by Sable Hunter
“Pretty name. I wonder if we’ll see a bear while we’re here.”
“I don’t know. Maybe. I know they’re around. Aron told me once about a bear he saw while hunting up here. He swore it was a monster, a half a ton or more if it weighed an ounce.”
Jensen shuddered. “I’d rather not run into anything like that. Which reminds me…” She made a note. “We need to make sure bear spray is in our pack.”
“Our notes said there’ll be everything we need at the lodge. After we plan our rescue, we can pick and choose what we think we’ll need to take with us.”
“There’s the sign, Clint.” Jensen pointed to a rustic wooden gate bearing the name of the ranch.
He put on his blinker. “Great. I’m glad we’re here. I’m eager to get started.”
Once they turned off the main road and drove through a thick copse of trees, Jensen felt like she’d entered a wonderland. Alpine meadows covered with wildflowers flowed into verdant foothills. Majestic mountains rose into the heavens like silver pyramids capped with pearls. “Seeing this makes all of my problems seem very small.”
“It is breathtaking, for sure.” Clint slowed down so he could drive over a cattle-guard and onto a graveled area in front of a rambling two-story lodge.
“This is bigger than I expected.”
“The McCoys are a big family. There are eighteen first cousins, not counting spouses, children, and assorted friends. Of course, not everyone invades at one time. There’d probably be a law against that.” He chuckled, the thought of all those cowboys wearing their hats and boots made him smile. While he owned a Stetson and a pair of boots, he didn’t wear them like a uniform the way his first cousins were prone to do.
“You do have a huge family. I don’t have anyone. My folks were only children and so am I.”
Clint cut the engine, then grabbed her hand before she knew what was happening. Raising it to his lips as the pilot had done, he kissed it. “Don’t worry. I’ll share my family with you.”
“Okay. I’m pretty attached to Libby and Jaxson.”
“Oh? I didn’t realize you knew Jaxson.”
She pressed her lips together, realizing she might’ve made a mistake. She didn’t know how much Clint knew about Jaxson’s support group, but she didn’t want to risk him making the connection. “Yes,” she answered quickly, then made a quick topic change. “It’s a shame we won’t be enjoying this beautiful lodge.”
“I guess it all depends on how quickly we locate Conrad.”
Together they took their luggage inside, placing the bags in the large living area where they would have plenty of room to arrange the contents of their backpacks.
“Would you like something to drink, Clint?”
“Yea, that would be great.” He pointed to the kitchen area. “Whatever you can find. Nothing alcoholic.”
“Sure.” Jensen hurried to the kitchen and in a short time returned with two bottled waters. “All right, I’m ready.” She gave Clint his water, then found the notepad where she’d written their questions. “Is there anything else you can think of to ask?”
Reviewing what they’d come up with, he shook his head. “No, I believe we’ve covered everything.”
“Okay, let’s do it.”
Taking his phone in hand, Clint made room for Jensen on the couch next to him. “I’ll give Tanner a ring.”
In a few seconds, Tanner answered. “Did you find the place okay?”
“We did. We haven’t done any exploring yet, but we’re on the premises and ready to go to work. Our questions are ready, we came up with them on the drive over.”
“Very good. Shoot.”
Clint held the phone out to Jensen. She took it from him. “Hey, Tanner. Here’s question one. Where was the last place Conrad was seen?”
“Good question. A park ranger saw him about a mile north of Lake McDonald Lodge at 9 a.m. Sunday morning.”
Jensen wrote down the answer, then handed the phone to Clint. “You ask and I’ll write down the information.”
“Okay.” He took the phone, grazing her fingers with his in the process. “Second question, Tanner. Did he tell anyone where he was going and when he intended to return?”
“Conrad mentioned he was planning to hike one of the trails near Logan Pass. He anticipated being gone for a couple of days.”
“Okay.” Clint watched Jensen write down what Tanner told him. “What was he wearing the last time he was seen?”
“Jeans, hiking boots, red long sleeve zip-up top, and a navy puff coat.”
