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East of Mt. Rainier, Near Old Highway 410
The winds whipped and the rain fell with resounding thunder and a fascinating light show for two days. The only thing keeping the floor of the shelter from becoming a small river was the incline on each side of the ancient highway. Their only light during the two-day stay was from the small fire, which also kept them warm.
“Man, can’t this stuff stop. I’m cold and miserable,” Anton complained.
“Hey, it could be much worse. We could have been stuck out there the whole time without shelter, so maybe be grateful occasionally,” Doug snipped.
“Whatever.” Anton huffed as he pulled his knees up to stay warm.
Thomas stood hunched over in the cramped quarters and made his way toward the entrance to get a decent view outside. Standing at the edge of the overhang, he peered out into the rain, which had slowed considerably. In the near distance, he could see the sky brightening, meaning the storm was passing and the rain would stop completely in a few hours, hopefully. “It looks like the rain will lessen in a few hours, but it could take a day or so before it dries enough to travel again,” Thomas said as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other and ran his hand through his short-cropped brown hair. He walked back in and turned to Lisa. “How’s your arm, Lisa?”
“I’ve seen better days, if that’s what you want to know,” she said with a crooked smile on her pain-filled face.
“Kaden, do you think she’ll be able to travel in a day or so?” Thomas asked.
“I’ll examine her arm again later today and can let you know then. Even if she can travel, it will have to be slow-going and someone will have to be by her side the whole way. We may even have to stop sooner each day.”
“Okay. Just let me know. Thanks.”
Thomas went back and sat near the fire where Troy and Paulette were heating some breakfast and hot drinks. Paulette looked up with her bright blues and smiled at him as he plopped down on the bag and placed his hands over the fire, rubbing them together to get them warm. “You okay, sweetheart?”
“Yeah, I guess. It’s just, well, I knew we’d have some difficulties on this little adventure of ours, but I never imagined anything like this. We should have been able to make this trip in two... three weeks... tops, but we’re on week two now and haven’t even gotten into the mountains yet.”
“Yeah, I can see your point. It’s definitely been difficult. We lost Peter and people have gotten hurt. The only bright spot is that the rest of us are alive and we have each other.”
“True, but still... I just hope things go better for the rest of the trip.”
“Me, too, but there’s no guarantee out here in the wilderness, so we’ll just have to do the best we can.”
“You’re right. I should cheer up a little.”
Kaden gave the go-ahead for Lisa to travel the next day. Her arm was healing nicely, and, although she was still in pain, he had enough medicine to help manage it. He would need to go foraging for more yarrow or willow soon, though. “Thomas, I still recommend a slow plod through the mountains, and for the first few days we should stop early for camp.”
“Okay, that’s better than being stuck in one place for too long. I’ll let you make the call on when we need to stop and rest and when we’re done for the day.”
“Thank you. I know Lisa will appreciate it.”
The people in the group gathered all their gear, stepped out from under the pavement overhang, and started following the river eastward again. Kaden and Doug walked with Lisa to help her over any rough terrain and to monitor her condition.
Progress was slow and steady, and the group’s spirits were good, considering all they had been through. Rays of sunlight sparkled off the water, and, in some rougher areas, the sun projected rainbows in mists from the water. The rushing water of the river masked their passing as they proceeded to follow its every twist and turn higher and higher into the mountains.
Despite the slow progression and the many stops, they still were making good time. “Thomas, I’ll scout ahead for an appropriate campsite for the evening,” Troy called back from the lead.
“Thanks, I’m sure Lisa and the rest of us would love to stop for the night.”
Troy took off around the next bend in the river. Meanwhile, the group kept a steady, even pace onward.
It didn’t take Troy long to spot something in the distance. He began jogging toward what looked like old buildings. When he got around the next bend in the river, lo and behold, he found there was not only one old building, but several in the surrounding area. He lessened his pace and began inspecting each of the dilapidated buildings, trying to locate a suitable one that would give them some protection from the elements and not be too dangerous to be in. After an hour of searching, he found a building that only had half of its roof collapsed, giving plenty of room on the other side to shelter the group. Excited, he ran back to tell everyone.
Somewhat winded as he approached the group, he stopped and waited for them to catch up to him.
Thomas and Paulette were the first to reach him. “Did you find a decent spot?” Thomas asked.
“Oh, yeah. I discovered a prime spot. I’d estimate about three miles up, there’s what looks like an old world settlement. There are quite a few old buildings, many destroyed from the upheaval, but I found one that’s suitable to shelter us.”
“That’s great. We should be there in a few hours at the pace we’re walking.” Thomas pivoted, cupped his hands around his mouth, and hollered back to the approaching group. “Troy found some old buildings three miles upriver, and there’s one we can use for shelter. Paulette, Troy, and I will go ahead of you guys and get things ready. Catch up when you can.”
