Cole peered down at the soft bloom and brought it to her nose. The delicate perfume tickled her senses. She looked up at Jodi, and her breath caught in her throat at the vulnerable openness that Jodi displayed with a simple look. “Thank you.” Cole couldn’t help but smile as a blush stole across Jodi’s cheeks.
Jodi brushed tender warm lips against hers. “I’ll see you tonight.”
Cole nodded. Her throat closed over with emotion as she fought to rally a whispered acknowledgement. “I’ll be waiting.”
With a last chaste kiss, Jodi turned and was gone, leaving Cole and Chilli to watch the threesome head out down the dusty driveway.
By the time they got to Grafton, almost an hour’s drive later, Pip was sound asleep in the back seat.
“I could use a cuppa, how about you?” Jodi put her blinker on and turned into the local Macca’s.
“Sounds good to me. It might counteract the carb crash I’m starting to feel.” Charlie reached into her pack for her wallet. “I’ll shout you.”
“Ta.”
Charlie giggled. “You know, the first time I ever handled Australian money, I was so confused. Pip tossed her wallet to me and asked me to get seventy cents out for her. I just stared at the pile of coins and told her I didn’t even know what seventy cents looked like. I’ll never forget her laughing at me.”
“American money is that different, hey?”
“Yeah. There aren’t any gold coins and we have pennies, which are one-cent copper pieces.”
“Think Pip would want a tea or something?” Jodi glanced in the rear-view mirror.
“Probably not. Let’s let her sleep. She can use the shut-eye more than the caffeine.”
Jodi navigated the Rover into the drive-through and within minutes was turning onto the main road again, two coffees sitting in the console to cool a bit before either of them dared take a sip for fear of burning their tongues.
“I’m really looking forward to this. Even if we don’t spot Big Bird, just getting out is something Pip and I both need.”
“Yeah, you guys have been going flat out. I’m surprised you even have the energy, but I suppose the possibility of seeing your overgrown budgie would inspire you.”
Charlie picked up her coffee and blew over the top of it before venturing a sip. “Almost cool enough.” She set it back down and nodded. “While that’s a big incentive, to be truthful, in all the time I’ve been in Australia, I haven’t had much opportunity to explore. Between all the rescues and the visa thing, when we have a chance to finally relax, we end up trying to catch up on sleep. Plus, there’s always the fear that if we get out of signal range we’ll miss a critical call-out.”
“What changed for today?”
“Pip called Teresa early this morning and asked her to divert as many of the calls to one of the other members. While we have the main care facility, there are a couple of people who will attend rescues if we get in a bind.”
Jodi grinned. “I’d say this is as good an excuse as any.”
Charlie took a drink of her coffee. “Ah, this is heaven.” She handed Jodi her cup and smiled when Jodi groaned in agreement. “Being outdoors is one of those restorative things. The peace, the quiet, the sound of the birds, and even the sound of your own footsteps can be quite cathartic. I’m glad we’re heading out fairly early so we can beat the worst heat of the day.”
“Trust me, once we get higher in elevation, you may wish for some of that heat. It can get pretty chilly up there.”
“I’m not worried. I suppose as long as we keep moving we’ll be okay.” Charlie peered out the windscreen at the sky. “Plus, the sun is out, so that should help.” She sat back in her seat and studied Jodi for a moment. “So,” Charlie said, letting the word drag out. “Things better with you and Cole?”
Jodi shrugged. “We’re working on it.”
“Giving her that flower was really sweet.”
“As mad as I was at Cole, there’s just something about her that…” Jodi blew out a breath. “I guess the best way of saying it is she completes me in places where I didn’t know pieces of me were missing.”
“Trust me. I get that. Pip does that for me. When I’m away from her, it feels like part of my soul stays with her.”
Charlie suddenly twisted around in her seat. “Hey, wasn’t that where you were supposed to turn off?”
“It was, but I got to thinking. There’s an area called the Dandahra Crags that is an amazing hike, plus the trail comes out onto some major granite outcroppings where you can basically see forever. If there’s any chance of you seeing Big Bird, I think it’d be from there.”
