So far, so good.

They had been on the road for two and a half hours and everyone seemed to be having a good time. Even Tara. Maybe especially Tara. Brent didn’t initially like the way things began to look at the outset of the trip, because he could see in her eyes the disappointment upon learning that she would not be traveling with him in the same vehicle.

He thought it might be a good idea for her to get to know some of the others without him being around. He had intended to suggest to Karen that she ask Tara to come with her in Eric’s Jeep, but she had already beaten him to the punch. When Tara began to explain to Karen her intention to go with Brent, she turned and looked to him for confirmation. 

He had raised his hand and waved the idea off. “It’s okay, Tara,” he’d said, as if she were asking permission. “You can go with Karen. Maybe we’ll do a Chinese fire drill and mix things up again when we stop for the inevitable bathroom break.” The guys didn't even try to hide their smirks.

About an hour and a half later, that bathroom break took place, and he didn’t end up seeing what he had expected, a forlorn Tara exiting Eric’s vehicle. Instead, he saw Karen and Tara get out of the back of the Jeep almost doubled over in laughter. When they had assembled back at the vehicles, Tara had approached him and asked, “You won’t be too troubled if I finish the trip up with Karen, will you?” He could see it in her eyes; she really wanted him to say he was okay with it. After a slight twinge of jealousy, he did, and they were off again.

Terry and Marta were with him in the Suburban—Terry riding shotgun. After a few minutes back on the road, Terry turned and looked back to Marta and said, “Tara and Karen seem to be hitting it off.”

“Yeah,” said Marta. “Go figure. I half expected her to just cling to our illustrious leader, here.”

Brent rolled his eyes and shook his head, but didn’t say anything. He decided that he was happy that there weren’t any additional “distractions” in the truck to deal with. Well, happy might be too strong a word.

“She nearly scared me to death when she started that coughing fit.” Terry laughed. “The timing, right when Eric rebuked the enemy… a little freaky.”1

“Yeah, that was a little weird,” said Marta. “I had the same thought.”

Brent couldn't let those comments go. “Come on, now. Let’s not go overboard. There will be a lot of rocks where we’re going, but we’re not going to have time to look for demons under every one of them.”

As Brent made the statement and looked back at Marta through the rearview mirror, he could see her lift her eyebrows and purse her lips.

I wonder what she’s thinking.

11:43 A.M.

THEY WERE AT the southern edge of the forest, traveling west along US Route 52. Considering the need for another “pit stop,” they had still made pretty good time.

“There it is!” said Marta, pointing to the road sign. “State Route 125!”

Brent made the right turn that started their drive into the heart of Shawnee State Forest. In just about ten minutes they would be at the state park. Brent was also getting excited. He could feel a slight rush of adrenaline.

Terry said, “Based on what you’ve written down, the park entrance is 6.7 miles ahead and on the left.”

Marta was feeling it, too. “You know, when all the planning was going on, I had reservations about this whole idea, but now that we’re almost there, I’m really getting excited!”

Brent looked into his side-view mirror to see that Eric’s Jeep had followed them onto the road. “Eric’s right behind us,” he said to no one in particular.

They made the left turn into the state park grounds, and a little further down the road, to the left, they saw the park office. “We’re here!”

Both vehicles were parked and the six hikers got out and stretched. They gathered near the back of the Suburban. “What’s first,” asked Karen?

“First we’ve got to go into the office and let them know our schedule. Then those of us who don’t already have fishing licenses, and are intending to do some fishing, can buy them here.”

“What do you mean about a schedule?” asked Marta.

Brent smiled. “I asked the same question when I called down here. They have hiking camp sites set up about every five miles along the trail, and with over 60 miles of hiking trails they want to know the general intentions of all of the hikers here. That way if the hikers don’t eventually show up they can go out and search for them.”

“Umm …” Marta began, “This is just something you forgot to mention?”

Brent laughed. “It’s just a precaution. Don’t worry. This place is well hiked. We’re not going to be anywhere that all of the other hikers won’t also be.” He was satisfied with his assurance and said, “Okay, let’s make ourselves known and get to the trailhead. We’ve got some hiking to do!”

12:21 P.M.

HAVING MADE IT to the trailhead parking lot, they began unloading their gear. About the only things not contained in their backpacks were the two three-man tents and bedrolls that would have to be tethered to the packs. The guys had agreed that they would carry the extra weight burden of the tents, for which, the girls all called them heroes.

A can of Off! was presented to the hikers by Tara. “Trust me, you’ll be glad of this smelly stuff by the time we head back home.” She took time to spray the fronts, backs, arms, and legs of each of the hikers.

Next they put on their hiking boots, but not before the now-famous nylon and wool socks were pulled on to all of their twelve feet. And, finally, each of the men and women hefted the backpacks onto one another’s shoulders.

“I expected these to feel heavier,” said Marta.

Tara responded. “It’s the way that Mr. Lawton packed them. You try to keep the things you’ll need first at the top of the pack, and the things you’ll need last at the bottom. But he also knew to shift some of the weight so that most of it was low and closer to our backs.” Turning to Brent she said, “Smart man, your dad.”

Brent grinned.

“Are we ready?” asked Marta. “If it’s this beautiful here in the parking lot, I can’t wait to see what it looks like on the trails!”

“Almost,” said Brent. “First thing’s first. And that is hydration. The guy in the office said that there are water stations near every camp site, except for camp six, but there are some streams that cross through there, so we can treat some water there if we need to. Every water station that we come to, drink your fill, especially if you don’t feel like it. And remember to fill your bota bags with water, too.”

Tara chimed in with an over-emphasized southern drawl. “Trust him! He’s prayching the truth!” Everyone laughed. “And besides the nylon and wool socks,” she looked at Marta with a smirk, “this is the most important thing we have on the trail. Don’t make someone else sacrifice his or her water for you because you’ve gotten lazy about keeping yours filled up.”

After the trip to the water station at the trailhead, they headed off into their adventure.

1 Go to Appendix B for information on the authority of the name of Jesus Christ