Doug yelled back, “Sure thing, boss. We’ll just keep our current pace and see you guys in a little while.”
Troy, Thomas, and Paulette quickened their pace a bit as they hiked to the old settlement. Paulette was excited to be able to breathe the fresh air as they continued to hike next to the raging river. Looking out at the river, she noticed the water as it splashed against rocks and sprayed froth and mists of water into the air, forming micro rainbows. “Such pretty rainbows,” she murmured to herself.
“What did you say?” Thomas asked.
Her reverie burst. She smiled at Thomas and reiterated, “I said, what pretty rainbows.”
“Where?”
“Out in the river. You can see them when the water splashes against a rock and the light strikes the mist just right.”
She saw Thomas gaze out into the river, admiring its beauty. “That’s amazing. I wouldn’t have noticed it had you not muttered something.”
“Well, that’s because, unlike you, I’m taking in my surroundings and basking in the beauty of it all. Your focus is on getting us where we’re going.”
“True, very true. I suppose I should devote more time learning to take it all in like you, even when we’re hiking on a perilous journey. A break occasionally would be nice.”
While they continued to banter back and forth about the beauty of nature and the serene mountains, they went around a final curve and noticed what looked like an old village in front of them. There were several buildings scattered around the area. Most lay in absolute ruins. Others were standing by a thread, and there were a few that were possibly usable. Troy got their attention. “Hey, over here.”
Paulette saw Troy at an immense rectangular building with half of its roof caved in; however, the other half looked great from her vantage point. She and Thomas walked over to the building, and Troy took them inside to show them the layout and the viability for its being a shelter. She saw a smile creep over Thomas’s worn features and felt him squeeze her hand.
“I think we can call it a day. This place should work for the night and perhaps a little longer if required,” Thomas said.
An hour later, Lisa, Doug, and Kaden came into view. Thomas spotted them and rushed over. “Here let me help you guys with some of those bags.”
He could see that Doug was winded and could use the help. As Thomas reached out to take Lisa’s bag from Doug, he could see Doug grin once he was free of the heavy bag.
“I’m so glad we are finally here. We all could do for a rest.”
Thomas looked at Kaden and saw him nod in agreement, while his sandy-blond hair tumbled into his hazel eyes and caused him to swipe it aside with his right hand. “Lisa could use the rest more than any of us. I’ll get her situated, and then I need to forage in the nearby hills for more willow bark or yarrow to make more pain medication for her. My day isn’t through yet.”
“I know you aren’t looking forward to having to do more traipsing around in the woods after a long twenty-mile hike, but we really need those items,” Thomas said.
Thomas watched as Kaden’s shoulders sagged and he sighed in resignation.
“I know. I just wish it could wait.”
“It shouldn’t take too long. Can you escort Lisa to the building and get her situated before you head out?”
Unbeknownst to the group of travelers, there had been a shadow following them. Sky had given the impression she was headed back to the village the day the group had broken camp, but, instead, she circled back and began to follow them from a distance. She couldn’t believe how easy it had been to follow them and considered them to be real idiots. They sounded like a herd of elephants stomping around the woods. They should have tried to be as quiet as possible, but, no, they talked loudly and fumbled around like a bunch of two-year-olds out on a high adventure. She cracked a wry smile. The noise they were making would definitely help disguise her following them.
Her father had taught her the way of her American Indian ancestors well. She could glide through the forest as if she were floating on air and sneak up on even the most easily startled animals. Sky felt that following Thomas and his group was a piece of cake. She’d show them all that she was the better scout. She just needed to bide her time.
She angled her head at a noise in the distance and noticed an enormous bank of clouds building in the west, moving rapidly in her direction. She knew it was time to find a shelter.
She continued moving forward along the same trajectory as the group but needed to find something to shelter her from the storm. A few miles upriver, she noticed a nice-sized hole in the ground and veered off to check it out. She hiked up a slight incline and came upon an opening. Pulling out a candle made from bee’s wax and a flint, she lit the wick and held it out in front of her as she stepped inside the opening. She moved the candle in an arching motion allowing her to see in all directions in front of her. She found nothing dangerous, so she continued, her footsteps echoing off the cave walls.
It appeared the cave was just a cutout in the hill but was deep enough to shelter in. Satisfied that the cave would shield her from the storm, she slipped her rifle off her shoulder and then slid her bag off and laid it on the floor of the cave. Walking back out to the opening and glancing skyward, she saw the storm was drawing closer and that it would rain soon. She needed to retrieve enough dry wood for a few days, before the storm struck, so she went outside and collected wood. She made the fire near the opening of the cave for ventilation but not so close that the winds and rain would put it out. Finished with her preparations, she got comfortable and waited out the storm.
