by Linda Mackay
For once I agreed with Special Forces. “But we have a secret weapon in Frank. He knows every inch of this territory and we can be as stealth as Special…I mean Mac would like.”
“I have just the spot in mind. Saddle up,” Frank said.
“What if we run into someone and they ask us where we’re going?”
“Good question, Amanda. In covert ops we always had a backstory to justify our whereabouts. KISS theory works the best,” Mac said.
“Keep It Simple Stupid,” Todd answered. “This is so awesome to be a part of a covert-op team!”
“Maybe I should pull out my .44 mag and put on my camo,” Amanda said.
“Your camo is pink, not exactly regulation.” Todd flicked his finger on her leg as he walked to his horse.
Amanda brushed his hand away. “And you’re planning to stun gun the enemy. Your bear spray has more range than that worthless thing.”
“Story is, we are on a holiday backpacking trip.” I said ignoring the clamber of the boobsy twins.
“I love vacations.” Amanda pulled her hair in a ponytail and shoved it under her cowboy hat as she mounted her horse.
“Good plan,” Frank said.
Mac rode up next to me. “Does she really have a .44?”
“Yep, in her saddle pack,” I said. “And so do the rest of us.”
“I’m not sure if that’s good or bad.”
“If a bear or mountain lion is two feet from your face, you’ll vote, good.” Other than Mac who was carrying an arsenal, the rest of us were carrying the firearms we carried every time we were working in the park. As employees we had special permission to carry firearms for our safety. Like a chemist wears safety goggles or a horse racer wears a helmet, the park allows certain backcountry employees to carry a firearm for safety. It wouldn’t look good for the government if one of their USGS employees were eaten because they couldn’t defend themselves. I don’t recall ever hearing of anyone using it, but I certainly sleep better believing a rogue bear won’t be dining on me. If Mac really was some kind of secret agent I bet he also had a pass on carrying all that firepower.
“I’m more worried about the biped animals,” Mac said.
His hands held the reins so gently it was hard to imagine Chimayo could feel his commands. “I don’t understand why a natural disaster makes you think World War III is coming?” I asked.
“First, war is overstating things. Second, natural disasters bring out the best and worst in people.”
“I’m not as amused as the bicker brats up ahead. So, don’t sugar coat why you’re on high alert and Frank is acting out of character.”
“Frank doesn’t normally proceed with caution?” Mac asked me.
“Not like there’s a bunch of cattle rustlers he’s trying to sneak up on.”
“People still rustle cattle?”
“Unfortunately, yes. And while we’re on the subject of things to worry about; you might consider worrying about that poor little animal.” I pointed to his left.
“What?”
Chimayo twitched under him, the ground swayed and rolled, bringing the cinnamon colored grizzly out from behind the tree. Behind her was a tiny cub-of-the-year toppling over from the ground movement.
Steady mama. We mean no harm to you or your baby.
The ground steadied and the bear stared me in the eye. I nodded. She stomped one foot on the ground and nodded back. I averted my head and nudged Arikira to slowly move out. As my horse began walking, the rest of the group followed behind me.
“What the hell just happened?” Mac asked.
“Jorie, calmed the mama bear so we could pass without any trouble,” Frank said.
“Pretty cool stuff.” Amanda said.
“What do you mean she calmed the bear?” Mac asked again in a voice loud enough to make me determined not to answer his demand.
“It means she talked to it and they came to an understanding.” Todd answered, looking at Mac like he was stupid and daring him to defy the statement.
“I swear every single one of you are crazy and have dragged me down the rabbit hole into your insane existence.” Mac flicked the reins on Chimayo and moved ahead of us.
Frank laughed and galloped to the front retaking the lead from Mac. “You’ll get used to it.”
