The Aldens had not gone far before Benny got squirmy. He pushed his feet into the back of Grandfather’s seat. Henry knew his brother had a hard time sitting still. He needed a distraction, so Henry whirled around and rolled his eyeballs this way and that. He pushed his nose left and right, up and down. He twisted his lips every which way.
Jessie giggled. Which gave Violet the giggles. Which gave Benny the giggles. Soon, the children were seeing who could make the funniest faces, and laughing so hard their sides hurt. That’s when they heard it.
Arrrr-arf. Arf, arf. Arrrr-arf, arf, arf.
Jessie spun around to look in the back of the van. Watch’s head was sticking out from the pile of duffels. Arrrr-arf, arf, arf. He was dog-laughing right along with them.
The children turned to Grandfather. But he kept driving as if he hadn’t heard a thing.
“Grandfather,” said Violet, “Watch got in the car.”
“Hmm,” said Grandfather. “How strange. Well, some nice fresh country air will do him good, I suppose.” The children looked at one another. Grandfather didn’t seem at all surprised that Watch was in the car. “Besides,” Grandfather said, “he’ll be good company on my ride home after I drop you at camp.”
Henry took out his phone and typed in, Driving distance from Greenfield, Connecticut, to Big Pine Lake, Maine. “Our ride,” he announced, “will take six hours.”
Benny groaned. “That’s so loonnnggg.”
“We’ll stop every hour or so,” said Grandfather, “to go to the bathroom and stretch our legs.”
“I’ll set my phone alarm for one hour,” said Henry. Henry used his cell phone all the time. He knew it was going to be hard to live without it for a whole week. But the camp didn’t allow phones. Too many campers dropped them into lakes or lost them on hikes.
Violet handed out small boxes of raisins. Snacks always made a long ride go faster.
Jessie studied the Camp Survival brochures. “The first things they’ll teach us,” she said, “are the basics.”
“Like what?” asked Benny.
“How to find shelter,” said Jessie. “How to set up camp and start a fire. Things like that.”
“That stuff is easy,” said Benny. “I can’t wait for the hike. Then we’ll really be like Wildman Willie.”
Violet twirled one of her braids, thinking. Wildman always made living outdoors look easy. But once, when the children were in the boxcar, they had been caught in a rainstorm. Violet had been so cold, she thought she might never feel warm again. They didn’t show those things on TV.
As if reading Violet’s mind, Jessie said, “I don’t think any of it will be easy…But no matter what, we’ll do it together.”
Violet smiled. It reminded her of the book Jessie had been reading to her at night: The Three Musketeers. “That can be our motto,” Violet said. “Just like the Musketeers. All for one…”
“And one for all!” they answered.
Violet relaxed. If she couldn’t do something at Camp Survival, her brothers and sister would be there to help. And she would help them. All for one and one for all!
After a little while, Henry’s alarm beeped. “Time for a break,” he said, and Grandfather pulled into a rest station.
The children got out to stretch and use the bathroom. Benny ran laps around the rest area to get out all of his energy. Watch tried to join him, but Grandfather held him close with a leash.
That’s strange, thought Jessie. If Watch snuck into the minivan, how did Grandfather have a leash for him?
But before she could ask her siblings about it, the Aldens were back on the road.
Five hours later, Benny cried, “Look!”
A billboard said, Camp Survival 5 Miles.
Grandfather eased the minivan onto a narrow road. It led them deeper and deeper into the woods.
“I used to hike in woods like these,” said Grandfather.
“You hiked?” asked Benny.
Grandfather chuckled. “I wasn’t always old. In fact, I was once quite the athlete. My favorite place to hike was around Lake Minnehaha.”
“That’s a fun name to say,” said Benny. “Minne—ha-ha.”
“What was your favorite part, Grandfather?” Violet asked.
Grandfather thought for a moment. “I loved hiking and camping most of all,” he said. “The forest is magical in the morning. Feeling the cool air on your face. Smelling the soil and plants. Listening to birds calling. Insects buzzing and clicking.”
“Look!” Benny pointed to another sign: Camp Survival 2 Miles.
Grandfather turned onto a dirt road that seemed more pothole than road. He slowed down and drove carefully.
“What was the strangest thing you ever saw?” asked Jessie.
Grandfather steered around a deep hole in the road. “I guess the strangest thing happened one night when I was looking for a place to camp,” he said. “It was nearly dark when I saw a boulder with two trees growing on top. At dusk, that rock looked like a giant moose’s head with two big antlers! I just about took off running when I saw it!”
The children laughed at the thought. “Another time,” said Grandfather, “I saw a tree that grew with half its trunk on one side of the trail and half on the other.”
“What did you eat when you camped?” Benny asked. Benny’s thoughts were never far from food.
