Nephi's Courage

by Rory McFarlan

  “Don’t forget wool socks and thermal long-johns,” said Nephi. “And you’ll need some gloves and a hat.” Nephi gathered them and put them in a bag.

  “Long underwear?” asked Alex.

  “It is freezing up there, believe me, you want them. Oh, and you’ll need some good boots. What size do you wear?”

  “Size nine.”

  “Some of my old ones should fit you just fine.” Nephi dug through the closet until he found them. “Here you are.”

  With clothes gathered, they visited with Darla for a bit while enjoying some of her famous homemade cinnamon rolls. Mike was at work and she was there alone. She had been baking all morning and was happy for someone with whom she could share the spoils of her labor.

  After warming themselves and filling up on sweet, gooey goodness, they thanked her. Nephi gave her a big hug before they headed out. Alex had to get back to Salt Lake to prepare for work and Nephi spent the day hanging out with Bradley. This time of year, Bradley missed baking and decorating holiday sugar cookies with his mother so they went to the grocery store and bought everything they needed to bake pilgrim and turkey shaped sugar cookies.

  Once the cookies cooled, they frosted them. Bradley enjoyed it but it wasn’t the same as baking with his mom. He was very grateful for Nephi but he missed his family, especially his mom and his siblings. The forced separation was necessary though, at home he wasn’t free to be himself. He looked forward to a job and a new start.

  On Sunday, Brad once again declined Nephi’s invitation to church but tagged along with him for dinner and Mike and Darla’s afterward. He brought them a plate of holiday cookies that Mike seemed very thankful for.

  Monday finally arrived and for the first time, Nephi and Bradley had to coordinate showers in the morning. Nephi had to be to work at 7:00 and Bradley was to report to the ice cream shop at 8:00 for four hours of training before the shop opened at noon.

  Gene, the shop owner, was happy for some help. He showed Bradley how they made the ice cream and gave him a sample of each of the twenty flavors so he could give proper recommendations to customers. He enjoyed eggnog and bubblegum, but mint chocolate chip was his favorite. Gene schooled Bradley on the sizes and the specialty desserts. Once he had a good grasp on the product, Gene trained him to use the cash register and showed him how to clean the dining area and the back.

  The work was harder than Bradley thought it would be but he enjoyed it and was excited for them to open. Noon arrived without a customer in sight, which isn’t what Bradley had envisioned.

  “We don’t get many customers this early,” said Gene. “A few people will stop in for a cup or a cone on their way back from lunch and we’ll get a small rush in the afternoon and a bigger one after dinner in the evening but you won’t be here that late today.”

  “I guess that makes sense,” replied Bradley. “Thanks again for offering me the job. I really need it right now.”

  “I’m happy to have you.”

  Just like Gene predicted, several customers came through the door between 12:30 and 1:30 and Bradley happily scooped their ice cream and handed it to them with a smile. Gene was pleased to see how good he was with the customers and how hard he worked. Most of the teenagers he hired in the past had no work ethic but Bradley was different. He took pride in the work and did it right. After helping a customer, he was quick to wipe down the counter with a towel and he cleaned each table as soon as a customer left it vacant.

  By the end of the day, Gene was satisfied he made a good hire and Bradley was proud of the job he did. It wasn’t the most exciting work, but he liked it and he was good at it. Gene made him feel valued which is really all anyone can hope for in a job.

  At the end of his shift, he walked home a new man, believing he could make this work. He sensed that he would be okay on his own, able to be himself.

  Chapter 14

  More than a week passed and Bradley had really hit his stride at work. Gene had him on the opening shift, working from 11:00 to 7:30, Tuesday through Saturday. He enjoyed the job, especially greeting customers.

  Work was moving along normally for Nephi as the time for the hunt drew near. His shift ended on Tuesday and he headed to his parents’ house to load up the truck for the hunt. He opened the garage and placed tarps, the canvas tent, foldable cots, sleeping bags, and water jugs in the bed of the truck. He placed his rifle on the gun rack that hung in his back window with the ammunition locked in a box that he placed behind the seat.