“What size and brand of boots?”
“Saloman X Ultra 3 Mid-GTX Hiking Boot, Size 10 and a half.”
Jensen nodded with a smile. “I’ll look up the tread pattern online,” she whispered to Clint.
“Any more questions?”
“Yea, Tanner.” He glanced at Jensen’s notebook. “What was the purpose of his trip?”
“Conrad loves to be outdoors. He prefers The Loop over at Logan Pass, but that would all depend on the conditions he found on Going-to-the-Sun Road.”
“Did he travel on foot? Horseback? ATV?”
“We do know he took his vehicle, but since the Sun Road hasn’t fully opened for the summer yet, we don’t know how far he was able to go. There are numerous pullovers and lookouts on the way. As a resident, he’d know the places where it was safe to leave his Jeep. Wherever that is, he would’ve set out on foot from there.”
“What kind of Jeep was he driving?” Jensen asked, even though the question wasn’t on their list.
“A new fire engine red Wrangler.”
“That’ll be easy to spot,” Clint noted. “Does Conrad have any physical disabilities or problems we should know about?”
“No, he’s healthy as a horse. What else?”
“Does he have his cell with him? We could ping his phone as a way of locating him.”
“No.” Tanner chuckled. “Although, that’s a critical step in finding a lost hiker, we didn’t want this test to be over so soon.”
“I understand.” Clint nodded and continued, “What supplies did he take with him?”
“Ah, let’s see.” Tanner chuckled. “I have my own list here. He has two bottles of water, but water is one thing that’s plentiful in the park. Oh, he does have a cobalt blue Sawyer water filter. He also has jerky, trail-mix, a couple of MRE meals, and some Butterfinger candy bars. On top of that – he has trekking poles, bear spray, a headlamp, gloves, and extra socks. Oh, he also has some toilet paper and a compass – that’s it.”
“Great.” Clint looked at Jensen. “Did we forget anything?”
She chewed on her lower lip, making Clint’s heart race at the sight.
“Yes. If we were to go in on horseback, is there a safe place to leave the horses when it’s not feasible to ride them any further – because of elevation or whatever?”
“Oh, excellent question, Dr. Mistretta. Yes, there’s a trail ride company at Apgar on Lake McDonald. They maintain some holding pens at several places on their pre-set paths. I’ll give you the number and after you map your route, you can call them up and see what they recommend. Since this is a rescue simulation, you both have been cleared to ride off-trail with the horses. Safety precautions will be your judgement call. By the way, that was really good thinking, Jensen. You’re really seeing the big picture. I’m proud of you.”
“Thank you.” Jensen beamed.
“You need to step up your game, Clint.” Tanner teased the big football player. “If you’re not careful, Jensen’s gonna show you up.”
Instead of appearing disgruntled at the playful jab, Clint gazed at Jensen with pride. “Oh, she can show me up anytime, Tanner. I’m just glad to be in the game with her.”
Jensen cleared her throat and spoke quickly. “Is there anything else you need to tell us?”
“Yea. Get a good night’s sleep, a big breakfast, and an early start. The keys to the ranch truck are on the kitchen counter. The gooseneck trailer is stored next
to the barn and all of the horses are up to the task. If you run into serious trouble, don’t hesitate to call for help. This is an important test, but we don’t intend to lose one of you in the process. Just remember, Glacier’s waters are the coldest on the continent. Surface temperatures can remain just above freezing for most of the year and even the heat of summer’s sunniest days can’t bring them above fifty degrees. All of the creeks and streams flowing from the mountains are fueled by snowmelt, making them frigid as fu…fudge.” He chuckled. “Desiree just whacked me. Anyway, they can surge unexpectedly due to a sheet of snow melting hundreds of feet upstream. So, be damn careful.”
“Do you think we’re up for this, Tanner?” This question came from Jensen.
“I do. You’re both super-smart, capable people. You’ve been exposed to good information that will help you achieve this goal. I fully expect to hear you’ve located Conrad Billings in a timely manner.”