“Okay. You’d know best.”
“Not really. I only found that by accident while looking at the trails on the web.”
“Oh, well, then you get to go someplace new too. Good on ya.”
They passed the huge gum tree log with Gibraltar Range and the insignia of the national parks carved into it.
“Gibraltar is such a fitting name for these mountains.” Charlie drained the rest of her coffee.
“This range is listed as a World Heritage site for rare forest plants that have existed since Australia was part of the Gondwana supercontinent.”
“Wow. Find that little factoid while on the web too?”
Jodi winked and tapped the side of her head. “One can never stop learning.”
“There’s always room in the bean for that.”
Jodi slowed when a small sign with a hiker and Gibraltar-Washpool Heritage Walk lettered beneath it appeared on the left side of the road.
“This is where we turn off.” Jodi pulled onto the dirt road and shifted into four-wheel drive.
It was fairly easy going for about a kilometre and Charlie began to wonder about the necessity of the four-wheel drive. That is, until they rounded a bend and forged through a rocky, rushing creek. The other side was steep and very rutted.
“Are you sure there’s a road on the other side?” Charlie grabbed hold of the dashboard, turning her knuckles white.
“Only one way to find out.” Jodi gunned the truck and the engine roared its protest.
The bull bar hit the bank hard on the other side and for an instant Charlie saw nothing but blue sky.
“Where the hell did you learn how to drive?” Charlie giggled nervously.
“I’d like to know the same thing, Stretch.” The backpacks had flown loose across the cabin and onto Pip, who hurriedly picked them up and tossed them back onto the floor of the Rover. “Bloody hell, where are we anyway?” Pip leaned forward, grasped both seats, and held on.
“Ah, finally awake are you, Pipsqueak? Well, you’ll soon find out.” Jodi grinned devilishly.
“If we live that long,” Pip muttered, making Charlie laugh.
“Oh, hush, you back-seat driver, you. Sit back and enjoy the scenery. Oh. Sorry, I forgot to bring along the raised seat for you.”
“Funny. Not.” Pip playfully swatted Jodi on the arm.
Although the road did continue on the other side, it was rutted and in some places, Jodi had to carefully navigate around huge puddles where the depth was questionable. That was all they’d need, to get helplessly stuck in the middle of nowhere and have to hike out for help.
“Ever think about putting a winch on this thing?” Charlie tightened the seat belt around her waist.
“Only when I get to driving in this kind of stuff.” Jodi moaned as one of the tyres hit a large rock protruding from the middle of the rut they were in. “Thankfully, I have a spare tyre in case of a flat.”
They hit another bump and all three of them grunted. The backpacks once again bounced around in the footwell, tumbling over each other like beans.
“Are you sure your spare is inflated?”
“Now that you mention it, nope. Didn’t have time to check that either.”
“Jesus, Jodi,” Pip and Charlie said together.
Jodi took one hand off the steering wheel and waved nonchalantly at them before grabbing it
again in a death grip when the truck lurched to the right. “Shit. It can’t be that much further.”
“We can only hope,” Charlie said.
A few minutes later, Jodi eased the Rover to a stop. “I’m thinking we should hike the rest of the way in. The trail entrance shouldn’t be far.”
Charlie craned her neck to look around them. “How are you going to turn this around? There’s not a lot of room. Anywhere.”
“Meh. I’ll figure that out when we come back. I want to get going so that we’re up on the crags before the thermals kick in.”
They all got out of the Rover and donned their backpacks. Jodi locked the truck before leading the way down the road.
Charlie smiled at Pip, who jutted her chin in Jodi’s direction and rolled her eyes. “There’s no one like that one.”
The only sign indicating the trail was a large white arrow painted onto a gum tree. Even so, part of the white paint had peeled off with the shedding bark. If they hadn’t been paying attention, they would’ve missed it.