  He gathered his backpack which held the small one-burner stove, hunting knives, binoculars and a spotting scope. He loaded it into the truck along with the box of camp pots and pans. Food storage lined the back wall and included buckets full of single serving freeze dried meals. He collected enough for himself and Alex.

  Biscuits and gravy and omelets for breakfast, chicken rice and protein bars for lunch, and an assortment of dinners including chicken teriyaki, lasagna, beefy macaroni, and taco casserole. Having reviewed the checklist on his phone to verify he didn’t forget anything, Nephi went inside to thank Mike and Darla for everything.

  “Bring back some meat for the freezer,” said Mike in a voice dripping with doubt.

  “I’ll do my best,” replied Nephi with a smile.

  He hugged them both before heading back to the apartment to spend one more night on the comfy sofa. For the rest of the week, he would sleep on a cot in the cold. He checked to make sure food was stocked for Bradley, who would have the place to himself until Saturday night. The two of them curled up on the couch and finished the seventh and final season of Gilmore Girls before going to sleep.

  Nephi wanted to get an early start since he had to pick up Alex in Salt Lake before driving all the way to camp and they would need enough daylight to set up the tent. He woke up at 6:30 and got ready for the day. He had already packed the truck with everything but his hunting clothes. He threw them in a bag and woke Bradley at 7:30 to say goodbye.

  “I will be out of cell phone range most of the time I’m gone, but I left my mom’s phone number on the fridge. Please don’t hesitate to call her if you need anything. I let her know that you might call.”

  “Thanks. I really appreciate it. I am so thankful for everything you have done for me, Nephi. I honestly don’t know what I would have done these last few weeks without you.”

  “I’m happy to have you, man. I’m only gone for four days. I’ll see you Saturday night,” said Nephi.

  Bradley gave him a big bear hug, squeezing him so tight he thought it might crack a rib. It evicted all the air from Nephi’s lungs. Taking a deep breath to gain some needed space, Nephi patted him gently on the back. Bradley released his grip and gave Nephi a kiss on the cheek before he turned and headed out the door for the elk hunt.

  Nephi stuffed his clothes under the truck bench and climbed in. He set off for Alex’s apartment in Salt Lake, making the now familiar drive over the point of the mountain and past Draper, Sandy, Midvale and Murray. He took the 21st South Freeway to the east side where Alex lived. Following the GPS, he found the apartment complex. Alex was waiting for him in the parking lot with bags in hand.

  Nephi opened the truck bed cover, and they tucked Alex’s bags between the tent and the cots before closing the cover and climbing in the truck.

  “Do you mind if I say a prayer before we leave?” asked Nephi.

  “I’m not much of one for praying, but go ahead.”

  Nephi bowed his head, closed his eyes and offered a prayer to God for their safety and thanked him for the opportunity they had to spend time together. He closed the prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Alex sat respectfully while he prayed. After the prayer, they buckled their seat belts and hit the road.

  “Alright,” exclaimed Alex, “we’re really redneckin’ it now!”

  “Redneckin’ it?” asked Nephi.

  “Heading into the mountains in a pickup truck with a gun in the window, I would definitely say we are redneckin’ it. All we need now is some real
country boy music. I think I might have Cotton Eye Joe on my phone,” replied Alex.

  “As much as I love Cotton Eye Joe, it hardly qualifies as country music.”

  “What are you talking about? The name of the band is literally Rednex.”

  “Ha, ha, ha,” laughed Nephi. “We’ll just have to agree to disagree. Below your seat, there are some country music cassettes though. Since I’m the only one in the family that still has a cassette deck, I inherited all the tapes, including all my mom’s 80s country jams. I’ve got Dan Seals, Dwight Yoakam, Reba, Hank Williams Jr, Randy Travis, George Strait, Alabama, Kenny Rogers, you name it…”

  Alex reached below his seat and retrieved the zipper case full of old cassette tapes.

  “Which one do you want to listen to first?” asked Alex.

  “Your choice. They remind me of my childhood and I like them all.”

  “Well, I can’t say that I know any of them,” replied Alex. “Eenie, Meenie, Meinie, Mo.” He grabbed one from the middle of the case. “Dan Seals, “Won’t Be Blue Anymore” it is,” he said as he ejected the Tommy Page tape from the stereo and replaced it with Dan Seals. “Now this is full-on redneckin’ it!”

