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“Ok Josie, this is your day to plan our adventure. What’s it going to be?” asked Grandma as she cleared the last of the breakfast items from the picnic table.
Josie spread her map on the table and pointed to a spot near Jenny Lake. “We are going to hike around Jenny Lake to Hidden Falls, then take the boat shuttle back.” Josie looked at her Grandpa and asked, “Is that ok? We will have to pay for the boat shuttle, but it looks like a lot of fun.”
“Sounds great to me!” smiled Grandpa. “The shuttle is not that expensive, and it will be fun to relax after a morning hike.”
Grandma looked at the map and asked, “Shall we drive to the trail head, since it looks like it is quite a walk from our camp?”
“Good idea Grandma. Kids, grab your stuff and let’s go,” said Grandpa.
Josie and Max ran to their tent to grab their backpacks, water bottles, hats, jackets and sunscreen. Then they hurried toward the car. As Josie threw her backpack into the car, it hit Max’s leg.
“Hey! What do you have in there? Bricks?” asked Max.
“Sorry,” said Josie. “It's just stuff I need.”
Max dug into Josie’s backpack and pulled out a small roll of duct tape. “Seriously? When will you need duct tape on a hike in the forest?” Max didn’t even wait for an answer; he dropped the duct tape back in the pack and rummaged around some more. As Josie reached for her pack, Max pulled out a pack of Lifesavers. “Can I have these? You probably won’t need them either.”
Josie grabbed the Lifesavers and dropped them back in her pack. “Leave my stuff alone Max. Those are for later when you get really tired and cranky.” Josie looked at Max and giggled. “On second thought, you can have one now. You are always cranky.”
Grandma turned to look at Josie and Max, “You two be nice to each other, or it is going to be a long day.” She looked at Josie and added, “You do have a lot in that backpack Josie. Do you want to leave any of it in the car? It might get heavy.”
“Nope,” answered Josie. “I just know I will need this stuff.”
Max popped a Lifesaver in his mouth and said, “If it gets too heavy, I’ll take any candy you have. You know, just to help out.”
Soon they parked near the Jenny Lake trailhead and piled out of the car. The trailhead was right next to the Shuttle Boat Dock. Since it was still early, not many people were out yet.
“It seems so quiet,” said Max.
“I love morning hikes,” sighed Grandma. “Look how beautiful and calm the lake is. It looks like the mountains are rising right out of the lake. Let me sketch this quickly, before we start the hike.” Grandma pulled her sketchbook out and added a quick outline of the lake before she sketched in a few more details.
Soon they were walking along the trail to Hidden Falls. The trail was pretty flat and stayed close to the edge of the lake. As they hiked, they watched for small animals and listened for birds. Every now and then they would see a bunch of wildflowers.
“Oh,” exclaimed Josie, “These flowers are so pretty! Do you think I could pick one and press it in my sketchbook?”
“Sorry Josie,” Grandma remarked, “We have to leave the flowers where they are although that does remind me of a poem I learned as a child. I think it went something like this:”
“When you see the flowers,
take a picture in your mind,
that way you can enjoy them,
but they’re there for all to find!”
“That is one reason I love to sketch. It helps me remember the flowers I see when traveling, but the flowers remain there for others to enjoy too! .”
Josie plopped down next to the flower and dug her sketch pad out of her backpack. “This will just take a minute."
“Are we there yet?” asked Max, leaning against a tree. “We have been hiking forever.”
Josie tossed Max a Lifesaver and smiled.
“I think we are about halfway to the falls,” answered Grandpa. “So, we still have a way to go. You’re doing great.”
Josie finished her sketch and they started along the trail again.
“I see some other hikers off to the side of the trail,” said Grandma, after they had hiked for a few minutes, “but it looks like there is a problem.”
As they got closer, they could see a couple of hikers standing around a young man sitting on the ground with his hiking boots in his hands.”
“Hi there!” called Grandpa. “Is everything ok?”
“Hi,” replied the man on the ground. “Yah. We’re ok. I am just having some trouble with my boots.” He held them up, and the sole of each boot flopped forward.
“That is a problem.” said Grandpa, a worried frown crossing his face.
“They’re new boots too!” added the young man, shoulders slumping. “I guess I will have to walk the rest of the way without boots.”
Suddenly, Josie dropped her backpack and started rummaging through it. Proudly she pulled out the duct tape and held it out to the man. “Will this help? My mom says you can fix anything with duct tape!”
The man and his friends looked at Josie and then at the tape. “I bet that would work.” said one of his friends. “Just wrap it around the boot a few times. It should get us back to the trail head and then you can swap out your hiking boots for your tennis shoes.”
The man reached for the duct tape. “Thanks! We’ll try it. Who would think to carry duct tape in their backpack!”
Soon, the man had his boots on and had them all taped up. The groups said goodbye. As Josie and her family continued toward Hidden Falls, the other group hiked the other way towards the trail head.
“See!” said Josie to Max, poking him in the side with her finger. “I knew I would need that.”
Max pushed her hand away and rolled his eyes, “Okay, maybe the duct tape was useful, but I bet not everything you have in there is!”
“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see,” Grandma said with a laugh.