by Ritter Ames
“Let’s get this organized a bit,” Kate said, scooping up the food purchases and heading for the refrigerator. “Why don’t you guys each set up a tent. Mark and Sam can help you. Suze and Ben can help us carry in the smaller items, and then Meg and I will put everything away that stays inside.”
The plan met everyone’s approval, Meg, the men and the kids headed out the door while Kate finished with the refrigerated items. When she walked outside again, she had to dodge incoming people and sidestep the rest of the tents and poles that had been unloaded and set down to await construction. Meg, Suze, and Ben passed her as they each carried in more supplies, and Kate went to check out the Jeep now that the large items had been unloaded. There were still too many large bags and totes to know precisely what was left, but the linens definitely needed to go in soon, and she pulled those close. Heading back, she noticed a ring of rocks and assumed it was for a campfire, but there wasn’t any firewood that she could see. Since her arms were full of towels and blankets, she used her chin to motioned toward the fire ring when Meg and the two kids returned to get their next loads.
“If we’re going to cook dinner outside, we need to some firewood,” Kate said. “We might want to wait to put everything away and gather sticks and kindling while we can see well. It could take some time to find enough wood.”
“Yeah.” Gil straightened up from where he’d been setting a pole and rubbed the back of his neck as he spoke, “I guess we should have bought some firewood when we were at the little store. I noticed a stack on one side, but I didn’t think about it long enough to realize we might ought to buy some of our own.”
“I brought charcoal,” Keith said. “It’s buried under everything in the Jeep. So, we should be fine on that front. We’ll just need some long sticks for the kids to use to roast hotdogs and marshmallows.”
“Wonderful,” Meg said. “I’m glad one of us is on the ball.”
Gil shot his wife a dark look, and Kate hurried and said, “One out of four adults isn’t bad. Between all of us, we should have everything covered this weekend. We all have our strengths.”
After several more trips, they had all the smaller items unloaded and put away. Kate grabbed a stack of bath towels and headed for the bathroom calling over her shoulder, “As hot as it is today, we’re all going to be taking a turn in the shower. Especially the tent builders.”
“You got that right,” Meg said. “We’ll just have to make sure we grab ours first.”
Heading back to the Jeep, they pulled out the largest items still waiting in the back. As they hauled out the bag of charcoal briquettes, Ben said, “I can carry that bag over to the fire ring. We’ll need it there later.”
“Excellent suggestion, Ben.” His mother nodded, grabbing one of the camp chairs folded and placed against the back of the rear seat. “It will be much handier to have it over there.”
Kate finished tying together the laces of a couple of hiking boots, then used them like tote handles so that she could carry all the pairs in one trip.
“Hey, did you get them all?” Meg asked.
“I think so. The boots are easier traveling this way,” Kate said. “I’ll leave them on the front porch.” She raised the boots in her right hand, so she could use the sleeve of her t-shirt to wipe the sweat running down the side of her face.
Suze ran to open the screen door for her mom and helped place the boots in order on the porch. Before Kate headed out again, she wet some paper towels. One to wipe across her own too warm face, and the rest to offer to the troops.
“Cool paper towels for any sweaty person who needs one,” she called.
Keith waved a hand. “I’ve been using my shirt. I’m good.”
“Me too,” Mark said.
Ben raised his shirt so he could wipe his face and add, “I used my shirt, too.”
Kate wanted to laugh but knew she shouldn’t. Gil accepted one and mopped his face, then left the towel laying across the back of his neck.
“I’ll take one of those,” Meg said, and Kate tossed one each to Sam and Suze as she passed them.
“Looks like we have everything out of the Jeep,” she said. “How about the Camry?”
“Still a few things in the trunk,” Meg said, then they watched as Ben and Suze hurried to the car. Ben climbed in and handed small items out to Suze.
Meg laughed. “You didn’t have to crawl inside, Benjie.”