  “I guess I have to agree with you,” said Nephi.

  Alex cranked the stereo as they made their way to I-80 and drove through Parley’s Canyon.

  “I really like this one,” said Alex as the third song on the album played.

  “It’s one of my favorites,” replied Nephi, singing along.

  “Where are we headed, anyway?”

  “My permit is for the South Slope of the Uinta Mountains. I checked this morning and Wolf Creek Pass is still open, so we will go that way, and turn left at the road to Lightning Ridge. There is some good elk country up there. Hopefully we will see some animals.”

  “I’m not sure exactly where that is, but I guess I have no choice but to trust you.”

  They continued jamming to the country tunes until they reached Parley’s summit where Nephi pulled off for gas. It was nearing lunch time, so he pulled out some sack lunches he had made for them- turkey sandwiches with chips and granola bars. They ate in the truck while Nephi took Highway 189 until the Kamas turn off and then headed south to Francis where he connected with Highway 35 that would take them through Wolf Creek Pass.

  Three inches of snow blanketed the small town of Francis. The white-dusted landscape glistened in the sun and surprised Alex with its beauty. The trees had not fully shed their leaves and the bright red, yellow, and orange foliage stood out against the sparkling snow. As they drove further into the canyon, green and yellow pines replaced the colorful leaves. It looked like a scene out of a painting.

  Spending all of his time in the city, Alex wondered what other natural treasures he was missing out on. The truck rumbled up the canyon and passed several lakes and campgrounds before they approached a smaller dirt road on the left. Nephi turned off and began to climb the road. There were about four inches of snow on the ground now and Alex could feel the cold outside as he touched his hand to the window. He replaced Dan Seals with Kenny Rogers and Nephi popped into four wheel drive as their redneck adventure continued.

  The truck rounded a sharp corner where an RV had pulled off to camp. Its lights were on and Alex could see the shadows of people moving inside. The rig continued up a steep section of icy dirt road and it slid backward a few feet. Nephi downshifted to 4LO, and they slowly crawled up the slope. Moving back into 4WD, they descended the other side and drove through several large meadows.

  Nephi followed signs toward an LDS girl’s camp before turning right and following a rocky road through a thick section of forest. About half way down the road, he pulled off into a small clearing and the truck came to a stop.

  “We’ll set up camp here,” he said.

  They got out of the truck and stretched their legs. After the long drive, they really had to go, so they each found a tree to water. Nephi then opened the truck bed cover and grabbed two large tarps. Alex helped him spread them on the ground in a nice flat spot where they could set up the tent. The weight of the canvas surprised Alex and he wondered how Nephi managed to load everything into the truck by himself. He must be stronger than he looks, he thought. They built the frame and then draped the canvas over the top and set the guy lines.

  With the tent nearly complete, Nephi brought a thermal mat from the truck and placed it on the floor of the tent. He asked Alex to help him carry the wood-burning stove into the tent and they placed it on the mat. They assembled the stove pipe and ran it through the stove jack in the roof to vent the smoke.

  The cots came next. They were the nice, wide Alaskan Guide cots that support up to 400 pounds. They laid inflatable pads on top of the cots followed by cold weather mummy bags. Nephi unloaded bundles of firewood from the truck and placed them next to the stove. He brought in their clothes and backpacks and then closed the truck bed cover.

  Alex breathed deep, noting the way the pine scented mountain air refreshed his lungs. With about an hour of daylight remaining, they took a walk to get familiar with their surroundings. Alex pulled out his phone to check his email.

  “I’m not getting any bars here.”

  Nephi laughed. “Yep, I must have forgot to tell you. There is no cell phone reception here. We will be without our phones until Saturday evening.”

  “What if we get lost or hurt and need some help?”

  “I brought a beacon with me. In the case of an emergency, I can press a button to send a 911 request with our GPS location. My mom got it for me a few years back because she worried when I went hunting by myself. Fortunately, I haven’t had to use it yet.”