“Timely manner,” Clint repeated with an amused smirk. “He was supposed to be back in two days from this hike and you’ve given us a week to find him. I’m not sure if that means you think we’re slow or if you think Conrad has gone off the grid.”
Tanner laughed. “There’s no guarantee you’ll find him. Glacier is a mighty big place. Crews of SAR volunteers have searched in vain for missing people before and come up empty. That being said, if you do locate Conrad early, you’ll have some free days to spend in a beautiful slice of paradise.”
Now it was Clint’s turn to chuckle. “I do like how you think, Barron.”
“Well, you two kids have fun and don’t do anything Desiree and I wouldn’t do.”
Clint met Jensen’s gaze and grinned when she blushed. “Goodbye, Tanner. We’ll be in touch.”
Jensen was up and on her feet before Clint ended the call. “I looked up the tread for Conrad’s hiking boots and saved the image, so that’s done.”
“Excellent.”
She moved to the area next to a massive fireplace where assorted gear was laid out for their perusal. “There is a lot of things to choose from.”
Joining her, Clint surveyed the myriad gear. “All right, some things are obvious.”
“Right.” Jensen began to select items and set them aside. “Bedrolls, canteens, compass, map, satellite phone, and a pair of binoculars.”
“Snacks.” He began to gather handfuls of high-energy prepackaged food. “Waterproof matches.” Clint added those to the stack. “Space blankets, a pocketknife, headlamps, a couple of lengths of rope, and a whistle.”
“Bear spray, bug spray, man spray.”
Clint was silent a moment, then he barked a laugh. “Ha! Is that a repellant or an attractant? I do love your perfume.”
“Which do you think I’ll need?”
“Neither one. I’m completely attracted to you and no antidote exists. After all, you’ve done your best to push me away – and I’m still here.”
Jensen trembled at his words, but she didn’t respond. “We’d better take some sun protection.” She picked up a couple of pairs of sunglasses and some sunscreen.
“And toilet paper. Can’t forget that.” He knelt down to start filling their backpacks.
“What time is it?” She grabbed her phone to answer her own question. “God, I forgot. We gained two hours, didn’t we?”
“Central to mountain time is one hour, not two.”
“Right.” She looked out the window. “It’s only four o’clock. Too early to go to bed.”
“What time do you think we should head out in the morning?”
Jensen thought, her gaze locked with his. “Five?”
“Sounds good. So, if we get to sleep by nine, we’d get our eight hours.”
“True. So…how are we going to pass the time? I feel like we need to head on out, don’t you?”
“Tanner told us to get a good night’s sleep. Remember, this is a test of our judgement as well as our abilities. Conrad isn’t in danger. Hell, he might be at some honky-tonk for all we know and plans on being dropped off by helicopter just before we get there.”
“I don’t think so, I bet he’s shivering on the side of a mountain.”
“Hey, why don’t we take a walk? We’re right in the middle of some of the most beautiful country in the world. Let’s take advantage of it. We can tire ourselves out and we’ll sleep better.”
“Okay. We can get a feel for the terrain.” She held up a finger. “First, just in case – let’s study the map. We can note the place names Tanner mentioned and establish a tentative route.” She stood to find the map among the gear. “He said Conrad usually hikes the trails near Logan Pass. I just want to have some mental picture of where we’ll be going and how we’re going to get there.”
“Good plan.” He moved to sit close to her as she spread the map out on the floor. “Okay, here’s Logan Pass, the gateway to the Great Divide. That sound’s intimidating, doesn’t it?”
“A little.” He leaned closer to study the image. “I read an article about the area that said how fast the weather could change. Once, there was a 100-degree temperature drop in a 24-hour period.”
“Good grief! How do you prepare for something like that?”
“I don’t know. Dress in lots of layers?”
Jensen couldn’t help but laugh at him. “Oh, lands. I hope we’re not in over our heads.”
