“If it were a geocaching test, I’d be talking to Nutso Dana, not you guys,” Adam replied.
“Bunch of nitwits wandering around mall parking lots looking for an Altoids® tin,” Sal said. “Most of ‘em couldn’t find their butts with both hands and an anatomy chart.”
Sal knew that Dana was still very much into geocaching, almost to the point of obsession. He and Dana had a competitive relationship, and they never missed an opportunity to take a shot at each other. Before the shakeup at OSI, the two often geocached together, although it seemed they spent more time arguing than caching. He and Dana remained friends, but clashed constantly, and Sal was usually vocal about his disagreements with Dana.
Sal was still the most active geocacher of the team, whether he admitted it or not, although he had much less time for the game now that he worked as a contractor. Sal and Dana still got together for the occasional caching trip, but that didn’t prevent Sal from criticizing Dana’s obsession with the hobby. Sal’s opinion was that a serious geocacher should only do challenging caches, while Dana did them all, challenging or not. The disparity of style provided fresh quarrelling material, which comprised the essence of their relationship.
“I seem to recall you doing quite a bit of geocaching yourself, Sal,” said Alice.
“Yeah, but the ones I did took a little bit of intelligence to find.”
“Good thing they only took a little bit,” Alice countered.
“In a way, part of the testing is a little like geocaching,” Adam said, before Sal had a chance to come back with a rejoinder. “We don’t know exactly where following the beacon will lead. Maybe to nothing at all, but I’m certain we aren’t going to be led to an ammo can or a lamp post. As far as we know, the beacons are not coming from any manmade source. We may be taken to a natural phenomenon of some sort.”
“Awesome, dude. Or maybe ancient geocaches placed by aliens centuries ago,” said Sal.
“More likely,” said Tom, “the anomalies are caused by an aberration in the time reference that the device uses for synchronization. My guess is that there will be nothing physical for us to find.”
Adam agreed with Tom’s opinion. Still, his natural curiosity made him anxious to find out what was causing the anomalies, even if it was improbable that they would find anything of significance. Just as with geocaching, the prospect of finding a unique prize encouraged people to dig through the ammo box, regardless of how many times they had been disappointed by finding nothing worthwhile.
Once again Adam brought the conversation back to business. “You guys are on board for this project, correct?” he asked Tom and Sal, getting nods of agreement from both. “Great! I have the preliminary test plan completed, which I will email to Alice today to go over and add in any extra details. Alice, if you will finish that up and email the final document out to the entire team for review, we should be set to go. I’ll reserve the tickets for all of us leaving one week from today from Philly International to Atlanta, Georgia. From there, we’ll rent an SUV large enough to carry all of us and our gear and head out to Chattahoochee National Forest. That’s where we’ll be executing the test scripts, so I’d suggest you all spend some time on Google Earth to familiarize yourself with the area. I have hardcopies of the topographic maps of the area and everything else we need for traditional orienteering. You should bring along your own handheld GPS receiver, too. I’ve made copies of the TSO LANav documentation for each of you to look over. We can get together once again before we leave if necessary, but I believe we can handle everything through email and over the phone.”
Adam was happy to have their commitment and relieved that no one expressed any serious doubts about the project. He would spend the rest of the week getting ready for the trip and scrutinizing the final test plans. He wrapped up the meeting, settled the check, and headed for the Yukon with Alice to drive her back to OSI. As they were heading out the door, he could hear Sal in the background, singing his best Alan Jackson “Way down yonder in Chattahoochee…”
Chapter five
If they had not been so busy preparing for their trip, the team would have observed the dramatic changes brought on by the warming weather. The stark branches of the bare trees had burst with pear-green buds, and vibrant yellow blossoms of daffodils and forsythias transformed the grey winter landscape to a colorful springtime setting. Delicately slender blades of grass sprouted on the lawns that had been mostly dry and hay-brown only a week before.
Adam always enjoyed the spring metamorphosis. This year it had passed him by mostly unnoticed. The hectic preparations for the trip to Georgia made the week pass quickly, and he was feeling the pressure of the rapidly approaching start date. He was usually unruffled about executing a test plan, but this scenario was different from any other project they had ever done before. His anxiety was compounded by the fact that they would be conducting the testing remotely, and he was determined not to overlook anything. If this project ran smoothly, it could potentially open doors to many new business opportunities for him and his team.
He made adjustments to their packing list as he discussed the project in detail with his team. They were beginning to realize the complex logistics of the project. Even Sal, whose first concern was if he could check a case of beer as baggage, took on a more thoughtful tone with several relevant suggestions.