  “That makes me feel better but hopefully we won’t need to use it.”

  “We should be fine. We just need to use common sense and follow basic safety rules.”

  Alex enjoyed their walk. The snow-covered trees were beautiful. During the short stroll, they saw several squirrels and a couple of deer, both does. Alex was amazed to see them up close. They didn’t even seem to be alarmed by the humans staring at them through the trees and just stood there and continued to eat the grass that was poking up through the snow.

  As darkness fell, they looked up and admired the night sky. They could see more stars than are visible from the city. The quarter moon was bright enough to cast light on the snow as they made their way back to the tent. By the time they returned, Alex noticed the cold toes inside his boots. Nephi built a fire in the stove and they both changed into long thermal underwear and pajamas and sat in folding chairs in front of the fire.

  Nephi boiled water and made hot cocoa and used the rest of the boiling water to prepare their freeze dried dinners. Alex chose chicken and dumplings and Nephi had teriyaki chicken. After ten minutes, they were fully hydrated and ready to eat. It didn’t taste as bad as Alex feared. Maybe it was all the walking, or the exertion put into setting up the tent, but the chicken and dumplings tasted good and warmed him from the inside. The fire felt good on his hands and toes.

  After dinner, Nephi pulled some foot warmers out of his backpack and suggested that Alex put them in the bottom of his sleeping bag to keep his feet warm at night. They laid in their sleeping bags talking about the morning hunt to the glow of the fire. To Alex, getting back to nature felt primitive but somehow felt natural and sleeping in the tent next to the glowing fire in the stove somehow seemed magical.

  It didn’t take long for them to fall asleep and Alex slept much better than he expected. There is something about how a warm sleeping bag separates a person from the cold air that deepens one’s sleep and rejuvenates the body. When Nephi’s alarm sounded at 4:30 in the morning, they both felt refreshed and ready to face the day. If Alex wasn’t awake before stretching his arms outside the sleeping bag, he certainly was after the frozen air touched his skin. He sat up and noticed that Nephi was already dressed in camo and building a fire in the stove.

  “Good morning, sunshine,” exclaimed Nephi.

  Alex cro
aked, “Good morning,” as he blinked, trying to bring his eyes into focus.

  “We’ll hike out in about 20 minutes. Get dressed. I should have hot cocoa ready by the time you’re ready.”

  “I don’t suppose you have any coffee on hand?”

  Nephi smiled and shook his head.

  “Oh yeah… Mormon… of course you don’t,” said Alex.

  Alex pulled two pair of wool socks over his feet and climbed into Tiffany’s sherpa-lined pants that he borrowed from Mike and Darla’s place. He pulled a long sleeve camo shirt over his head and slipped his arms into the warm coat.

  Once ready, he walked over to the stove where Nephi handed him a steaming cup of cocoa. It warmed him as he sipped. He thought how nice it would be to stay inside the tent next to the fire but he knew that Nephi was excited to hunt and he was curious what it was all about.

  “We will follow the game trail about 20 yards above camp through the trees for about half a mile and then we’ll climb up the mountain. Do your best to be quiet but with the snow on the ground, there’s no stopping our steps from crunching. That’s okay though, elk make a lot of noise when they walk through the forest, so the sound of snow crunching won’t alarm them. Just be sure not to talk. The sound of human voices will send them running.”

  “Okay, got it, but it’s pitch black outside. How do you plan to hike in the darkness?”

  “That’s what the headlamps are for,” replied Nephi. “Now when we get to the top of the ridge, we will move slowly. Just follow me. Move as slow as you can and when you start to feel like a snail, slow it down some more. There are no rewards for getting there fast and we don’t want to spook the animals.”

  “Honey, I’m not exactly known for my speed. Slow shouldn’t be a problem.”

  “Good. Patience is the name of the game.”

  “I’m not exactly known for my patience either, so that one might be a problem,” said Alex.

  “Just follow me and we’ll be fine. Once we come over the other side of the ridge, we will stop for a while. From there, we will see the opposite ridge about 200 yards away. There is a stream there where the elk sometimes drink and a big clearing where grass should still come through the snow. We’ll sit there and be quiet and glass for a while.”