“Yeah, I did, ’cause I couldn’t reach if I didn’t.” He grinned and stuck the tip of his tongue out of the hole where two baby teeth had recently fallen out.”
“And done.” Gil tossed his mallet to one side, and he and Mark shared a fist bump.
“Daddy and I already finished a few minutes ago,” Sam said, smiling broadly.
Keith grabbed her shoulders and gave them a wiggle. “None of that. This wasn’t a competition, and we had the smaller tent, anyway.”
“I just meant we were done too.” Sam twisted free and took hold of her dad’s arm, using it like a swing.”
“Sam, I think you’re getting a little too long for that,” Kate said, laughing.
“And heavy,” Keith added. “From all that muscle you’re building speed skating.”
Last spring, when Sam needed a new outlet for her energy and self-esteem, Keith had agreed to start coaching her in speed skating. The exercise had been good for both of them, and the one-on-one training went a long way toward improving Sam’s confidence in things beyond the sports aspect. In particular, giving the twins separate activities had helped considerably in reducing some of the sibling rivalry issues that had grown into a daily constant. At the same time, Suze had taken on more creative pursuits, joining her grandmother, Jane McKenzie, each week to learn quilting techniques. Kate had never thought separating the girls more would reduce the tension between them, and probably never would have thought of it without a comment from Meg that came from her longer experience in the mothering game.
Right then, Meg waved her arms to get everyone’s attention. “Why don’t we take a little hike in the trees around here. The shade should make us a little cooler, and we can explore some while we look for sticks to use to build the fire to cook our dinner tonight.”
Everyone spoke at once, but the idea was readily approved.
Suze piped up, “And we can take the trail mix we made. Gramma says it’s perfect for a hike.”
Kate headed for the cabin, saying, “That it is. You can add it to your daypack.” She waved a hand. “Anyone who wants your hiking boots, they’re all on the front porch. But whether you use boots or sneakers, each of you needs a water bottle, so go find yours and fill it up. I don’t want any dehydrated kids wanting me to carry them on the way back.”
“How about dehydrated husbands?” Gil asked, slinging an arm around his wife’s shoulders. “Will you carry me home, Meggie?”
“Not on your life. You need to get in line at the sink with the kids and fill your own water bottle, Gil Berman.”
“Ah, the magic’s gone in our marriage.”
Meg laughed. “Don’t kid yourself. But don’t count on me ever carrying you home either.”
CHAPTER FIVE
HIKE PREPARED—
All good hikers believe in carrying a foldable tote or rucksack as a bin bag. While the large bags don’t take up much space folded up, they’re great for holding items that get wet along the trek, or to carry items found along the way. And while a first aid kit is always a good idea for a day of hiking, even on short hikes it’s a good idea to at least carry a mini-first aid kit—which can be assembled by adding a few small essentials to a leftover prescription bottle. Just slip bandages, a small tube of antibiotic cream, a couple of individually wrapped antiseptic wipes and sting pads, and most small scrapes and cuts can be handled in the wilds. A few aspirin or ibuprofen tablets are often handy too.
THEIR WANDER THROUGH the woods tended to veer in an easterly direction. Kate loved breathing in the loamy scent of the fresh earth and clean air. The kid
s basically stayed together, though Mark tended to wander off a little more than the others when something caught his eye. Before they left the cabin, Kate had given each kid one of the disposable cameras she’d purchased for the trip. She knew the adults would all use the cameras on their cell phones, but she wanted the kids to have an opportunity to take pictures to build special memories for themselves—without having to worry about one of them borrowing her Samsung.
“We should be about to Paul’s caravan soon,” Gil said. When he saw his wife’s expression, he added, “Not that we need to stop or anything. I was simply making an observation.”
The temperature didn’t run much cooler as they walked through the trees, as what little breeze there was that day seemed to be having trouble penetrating the foliage. However, the walk on the leaves and pine needles was easy on their feet, and being able to do nothing but explore put all of them in a good mood.