Adam felt much less overwhelmed once Alice took on the task of consolidating everyone’s packing list into a single inventory, ensuring nothing would be duplicated or forgotten. Tom recorded the measurements of all the equipment and personal belongings so they would know exactly how much cargo space was required. Adam was proud of the team he had assembled. He was certain he had selected the best resources for the project. They might appear to be overly fun-loving and high-spirited to some, but Adam knew that each could be counted on when they were needed the most.
The equipment was gathered at Tom Woody’s house for him to finish the measurements and finalize the packing. The others would only have to bring their personal gear in a single carry-on to the airport. Everyone had been traveling long enough to know it would make check-in smoother by shipping all their gear as cargo and only bringing a small carry-on with them.
Adam and Tom arranged for the local airport shuttle service to carry them and all the gear, while Alice and Sal would be meeting them at the Philly terminal. They dropped off the bulky ruggedized packing crates with the air cargo handlers, and had just entered the security queue to get to the gate when Alice and Sal arrived. They heard their familiar voices echoing over the constant drone of airport background noise as they approached the queue.
“I do believe the other two members of our team have arrived,” said Tom, nodding his head in the direction of Alice’s reverberating voice.
“I told you we had plenty of time to get here, Sal. You did NOT need to drive like you were at Dover Speedway. Those poor folks you cut off are probably still shaking!” Alice’s voice echoed through the terminal as they approached.
“Serves them right. They were poking along in the left lane. Besides, those dudes were from out of state. Somewhere down south. Why the heck is it every car I see with southern plates is poking along in the fast lane? Don’t they know what a passing lane is for down there?”
“Oh, hush. Just because they were from out-of-state didn’t mean you had to cut them off. How would you like it if they treated you like that when you were driving in their state, just because you have New Jersey plates?”
“What the heck would I be doing in the south? Buying a cow? If I need beef I’ll order it from a menu!”
“For heaven’s sake, it’s impossible to hold a rational conversation with you. I should have driven myself, anyway. I knew the ride was going to be like something from Grand Theft Auto. Honestly, I don’t know why I agreed to let you drive me here.”
“Because you’re too cheap to pay the parking fee, that’s why,” he answered.
Adam and Tom shared a smile, knowing what a hair-rai
sing adventure being Sal’s passenger could be. They also knew that in spite of the aggressive driving habits, riding with Sal was a lot safer than riding with most people. At least he was an attentive driver.
“Hi guys,” Adam said. “You can relax now. You made it safely and in plenty of time.”
At the gate, Adam, Tom, and Alice passed through the airport security check without difficulty. Sal, as usual, was another matter. “What the hell do you mean I can’t take my gel shoe inserts?” Sal was yelling into the indifferent face of the TSA agent. “What do you think I’m going to do? Whip one out mid-flight and bitch-slap my way into the cockpit?”
“Sal,” Adam interceded before things got out of hand. “Just give him the inserts. I know you have at least a couple more pairs packed with your gear.”
“Sorry,” Adam murmured to the security person as Sal pulled the inserts from his shoes and threw them on the floor. The team headed off in the direction of their gate before security could reconsider letting Sal through.
“You know that jerk just wants them for his own fat feet,” Sal muttered.
Alice rolled her eyes. “Good grief, Sal, don’t be stupid. That guy was twice your size. I’m sure the last thing he wants is your smelly little shoe inserts. They’d hardly fit him.”
“I don’t believe it was personal, Sal. He’s just doing his job,” said Tom. “His duty is to inspect everyone for items containing a liquid or gel like that; it could be an explosive. They mustn’t allow anything through that could be inflammable or hazardous, you know.”
“They let him through,” Alice smirked.
“I don’t know why they made me take off my shoes anyway,” Sal complained. “They didn’t make any of you take off your shoes. I bet all of you guys have those gel inserts, too. That TSA dude was discriminating against me.”
“Discriminating? Don’t you think it might have something to do with the way you are dressed?” asked Adam.
“Dude! What’s wrong with the way I’m dressed?” asked Sal, stretching out his arms with a flourish.
Adam looked at him wide-eyed. “Arctic camouflage cargo pants, a Che Guevara tee-shirt, and a baseball cap that says ‘Viva la Revolucion!’? And you are surprised they made you take your shoes off? I’m surprised they didn’t just shoot you.”
“All perfectly acceptable urban wear. It’s discriminatory to pick me just because of the clothes I’m wearing.”
“My gosh, I hope you brought something a little less urban to wear in the mountains of Georgia,” said Alice, “or one of them good ol’ boys down there just might pick you for something a little more invasive. You know how to call a pig, boy?”
“I’m not worried about them yahoos,” said Sal, although the flash of alarm in his eyes revealed that he might be more apprehensive than he was letting on.