Chapter 5
Lily Lake was more of a pond covered in lily pads than a lake. That didn’t stop the holiday campers from creating their own backcountry spots to set up their tents and drink themselves into a festive stupor. The forest service gave some leeway to these unauthorized campers, since they were understaffed and frankly it was better to know where your usual suspects were than have them push further into the backcountry where an unattended campfire could easily start a forest fire. With all the government cutbacks even Smokey the Bear worked part-time.
We moved further into the forest, away from roads and trails, and set up camp hoping to be left alone by other campers and the forest service. We could see as we rode past, some of the campers were panicked by the quake. Roads to many of their homes were damaged and inaccessible, and soon the few days of food they packed for a short holiday get-away would be gone. Frank and Mac were correct to avoid people. Desperation in a crisis can turn ugly fast, and we had enough to worry about without dealing with stranded weekend warriors.
“It’s going to be chilly tonight.” Frank said dismounting from his horse. “Jorie and Amanda set-up the tents, Todd you’ve got fire and dinner, Mac and I will get water and take care of the horses.”
“Why do we always have to set-up the tents?” Amanda complained.
Frank turned with a look on his face that reminded me of a pissed off bull bison when another male tried to steal one his females. “Todd you’re with Jorie. Amanda you have the fire and cooking.”
“That’ll teach you to complain.” Todd laughed as he unhooked the tent bag from a packhorse. He slid it out of the bag, ran two poles in the sleeves and flicked it open. “Voila, I’m done. How about you Amanda? Got that fire going yet.”
“Shut-up fart head.”
I flipped open the other two tents and positioned them in the trees on the flattest ground available. Todd threw the sleeping mats and sleeping bags at me and I tossed them in each tent. We quickly zipped the tents to keep out the cacophony of mosquitos that were buzzing us like tiny dive-bombers. Why couldn’t this have happened a month from now when the hordes of bloodsuckers were less?
“You wanna throw the rope for the bear-bags?” Todd asked.
“Go ahead. I’ll pull the bags and secure them.” Englemann spruce trees surrounded us; we found one dying that gave us more access to a clear limb. I watched as Todd tried several times before getting the rope over the limb. It was the best we could do to raise our food bags high enough to discourage bears or any other overly curious and hungry animals.
“Where you going with that?” I asked Special Forces as he took his duffel bag and unzipped the tent.
“Putting my gear away.”
“Got any toothpaste or snacks in that?”
“Yes.”
“Then take them out, they go in the packs and up the bear pole.”
“Seriously?”
Frank walked into camp. “Deadly serious.”
Todd took the toothpaste and bag of gummy bears from Mac. “Animals smell this in your tent and they think it, and you, are an easy meal.”
I took the gummy bears from Todd, opened the bag and ate a few. “I like the irony of a bear pouncing on a tent to eat a bag of gummy bears.”
Amanda helped herself to some. “Hey, these are really good.”
“They’re gourmet,” Mac said.
That was too much for even Frank who, along with Todd, tried them.
Mac wrapped his arm around me, pulling my arms in tight against my body like salami sealed in plastic wrap. “Glad you like them, now hand them over or the little lady gets it.”
Todd threw the bag at Mac, who caught them in his right hand and quickly stas
hed them down his shirt, releasing me at the same time with a swat on my butt. How the heck did anyone move that fast? It was like watching an episode of The Flash. Definitely humanly impossible.
“Glad he’s on our side.” Amanda said as the fire finally crackled to life. “Where’d you get those? They are scrumptious.”
“I buy them online. Been adding them to my pack for years.”
“I prefer peanut M&M’s.” I wasn’t about to tell him these were good. Even Frank was going back for seconds.
“What’s for dinner, Amanda?”
“Looks like Frank raided the Fourth of July picnic goodies. We’ve got steaks, fresh mushrooms, potato salad and he even took one of the apple pies.”
“Enjoy. Because after today the menu goes down-hill,” Frank said.
“If Frank approves, I relieve Amanda of her cooking duties and she can clean up afterwards.” Frank nodded and Todd stepped in to season the steaks.
