Page 70 of Capture the Moment

They were exiting the cover of trees, so he knew he was close to the intersection of Wildcat Peak Trail. “We’re almost to a place where it’ll level off a bit. We can rest there.”

She nodded, but he knew she was running out of steam. Just ahead, he spotted a fallen log in full sun to lean against, to rest and rehydrate. “You doing okay? Too cold? Too hot? Want me to carry your backpack?”

She shook her head. “I’m fine. I just need to take a little break.” She unscrewed the cap on her water bottle and took some swallows.

And kept gulping. Coop scolded himself at how thirsty she’d been. The trail that followed Pilgrim Creek rose rapidly, a steep ascent of thousands of feet. The narrow path was muddy in most places too, and they had to traverse several water crossings, dead falls, and go-arounds. It wasn’t an easy hike for him, and he was accustomed to backcountry hikes. He should have warned her that they’d be aiming straight up for the headwaters of the creek. He watched her carefully for signs of overexertion,but she seemed to be recovering quickly. A good sign. Her face was less flushed, and her breathing was back to normal.

“It’s so beautiful here,” she said.

“Even prettier in the fall, when the trees are in full color. Spruce, aspen, white bark pine. Now that’s a sight worth photographing.”

“You’ve been here often?”

“A couple of times. Tim and I spent a few days up here last fall, before the park closed for the season.”

She took another swallow of water, but less like she was parched, so he decided to keep talking. He pointed to the meadow in front of them. “Hard to imagine that brown field, still with patches of snow, will be full of wildflowers in a month or so. Full of bears too. Tim calls it a grizzly-strewn meadow.”

Swallowing a sip of water, she practically choked. Her eyes went wide as she looked over the meadow. “How many?”

“Grizzlies in the park? Hundreds of ’em. And Yellowstone’s got even more.” He gestured in that direction. It dawned on him that he might be freaking her out. “But don’t stress, I’ve got bear radar—always keeping an eye out.”

“I sure hope so, Ranger.”

Yeah, he was spooking her. “Here’s something cool about bears that I didn’t mention in my ranger spiel. They have a habit of sitting for long periods at vista points, just staring. Scientists think they might have the ability to interpret the beauty of nature.”

Gazing out at the meadow, Kate quietly said, “‘But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORDhas done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.’”

“Bible verse?” Coop said.

She looked a little embarrassed. “Yes. From the book of Job.”

“You’ve memorized it?”

“Well, not the whole book. But I do love that verse. And I learned at an early age to memorize. Compensation for not being much of a reader.”

See? There was that resiliency again. “Tim would be pleased to hear you quote the Bible,” Coop said. “He’s always trying to get me to go to church with him.”

“Have you gone?”

“A couple of times.” But he thought he might start going regularly this summer.

“You and Tim seem to know each other well. Have you worked for him a long time?”

“A couple of years. He’s the one who talked me into being a seasonal ranger. He helped me get a job here at Grand Teton. These jobs are super competitive. Everyone’s after the plum assignments. He’s a great guy to work for. I’ve learned a lot from Tim.”

“Like what?”

“Like ... trusting your gut instincts. He’s big on that. Most of the problems in life can be solved by listening to intuition, he says, so pay attention to it, especially when it rears up. As much training and protocol as rangers receive, Tim has always said that gut instinct will serve you best.”

She gave him a look that he had trouble reading. He pulled out his own water bottle and drank from it.

After a while, he said, “Feeling okay?” He thought she’d fully recovered, but now she seemed awfully quiet.

“Feeling great.” She gave him a side glance. “You’ve got me thinking.”

“Yeah? About bears among wildflowers?” That made her smile.Man, she had a nice smile.

“About trusting your gut.” She took a swig of water, swallowed,then turned to him. “About making some changes in my life.”

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