“We’re not.” He took her hand in his. “We’re going to be fine. I’ll take care of you. I promise.”
Oddly enough, his statement comforted Jensen. “I know you will, and I’ll take of you. How’s that?”
“Best offer I’ve ever had.”
After studying the map together for another few minutes, Clint and Jensen felt they had a good sense of place. “If we go up the east side of Lake McDonald, we can look for his truck at the lodge and at the ranger’s station. Due to the main road still being closed, we have no idea where he might’ve started his trek. Once we have that information, we can set out to look for him. I don’t think he’ll be on the Trail of the Cedars, it’s just too easy of a hike. They’re going to throw more of a challenge at us than that.”
Clint pondered the issue. “I think you’re right, but we can’t look at the assignment from that viewpoint. We have to treat this like Conrad is any lost hiker. He could’ve met with an accident at any point along the way. We have to look for clues. An average person would possibly leave clues behind, we need to keep our eyes open for any indication of what path he took or where he could be headed.”
“Tanner told us he would stay on the west side of the park.” She pointed at them on the map. “Avalanche Lake Trail strikes me as our best bet.”
“We’ll certainly put that one high on our list.” He held out his hand. “Come on. Let’s take a walk and let all of this information sink in.”
“Okay.” She allowed him to pull her to her feet. “Lead on, Mr. Wilder.”
Stepping out of the lodge’s heavy double doors, they took in their surroundings. “When we arrived, I was too amped up to appreciate this view,” Clint said as he took in a deep breath of fresh air.
“Robin Williams once said that Glacier National Park was God’s backyard.”
“God has good taste in real estate.” The Lodge sat on a high rise with an alpine meadow at the base. “Looks almost magical, doesn’t it?”
“Yes. Especially with those mountains as a backdrop.” Jensen trembled a bit when Clint put a hand to her back as they left the porch.
In spite of the late hour, the day was bright and clear. Clint let his gaze wander over the alpine field covered in flowers ranging from a reddish purple to a yellow bright enough to rival the sun. “Just look at those flowers in the meadow.”
“Amazing. What is this?” She reached out to clasp the head of a tall white flower.
“I believe that’s called bear grass.”
“Why?” Jensen looked around suspiciously. “Does it attract bears?”
Clint chuckled. “I don’t think so.”
“I should have grabbed those shades for you.”
“I’m good.” Jensen sighed with happiness as they moved further across the field separating the lodge from the woods. “This land is so vast. So empty. Humanity is an afterthought here. No wonder people go missing in this area, the wilderness is so vast, it can just swallow them whole.”
“I read about several who’ve gone missing in the park. Some were located quickly, but others weren’t so lucky. Drowning seems to be the most common cause of death here, followed by heart attacks, and falls.” He let his hand slip from her back to clasp her fingers. “Others were never found at all.”
“I can imagine. Just thinking about setting out tomorrow to find Conrad – it’s going to be like looking for a needle in a haystack.”
“Don’t think like that, we’re going to use every means at our disposal to find him.”
“I know.” She pointed at a ribbon like strand of water. “What’s the name of that river?”
“It’s one of the tributaries of the Flathead, I think.”
“I’ve never seen water so blue. I have turquoise jewelry that color.” Jensen weaved her fingers with Clint’s. “Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?”
“Yes. I have.” Clint stopped and framed her face. “You.” He caressed the soft skin covering her cheekbones. “I’m so glad you’re here. Forgive me, but if I have to wait another second to do this, I’ll go mad.”
Jensen opened her mouth to protest, but the words were never spoken. Her heart seized, but she didn’t resist as his lips feathered to the corner of her mouth.
The moment expanded, Clint’s pulse thudding hard as he anticipated her moving from his embrace. When she didn’t, her shallow breathing still warming his skin, he moved the fraction necessary for his lips to graze hers. Gently. Soft. He was afraid she’d retreat, but when he saw her eyelids flicker close, he wanted to shout with joy. “Oh, baby,” he whispered, his lips brushing hers.