When they came to a small stream, the adults jumped over, but the kids loudly forded the waters, then ran up the bank. At the top of the next hill, Kate was looking around to try to get her bearings and saw something or someone moving in the brush. She nudged Meg. “Is that a person? Or an animal?”
A second later, they saw another large body; then Kate realized it was the Salleys. She’d only seen the couple from a distance before, which she assumed made it easier for her to recognize them now. They had changed from the casual summer wear from earlier and now wore dark green and brown, so they almost blended in with the surroundings. Meg recognized them too.
“Hi,” she called and waved. “Find anything interesting? Or just wandering like us?”
Until Meg spoke, the couple seemed to be turning away, but then they looked at each other and changed direction to walk over to meet the others. As the Bermans introduced everyone, Kate smiled and took the opportunity to get her first real study of the couple. As she expected, they towered over her own average height, and Mrs. Salley was even taller than Meg, who stood five-ten. All of the men were equally tall. However, Mr. Salley was more on the thin side, like Gil. She put the couple somewhere in their late-forties, and because both used their hands as they talked, Kate also noticed neither wore wedding rings and their hands carried no tan line.
“We’ve always wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail,” Mr. Salley answered a question Gil asked. “But getting the time off to do the whole route is impossible at the moment.”
“So we’ve been taking different parts of it at a time,” Mrs. Salley cut in. “We spend weekends at different spots along the journey. Not in any order or anything, but wherever we want to venture at the moment.”
“And you just rent cabins along the way?” Meg asked, keeping her eye trained on her youngest, who was a little too far afield.
“We have a cabin this time,” Mrs. Salley answered. “We stay in bed and breakfasts a lot too.”
Kate caught her daughters’ attention. “Would one of you run over and tell Ben to stay closer to our group.”
“I will, Mommy.” Sam took off at a lope.
“The girls are yours?” Mrs. Salley asked.
“Yes.”
“Identical twins are so intriguing,” she remarked.
Keith grinned. “Only if you don’t live with them.”
A few minutes later, Gil was segueing into small talk asking about the Salleys’ lives, and Mrs. Salley looked at her watch and gasped. “The appointment is in a half-hour, Walter. We need to run.”
“Oh, dear, you’re right.” He held out a hand to shake with Gil and Keith. “Sorry to leave so suddenly.”
“It’s quite all right,” Gil said.
“Watch your step as you go back,” Meg warned. “It always seems like the times I’m hurrying somewhere are the times I don’t see an obstacle ahead.”
“Good point,” Mrs. Salley said, as she hustled her husband a little.
The couple waved and headed west at a fast walk.
“I’m not sure they’re going to make it back in time,” Meg said, pulling her phone from a pocket and looking at its clock. “We didn’t talk that long. They probably should have already been on their way before we saw them.”
“Maybe they were,” Kate said. “They’d kind of looked like they were turning away until you called out and let them realize you knew who they were.”
“For heavens sakes, you two. Stop looking for mysteries everywhere,” Keith teased, slipping an arm around Kate’s shoulders and guiding her down the trail toward the kids.
Suze was picking any wildflowers she could find and already had a good-sized bouquet. Sam and Ben were playing an uneven two-person game of tag. Mark was close by, but off to the side shooting pictures with his camera.
“Sure,” Gil seconded. “The Salley’s got absorbed in their surroundings and forgot the time.” He caught up his wife’s hand. “Like you always do when Kate’s not around to keep you on schedule.”
Meg shrugged and offered a lopsided grin. “You’re right about that.”
“Still,” Kate mused. “They passed us on the road, so their cabin is farther. Which means they arrived at their location after we did and had to walk farther to get to this point. And while we unloaded the cars and pitched the tents, it wasn’t like it took us an hour to do that or anything. If they knew they had to make an appointment, why take a hike?”
“Maybe it’s like when you want to get someone off the phone and you say ‘there’s the doorbell.’ But no one is at the front door and you told a little fib because you didn’t want to hurt their feelings,” Suze piped up, her face a mask of innocence except for the twinkle in her eyes.