“Mostly berries and plants I found,” said Grandfather. “But once I was lucky enough to find morel mushrooms in a dried-up creek bed.”
“How could mushrooms be lucky?” asked Violet.
“Because,” said Grandfather, “it’s tricky to find morels. There’s an old saying: ‘Morels are everywhere and impossible to find.’”
“Like leprechauns,” said Jessie.
“Or my shoes,” said Benny. He sometimes wore two different shoes to school because he could find only one from each pair.
Henry said, “Some mushrooms are poisonous.”
“That’s right,” said Grandfather. “But the morel looks unique. Some say it looks like a sponge. I think morels look the way your fingers do when you’ve been swimming too long—all wrinkly and puckered and pruney.”
Violet scrunched her nose. “Why would anyone eat them?”
Grandfather laughed. “They taste great. Of course, over the years, I did have a few adventures that were dangerous.”
The children leaned in. They wanted to hear what kind of dangers Grandfather had faced. Wolves? Bears? Porcupines?
“Once, I was hiking by myself and came across a—”
The steering wheel jerked as the van hit a deep pothole. Grandfather gripped the wheel. “Oh my,” he said. “That was almost a dangerous situation itself! I’d better focus on driving.”
The children hoped Grandfather would finish his story, but soon they reached Camp Survival. As the children unloaded the duffel bags, Grandfather said, “I want all of you to remember this: The trick to living in nature is to listen. Listen to what people at camp teach you. Listen to what the world around you tells you. Listen to what your instincts tell you. Do that, and you’ll do great.”
As the children carried their gear toward the camp, a wiry young woman jogged up with long, graceful strides. An older, bearded man followed, leaning on a carved wooden cane.
“I’m Lani,” the woman said as she shook their hands. She had bright eyes, a friendly smile, and a firm handshake. “I’m Camp Survival’s head guide. I’ll be leading you on your hike later in the week.”
The older man limped forward. He was as big as a bear. “You must be the Aldens,” he said, shaking each child’s hand.
“You’re big” said Benny.
The man laughed a deep laugh. “And you must be Benny.”
Benny’s eyes grew. “You know my name?” he said.
“It’s my job to know what’s going on at Camp Survival.” The man winked. “I’m Grizzly Michaels, camp director and owner. You’re in for some great adventures. I’ve taught my granddaughter Lani everything I know about surviving in the wilderness.”
“This is our grandfather,” said Henry. Henry was sure Grandfather would want to ask Grizzly some questions. Whenever the children stayed someplace, Grandfather always made sure he had the details. But this time Grandfather only nodded. “James,” he said.
The big man gave a small nod and smile in return.
Suddenly, Watch ran up and put his paws on Grizzly’s legs.
Jessie pulled Watch’s leash. “Down, boy, down.”
“Oh, he’s fine,” said Grizzly, rubbing Watch’s head. “Hello, boy. Hello.” Watch sat, wagging his tail. “Good Watch.”
Grandfather glanced at the time. “It’s getting late,” he said. “It’s too far for me to drive home tonight. I’d better find a motel.”
The children were surprised Grandfather was leaving so quickly. They thought he might want to see the camp, but they hugged him and Watch and said good-bye.
“Come on. I’ll show you to your yurt,” said Lani.
A yurt, it turned out, was like a tent. It was round on the sides and pointy on top. Inside were four cots.
“The bathrooms are in the log cabin just down the path,” said Lani. “I’ve put canteens of fresh water next to your beds.” A loud cowbell clanged in the distance. “That’s the dinner bell. When you’re ready, just follow the path to the biggest yurt. That’s our mess hall. See you soon!”
Lani left them alone. For a moment, the children stood quietly. They’d thought about Camp Survival for so long. Now that they were there, it all felt a little strange.
“I bet Grandfather would have loved to see these yurts,” said Henry. “It’s too bad he had to leave so quickly.”
“Did it seem like Grandfather was in a hurry to leave?” asked Violet. “He spent so much time talking about being in nature, but then he couldn’t wait to get to his motel.”
“Maybe he was worried about the motel filling up,” said Benny.
“Maybe…” said Jessie. She had thought Grandfather was acting strange all day. “But he barely said a word to Grizzly. It’s not like him to be impolite.”
“That’s another thing,” said Henry. “Was it just me, or did Grizzly say Watch’s name? How did he know what we call him?”
Benny shrugged. “It’s his job to know who’s coming to the camp. Remember?”
“But we didn’t even know Watch was coming along,” said Jessie.
The children thought about this for a moment. It was surprising. But the dinner bell reminded them they had bigger things to think about—mainly how hungry they were. The Aldens found the path to the mess hall and followed the other campers to their first meal at Camp Survival.
