Page 7 of Beck & Coll
She nodded.
“Let’s head over to the trailhead. We have a long day in front of us since you chose an eight-mile hike right out the gate.” I smirked at her. “That’s a big undertaking for a newbie. Hope I don’t have to carry you down off this mountain, girl.”
She grinned. “I’ve been doing my practice walks for about three months now. I think it should be okay.”
I didn’t respond, but on the inside, I was shaking my head. Clients could be so cute the way they thought hiking was comparable to walking.
“It rained earlier this morning, so the ground may still be wet, and there might be wet leaves on the ground. They can be slippery, so watch your footing.”
“Okay,” she agreed easily as we headed out of the back entrance of my office and toward the mountain range. “The rain is supposed to pick back up later today, right?”
“Yeah. So, let’s get going. The first half of the hike is all uphill.”
The walk from my office was about a mile and a half from the base of the Paradise Mountain Range.
“We’regonna start with an easy pace.” Beckham gave me an easy smile.
This dude was so freaking gorgeous that it was all I could do to keep my composure around him. He had that wholemountain manlook down to a science with his shades and baseball cap pulled down low on his head to protect from the sun’s rays, dust, dirt, and low-hanging trees. His muscular upper body was clad in what I knew was a sweat-wicking t-shirt topped by a half-zip pullover. And the hiking pants were loose fitting but still somehow managed to showcase his dick print.
All I knew was that if his fine ass kept flirting with me, the elevation of the mountain range was going to have usjoining a “mile-high club” that didn't have anything to do with an airplane bathroom.
I followed behind him, trying to regulate my breathing like I’d learned to do while working out. I needed to make sure that I controlled the level of energy I put out in the early stages of the hike, so I would have the energy I needed to complete the hike.
As we ascended, we were surrounded by trees. I split my time looking up and out at the trees and making sure to watch the ground for anything that might cause my footing to slip.
There was something about being surrounded by foliage from the trees on each side of the path. It was like being hidden in God’s own hand. We were in the shaded part of the hike. I knew from my research that during many parts of it, we wouldn’t have the shade provided by the leaves of the trees to shield us. I tried to stay in the moment and enjoy the sights and sounds all around me. Beckham’s cadence was moderate, but not too fast. I was able to keep up with him just fine.After about an hour, he stopped and turned to face me.
“How’re you feeling?”
I nodded. “Pretty good.”
“Good. Good.” He nodded as well. “We’ll keep going. In about another hour or so, we’ll come out of the trees, and from the elevation, you’ll be able to spot some of the glaciers that Cascada Noir National Park is known for. Hydrate when you need to hydrate but be moderate. We have a long hike still ahead of us, and I don’t want you to run out of water.”
“Dang. I hope I brought enough.”
He gave me a smile and patted the large bag that sat on his back. “If you didn’t, I’ve got you.” He took a beat and his smile widened. “I’m a professional. I have the remedy for any number of unexpected or… spontaneous situations.”
Though I tried to fight it, I didn’t win against the blush that crept across both of my cheeks. I really needed Beckham to stop flirting with me and throwing out innuendos. It had been a long time since I’d indulged in a man, and he was pretty much too fine to deny.
“I’m estimating this to be a five-hour hike. We’re one hour in. Rain’s expected to start during hour three. The forecast is predicting that it will last into the night. I’m going to try to keep us on track. We should be on flat terrain while it’s raining. We’ll make a stop at the Luckett Pass Visitor Center. They have bathrooms there. We’ll rest for a bit then head back.”
“Okay.”
“You ready?”
There he went, smiling that panty-dropping smile again. I fought not to fan myself and instead nodded my head, while pushing a big lock of hair behind my ear. “Ready.”
The next two hours of the hike were made easier for several reasons. One being that Beckham kept the manageable pace he set at the base of the mountain. He never varied, which allowed me to settle in. A second reason was the beauty all around me. We hiked through beautiful alpinemeadows, spotting herds of Big Horn sheep and mountain goats.
The rain started to fall as our trek brought glaciers into view and Clever Creek, which was fed by the melting water of the glaciers. When the rain picked up, going from a drizzle to an actual rainfall, Beckham stopped walking and encouraged me to don my raincoat, which I did.
The beauty of Cascada Noir National Park was breathtaking. It was truly God’s majesty to behold, and I was thankful that I didn’t listen to the hate from my mom and my sister about taking an “adventure” vacation as opposed to a “relaxing” one. Even if I didn’t see anything else for the rest of my trip, this was enough. This beauty would hold me over.
As promised, at a little over the three hour mark, Beckham slowed his gait at Luckett Pass Visitor Center. The vistas from the visitor center were no slouch. We had spent three hours ascending, so from where we were standing, we could see far and wide. I stepped up to fully take in the view before us, and my mouth dropped. It was glorious.
I could see down into the Rotunda Valley. The floor of the valley looked like it was covered by green carpet made of moss, the walls of the canyon surrounding the valley colored in various shades of brown. The sky was blue, and the clouds were puffy and white. Behind me, I could peer at the tops of both glaciers and mountains and look down into the pristine waters of an alpine lake that I couldn’t identify.
“What lake is that?” I asked Beckham, knowing that he would know.
