever you like,” Jill said. Her face, Fiona noted, was slightly pink, and Jill wasn’t hiding the fact that she was staring at Roz.

“Alrighty, then. I see you guys packed light, like I suggested, so that’s good. After today, we have to carry it. Today we’ll be on the horses for about five hours, with a nice long break halfway. We’ll make an early camp this afternoon so you can adjust to the elevation. The guys leave with the horses tomorrow morning.

“Fiona, I don’t know what the others told you, but after today, we’ll do about sixteen to eighteen miles a day the first half of the trip, and twenty to twenty-two the second. If we keep to the schedule, we’ll have one day about halfway for a break at the hot springs. We’ll head northwest for the first three days, then basically due north after that. These guys,” she gestured at the assistants, “will meet us in our final campsite with the horses on the third, and we’ll ride out with them to the trucks on the fourth. That means almost two weeks of hard work. How’s that sound?”

Fiona managed a quick nod. “Sounds good. I’m ready.”

Roz smiled at her. “Glad to hear it. Now let’s get these packs tied up to the horses, and we can be on our way.”

As Roz walked away out of earshot, Jill staggered a little, grabbing Fiona and Sarah’s arms as if to steady herself.

“Oh. My. God. That smile, guys. Jeez.”

Fiona laughed and pushed her away. “Get ahold of yourself, Romeo. She wouldn’t give any of us the time of day if she wasn’t being paid.”

Jill raised an eyebrow, frowning. “I don’t know about that. She was awfully friendly when we met her in May.”

“Yeah,” Fiona said, “’cause it’s her job, genius.”

“Maybe. But who knows what it’ll be like when we’re out in the woods by ourselves for a few days? Slim pickings might open doors.”

“Or tent flaps,” Carol said.

“Hey!” Sarah said. “I’m standing right here.”

Carol swatted her arm playfully. “A girl can dream.”

Roz gestured from the horses for them, and they lugged their packs over to her. There were two extra horses for the gear. They put two packs on one, three on the other, the assistants’ overnight bag fitting into a single pack on the first gear horse. Fiona’s was the lightest of their bags, and Roz was able to hold it up one-handed as she strapped it on. They’d been directed to avoid going over a quarter of their body weight, and as Fiona was the smallest of anyone, hers weighed five pounds less than the others’.

Almost all of her pack’s weight was food—a pound a day of calorie-dense meals and snacks. She also had a headlamp and extra batteries, a lightweight, extra-warm sleeping bag, a change of clothes and extra underwear and socks, long johns, a waterproof jacket, her inflatable sleeping pad, and a few toiletries. The others had cookware and water filters, so she didn’t need to carry any of that except her own plate, spork, and cup, and some matches. She was sharing a tent with Jill, but Jill had agreed to carry the entire thing to help her out. All in all, she could manage her load, but she was still looking forward to later in the trip when the food weight decreased.

Last week, she and Sarah had gone together for a quick tutorial on horseback riding at a local ranch, but now, as Fiona mounted her horse, she realized that it had probably been unnecessary. These were trail horses, calm and quiet, taught to follow the lead horse, ridden by Roz. Still, the lesson had made her a little less nervous about the whole thing, and the idea that the ride would last only part of today was comforting, too. Her horse’s ears were soft and black, twitching slightly. She patted the side of its neck, and it turned toward her slightly, whinnying softly.

“Nice horsey,” she whispered.

“All set?” Roz called from the front.

Fiona was three horses behind her, near the middle. Everyone called out in reply, and they started, Fiona’s horse moving on its own. The horse was placid, the bobbing minimal, and once she’d gotten used to the feel of riding again, her stomach gave a quick flutter of excitement. This was really happening.