The tall open eucalypt forest was the major feature for the first two kilometres they hiked. The grassy understory featured grass trees and tree ferns. Many of the trees sported blackened scars from numerous fires over the years. They mostly hiked in silence and spoke in quiet tones when they did.
Charlie stopped frequently to admire the unique vegetation and prolific wildflowers, and glanced upward in hopes of seeing her eagle. But all she saw was blue sky with a sparse cloud here and there. The ground was alive with birdlife such as small scrub wrens, elusive log runners, and an occasional brush turkey.
Their hike skirted past an enormous and strangely beautiful swamp. They took a break there and had a snack and some water while admiring the scenery.
“What is this place? It’s kind of eerie looking.” Charlie turned in circles and gazed out at the expansive fields of red and gold reeds. Low banksias fringed the edges, sporting their colourful flower spikes, providing wonderful contrast to the forested area.
Jodi unzipped her backpack. She pulled out the map and unfolded it over Pip’s back. “This is Surveyor’s Swamp.”
Great swaths of densely growing grasses and sedges waved in the breeze and the sound of frogs suddenly became nearly deafening.
“We should probably get moving again.” Jodi refolded the map and stored it in her pack.
In single file, they moved past the swamp. Eventually, dramatic rock formations including outcrops and balancing tors rose all around the track.
“Jodi?” Charlie called from the back. “Do you know anything about those huge round boulders? They’re almost too perfectly symmetrical.”
Pip stopped and turned sideways. “I can answer that. I learned something about this in a geology class I took a million years ago. It’s called onion peel weathering. Water enters cracks in the rocks and then freezes overnight. The water turns to ice, expands, and sheets of rock just slide off like an onion skin.”
“Show-off,” Jodi said with a grin. “Isn’t this all the product of ancient volcanic activity?”
“Correct. Followed by faulting and uplift and onion skin. If I’m correct, we’re only on the fringe of it. I’m thinking the crags should be up ahead a little ways.”
“It’s kind of like a scene from Lord of the Rings. I wouldn’t be surprised if Gandalf himself suddenly appeared.” Charlie shoved her water bottle into the elastic netting of her pack.
“Ready?” Pip shouldered her pack once again and started off.
The huge boulders became more numerous the further they hiked. Some were stacked precariously. Charlie marvelled at the incredible formations. She had a hard time tearing her gaze from them and paid the price by stumbling more than a few times.
Heath and grasses grew all around. Some of the huge tors sported vegetation growing on their tops. Charlie looked around for identical plants on the ground but couldn’t spot a one.
“How unusual,” Charlie muttered.
“What’s that, sweet?” Pip asked.
“What’s so special about the tops of those rocks that stuff will grow up there, and not down here?” Charlie shaded her eyes and peered up.
“It’s not what’s up there—it’s what happened down here. Those rocks protected those plants from fire. They probably did grow on the flats but were eliminated eons ago. Up there is the only place they can survive.” Pip flashed her a smile.
“We need to do this more often, sweetheart. I’ve already learned so much.” Charlie stole a quick kiss.
“I promise we’ll make a more concerted effort once the silly season ends.” Pip rubbed Charlie’s arm up and down.
“Hey, you lovebirds!” Jodi called from up ahead. “Have a look.”
Charlie and Pip looked in the direction she pointed.
“Can we try to climb them?” Charlie studied the rock surface.
“We can give it a go, anyway.” Jodi’s voice echoed with the excitement of a challenge.
They dropped their packs, and with the help of a few naturally occurring hand- and foot-holds, they started to climb.
About three quarters of the way up, Charlie paused for a breather and looked back from where they’d come, across the swamp and into the distance. They’d hiked further than she had thought. She’d obviously been distracted by her surroundings and hadn’t paid much attention to the kilometres she’d put under her hiking boots.
They managed to climb to the top. Huge blocks of ancient weathered granite formed a shady and sheltered place to rest. Grass trees and wild flowers grew here and there. A cool breeze wafted throughout.
Charlie walked over to a grass tree and looked closely at the flower stem that towered over her head. Tiny white flowers covered the woody stem.