“If you’ll excuse me I’m going to freshen up before dinner,” Amanda said.
“I’m afraid to ask what that means,” Mac said.
“Mainly it means she’s going to the stream and bathing. So I would refrain from walking in her direction as she has no modesty.” Todd put the steaks on the grill over the fire.
“She has a thing about bathing, which isn’t a good thing when you’re in the backcountry,” I said.
“That means she’ll be complaining tomorrow the rest of us smell like elk in heat.” Todd said stirring the mushrooms.
My mouth was starting to water just watching the slow sizzle of the steaks over the open fire. “Also means, the horseflies will like her better than us, so we put up with it.”
“The aftershocks seem to be backing off,” Mac said.
“Part of it is we’re moving away from the epicenter, which means we won’t feel them like back at the ranch.”
“Okay, makes sense.”
“Do you hear that?”
“What am I listening for?”
“Animal and bird sounds.”
“I don’t hear anything.”
“Exactly! The silence tells me things are still unsettled in their minds. Later tonight I hope to hear coyotes and wolves talking to each other. Then maybe I’ll know more.”
“You expect me to believe when a wolf howls you know what it’s saying?”
“You can believe whatever you want, doesn’t matter to me.” I was use to people’s condescension.
“I didn’t mean to insult you.” Mac touched my shoulder sending an unwanted, but not unpleasant shiver down my spine. “I’ve just never heard of anyone except Doctor Dolittle who could talk to animals, and you’re much prettier than him.”
“Flattery works so don’t stop.”
Mac laughed and sat on the ground. “So…when did you decide to start talking to animals?”
“Let’s get one thing straight. I communicate with them. Talking to them is too much anthropomorphization.”
“Okay sit down, I’m listening.” He was looking me straight in the eyes, making me uncomfortable. My shirt felt too tight, my pants twisted underneath me and my toes felt scrunched in my socks.
“I started paying attention to how animals communicated with each other and how they moved. Over the years it evolved to know what they were thinking.”
“Are you saying anyone can learn to understand them?”
“No. Trust me, many have tried. It’s like everyone else is listening to someone speaking a foreign language, and for some unknown reason I understand it. Yet, it isn’t something teachable.”
“Amazing.”
“In some ways it’s like your ability to coddle my horses into doing what you want instead of what I want them to do.”
“Like dump me in the river?”
“Maybe.”
“Don’t read too much into that. My training taught me to suspect larceny around every corner, and your eyes gave you away. Besides, when I unsaddled Frank’s horse he tried to bite me.”
“The horse or Frank?”
“Dinner is served.” Todd interrupted our conversation and handed us each a plate complete with fork and knife.
“It’s a masterpiece, Todd.”
“Thanks, Mac. It’s why I cook.”
The steak was so tender even Grampa Nus without his teeth could have eaten it. “If Amanda had cooked it would’ve been like chewing your saddle.”
“Hey, I resemble that remark.”
“I’m not even letting her serve the pie,” Todd said.
I looked at Mac enjoying the mushrooms. “She accidentally dumped it on the ground last time we had pie.”
“And you ate it anyway?”
“Cherry rock pie,” Todd grimaced.
“With dirt topping,” Frank said.
“I passed,” I said. “I’d already chipped a tooth on her reconstituted beef stew.”
“So, Frank never intended for her to cook?” Mac scrunched his eyes at me and the corner of his mouth tilted upward.
Todd kicked Amanda on the boot as he walked by. “Nah, he just wanted to watch her struggle to start a fire.”
“I was impressed too, Amanda. Only took you twenty minutes.”
“Thanks Frank. Next time, don’t hide the matches.”
While Amanda cleaned up camp, I went to our tent to get away from the talk around the campfire. I laid on my sleeping bag, stared at the top of the tent, and tried to concentrate on deep breathing so I didn’t have a panic attack. Everything we had done since leaving the ranch was off book. It felt like we were running away instead of moving forward.