Kate felt her face warm, but she grinned and touched her daughter’s nose with the tip of a finger. “I’d better watch out. You’re getting too smart for me.”
Another fifty yards and they broke out of the trees’ shade to find a bright clearing, where a small travel trailer, mostly blue and white where the paint wasn’t already peeled off, sat grounded under an oak tree. The electric line that ended at the top of the trailer identified the place as an occupied, if extremely small, home away from home.
“I don’t see the Jag, but this has to be Paul’s caravan,” Meg said. “This end of the almost-driveway matches the entrance off the main road.” When Gil headed for the door, she added, “Remember, we don’t have to say hello. We just saw him a few hours ago.”
“It looks like he’s gone anyway,” Gil frowned as he spoke. “He was having some problems getting facts he needed, and his editor gave him an extension. I just want to see if his source came through with the data he needs.”
Ben sidled up by his father.
“So, we don’t need to be bothering the man,” Meg added, crossing her arms and stomping over to stand by Kate.
Gil pounded rapped sharply in the middle of the metal door, and Ben did the same at the bottom half. After tousling his son’s head affectionately, Gil gave another try. When all of their knocks went unanswered, he turned and held up his hands in a pose of surrender. “I did my part to be neighborly. Everyone ready to head back?”
“The popsicles I made up when we arrived won’t be frozen yet,” Kate said, as everyone turned to take a trajectory that resembled the route the Salleys took a short time before. “But the oranges I put into the refrigerator are cold, and I brought peppermint sticks if anyone wants Singing Oranges when we get back to the cabin.”
“What’s that?” Mark asked, shoving his camera in a pocket.
“You make a hole in a navel orange and shove in a soft peppermint stick,” Kate explained. “Then you suck on the peppermint stick until the juice starts coming up it like a straw. It’s a great blend of citrus and mint.”
“But why call the oranges singing?” Ben was walking so close to Meg he was practically attached to her hip.
“Obviously because we’ll be singing for joy for getting to have singing oranges,” Sam teased, using almost the exact reasoning Kate used when the girls asked her that same question the first time she’d offere
d them the treat. “Come on. Last one to the cabin is a rotten egg.”
The kids blasted off with the challenge. Even Ben started to dash, but Meg caught hold of his shoulders. “Not so fast hotshots.”
“Yes, we want to make it back in one piece,” Keith added. “Remember, your old parents move slower.”
Suze laughed. “Daddy, you’re not old.”
“Tell that to my knees,” he replied. Then he winked at Kate, and she knew he was signaling her not to worry about him—though, of course, she would.
Instead, she changed the topic by pulling out canvas totes she’d folded into one another and carried along. “You kids divide up into two teams. I have a bag here for each team, and let’s see who can fill theirs up with the most small twigs and branches for us to use for firewood tonight.”
“Cool,” Sam cried, running up to grab a tote.
“Yeah, it’ll be great to see the fire burning when it’s dark,” Suze added, grabbing the other bag.
“Hey, the girls can’t have both of them. What about us?” Mark asked.
“I’m on your team Sam.” Ben ran over to the twin who grabbed the first tote. “Is that okay?”
“Sure, and Mark can be on Suze’s.”
“Wait a minute—” Mark began arguing.
Gil laughed and clapped his oldest son on the shoulder. “Give it up. The person with the sack leads the team. And you, my boy, got outmaneuvered. Get used to it. Women do this thing to us all the time.”
“Hey, watch it,” Meg chided, but she grinned as she spoke.
Kate tossed the last canvas carryall—the biggest of the bunch—to Gil, adding, “Well, since we don’t want you feeling like you’ve been outmaneuvered for any of the fun, you can carry the tote for any larger limbs you find lying around as we walk back.”
“Come on. I’ll help,” Keith said, slapping Gil on the back. “We men need to stick together.”