Jodi and Pip joined her and each plucked a flower off and popped it into their mouths.
Pip picked one for Charlie and handed it to her. “Try this. It’s as sweet as honey.”
Charlie placed it on her tongue and closed her mouth. The flavour was subtle, but pleasing.
“This is quite a useful plant. You can soak the flowers and make a sweet tea, and the root is even edible. The Aboriginals used to boil down the resin to make a type of glue. Nowadays, people just like them as an ornamental. I have a few in my garden.” Jodi piled a small handful of flowers into her mouth and chewed slowly.
Charlie followed suit and looked out onto the expanse. She couldn’t have described the cathedral splendour with words. The views were incredible in every direction.
“Hey, babe, have a look over there.” Pip indicated the direction with her chin.
Charlie scanned the horizon over the large, freestanding rocky outcrops that rose abruptly from the surrounding gentle slope of the ridge crest. “What do you see?”
“Crouch down a bit.” Pip walked behind her and pointed over her shoulder. “See where I’m pointing? Wait. Hold on. I can’t see it. Oh. Yeah. See it now? Think that’s your eagle?”
At the mere mention of Big Bird, Charlie’s pulse sped up. She squinted and strained to see. All she saw was a black silhouette. “That might be a wedgie. I don’t know.”
“Given the distance and the fact that we can see him, I’d bet it is.” Pip rested her head against Charlie’s. “What do you think, Jodes?”
“Unfortunately, my binoculars are down in my pack. But look over to the right. If I’m correct, that’s Raspberry Lookout you can see when the mist clears. It’s a climb to get up to it, but I think you’d have a better chance of catching a look. The fact the bird is staying in that area could mean its aerie is close.”
Charlie bit her lip as her mind raced through the possibilities. “Is there a way to get over there, without having to do much backtracking?”
Jodi narrowed her eyes in thought. “Let’s climb down and have a look at the map.”
Charlie followed Pip and Jodi down. By the time she hopped from the last rock to the ground, Jodi had her map spread open on a rock and was tracking a route with her finger.
/> Jodi blew a big breath from her cheeks. “We’ll have to hike back about a K. A lot of these treks can be joined and exited at numerous points along the heritage loop. This one will be a bit of a challenge, but”—she met Charlie’s and then Pip’s eyes—“I think we can do it.” She pointed to a dotted trail on the map. “If we take this one and make tracks to here, we can bushwhack to this trail here.” She tapped the map. “When we pick this trail up, it’s only a short distance to the lookout, but it’ll be a helluva climb. If we drop our packs here at the junction, we can make better time and won’t be bogged down by their weight.”
Charlie offered Pip a questioning gaze. “How are you feeling?”
Pip gave her a reassuring smile and patted her insulin pack. “All good. If you want to do it, I’m not going to hold you back. I’m not even sure a herd of wild horses could at this point.”
Charlie nodded as Pip spoke and licked her lips with cautious hope. She glanced up at the sky. A few clouds had moved in, but it was still a beautiful day. “Okay. Let’s do it.”
They donned their packs and, in a silent march, hiked back to where Jodi had indicated, leaving the rocky outcroppings. It took a few minutes to find the tiny trail marker partially hidden in the trees.
“They don’t like to make it easy, do they?” Charlie muttered under her breath. She hated wasting precious time. Every minute counted. The bird could move on at any time. She rubbed the back of her neck, anxious to keep moving.
It took the better part of two hours to push their way through the bush to get to the trail that would lead them to the lookout. Charlie thanked her lucky stars she was staying in the back, for Jodi was frequently flapping her arms in front of her, knocking down spiderwebs before she walked into them. Before they pushed through a wet peaty area, they applied mosquito repellent. The high-pitched whine of the insects could be heard above their breathing. They all knew they’d have to pick up their pace to get through unscathed by the hungry bloodsuckers. It was hard work trying to maintain good progress while swatting at the mozzies, pushing branches aside, and trying to avoid tripping and falling in the mushy uneven surface.
Precipice of Doubt Page 23