Why couldn’t we simply ride fast and in the open till we found Dad? All this secrecy and rule breaking is how you get in trouble. If my dad had followed the rules of the USGS and the Park Service he wouldn’t have lost his job. If my Mom had done what she was asked, maybe she wouldn’t have died. If Grampa Nus had followed my parents’ rules, then I wouldn’t have gotten lost in the forest and had a wolf show me the way home. And I would never have discovered this stupid ability.
Rules are what make life work. I follow the rules, and because of that, I have a good job with the USGS. If you do what you’re told, report only on what they tell you are acceptable facts to divulge, and keep the other information from the public “for their own good,” then life and work are perfect. When you break the rules, there is a price to pay. Right now, I’m tired of breaking the rules because some former spy dude wants to pretend we are on a covert mission into enemy territory.
“That’s some powerful thinking you have going on there.” Amanda said stepping into our tent.
“I’m just tired.”
“Come out and have a nightcap by the fire. The guys are making plans for tomorrow.”
“No thanks. I’m not interested in their war games.”
“What’s your foul disposition about?”
“We should be moving as fast as possible to find Dad. And we should be contacting the Park Service to look for him.” I was on a roll, and Amanda was about to get run over. “He could be hurt and a ranger could’ve found him by now. But no, Frank and Special Forces say we have to keep quiet and do it ourselves. Amanda, you call 911 after an accident. That’s the rule.”
“Calm down or the guys will hear you ranting.”
“I’m not ranting. I’m the only one making sense.”
“You may be my boss, but this time you’re wrong.”
Amanda went back outside and said goodnight to the guys. “We’re making it an early night. See you in the morning fellas.”
Zipping herself in the tent, she curled her feet under her on her sleeping bag. “Okay boss, listen up. This is a major disaster we’re in the middle of and rules are bullshit. We’re safe and moving forward to find your dad. That is all that matters.”
“We’re not safe and we’re not contacting the authorities.”
“What is it with you and the authorities? If we cross paths with a ranger, he’ll kick us out of the park. Living on the ran
ch have you or anyone ever called 911 in an emergency?”
“No we haven’t. We’re too far away to wait for outside help to arrive.” I hate when others are right.
Amanda took hold of my hands. “So boss, let’s just say we’re too far away for anyone to help.”
“But we’re not!”
“Do you trust Frank?”
“I did.”
“You’re pissing me off. I’m going to bed and you should too. Maybe a good night’s sleep will make that genius brain of yours work better tomorrow.”
Special Forces had corrupted all their thinking. I was getting hold of that radio first thing in the morning before anyone else got up and calling a park ranger.
“Whatcha lookin’ for?” Frank asked.
“You scared me to death,” I said.
“Don’t know why you’d be scared unless you were up to no good.”
“I’m just looking for my, eh, bug spray.”
“Are you sure you aren’t lookin’ for this?” He held up the radio.
Crap. “I have every right to listen to the radio for information.”
“See now, normally that would be true. But I don’t think you want information, I think you want to give away information.”
“What’s happened to you? Why don’t you want to find my dad?”
“Jorie, your father is my first priority after keeping you safe.” Frank motioned for me to follow him to the stream.
“I don’t want to alarm Todd and Amanda so you keep this quiet.” Frank leaned against the lodgepole pine and lowered his voice. “There was radio traffic last night confirming an explosion in Yellowstone, before the quake. Ranger from Lake area said something about the bay blowing up.”
“What the hell are they talking about? The bay blew last fall, and I know from my research it wasn’t showing signs of any further activity.”
“Makes it kind of suspicious then doesn’t it?”
“What are you saying Frank, or should I say what are you repeating from Special Forces?”
“Your dad would be very disappointed in you right now, Jorie.”
“My dad isn’t anywhere to be found right now, and I think he’d be more disappointed we weren’t sending someone to find him.”