They reached the gate and found seats without much difficulty. It was early for the weekend travelers, so the airport crowd was still pretty light and the gate had only an average amount of activity. As they took their seats, they noticed the gate attendant talking on the phone. She quickly glanced at Sal, gave a grim nod, and spoke softly to someone on the other end of the line.
“Great,” thought Adam, “now we’re all on the security watch list.”
The rest of the flight was uneventful, although the air attendants asked Sal several times if “everything was OK.” Adam suspected they were more interested in the safety of the other passengers than they were about Sal’s comfort. Eventually they became convinced he was no longer a threat risk and put their efforts into ignoring him for the rest of the flight.
Departing the plane, the sauna-like humidity in Atlanta felt like walking into a steam room. Adam’s clothes were drenched with sweat within ten minutes of leaving the Atlanta airport. He hadn’t expected such a drastic weather change, and was relieved to be in the cool air conditioned air of the airport shuttle as they headed to the car rental place to pick up the vehicle Dr. Odan had reserved for them.
Their gear was to be delivered directly to the rental agency, and would hopefully be there by the time they arrived. Traffic around the airport in Atlanta was heavy as usual, allowing the team a little more time to enjoy the air conditioning. Fortunately, their testing would be conducted in the higher elevation of the Chattahoochee National Forest, where the cooler, less humid mountain air would make hauling their gear and executing the testing tasks more pleasant.
Adam had hiked in the Appalachian Mountains many times, and had done several legs of the Appalachian Trail, although he never had been to this particular part of the Appalachians, or the Blue Ridge, as the range was called here. The AT came through the Chattahoochee further to the east, the trailhead just below Springer Mountain. A little further to the north, in Tennessee and North Carolina, the range became the Great Smokey Mountains. Adam and the others had hiked in Smokey Mountain National Park and they were anxious to visit it again. There would be no time on this trip, though. This time of year the Smokey Mountains were crowded with tourists taking in the spring blossoming along the well-kept trails of the park, so they would be headed to the more isolated trails of north Georgia. They would be heading out route 575, across the Etowah River in Cherokee county, and eventually on up to East Ellijay where they would enter the Chattahoochee National Forest. It was only about ninety miles from the airport to the entrance to Chattahoochee, about a two hour drive, depending upon the traffic. Atlanta always had heavy traffic, even compared to Philadelphia. Once they were beyond the beltway, the congestion would dissipate and the driving would be more pleasant.
Adam had made reservations at a small hotel in Ellijay. It would still be daylight by the time they arrived, but there wouldn’t be enough time to unload and set up their base camp today.
As the shuttle van pulled into the car rental lot, Adam was relieved to see the crates with their gear stacked next to the office door. They piled out of the van and back into the Atlanta humidity, placing their carry-on bags next to the rest of the cargo. The lot-boy approached the group and asked Adam, “Ya’ll the Adam Hill party?”
“We be all of them, and it ain’t no party,” quipped Sal. Alice gave Sal a jab in the ribs.
“Yes, that’s us,” Adam said quickly.
“I’ll bring your vehicle right up. A Dr. Odan called to reserve one of our big ol’ trucks for ya, so if ya’ll be so kind as to step in the office and sign off on the paperwork, ya’ll can be on your way,” the lot-boy said as he headed off to get the SUV.
Adam said, “I’ll take care of the paperwork while you guys start loading up.”
“Can’t do it. The dude said ‘ya’ll come to the office’, so that means we all have to come with you,” said Sal.
“Give it a rest, Sal,” Adam sighed. “All the cargo is here, ready to go. In Philly, we’d be lucky if half of it wasn’t stolen by now. Load up; I’ll be right back.”
The rental agency provided a Chevrolet Suburban, which had even more room for passengers and cargo than Adam’s Yukon. He quickly took care of the paperwork, and the team was loaded up and on their way with a smile and a hat tip from the lot-boy. The big SUV effortlessly accommodated the team and all the gear as they smoothly rolled out of the parking lot and north onto the Atlanta beltway.
Chapter six
The little hotel in Ellijay worked out perfectly. They had made good time driving up from the airport, and now they could relax and get a good night’s sleep after a long traveling day. Adam and Tom spent some time making sure all the gear was intact, while Alice disappeared into her room to organize her notes and devise a format for logging their testing results. Her plan was to keep all the records on her notebook computer while at the base camp, but switch to hardcopy notes in the field. It wasn’t so uncommon for her to keep track of her notes on paper, and she often used pen and paper even in a lab environment. Not only did she find it more convenient to record her notes this way, it also served as a backup to the data that was eventually entered into the computer.
Sal planned to take a dip in the hotel pool, but was disappointed when he was told that it had not yet been opened for the season. To everyone’s relief, he didn’t make a ruckus about it.
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