Page 4 of Trail to Trouble
“No, we got this. We’re almost done,” Hannah said quickly as Hunter made a move toward them.
Hunter halted.
“Just insert the ends of the rods into the loops at the base of the tent, and we’ll be set,” Hannah instructed.
Alyssa and Bianca did as told, and the tent pulled taut.
“There. Done,” Hannah said as she stepped back and eyed their handiwork.
“Looks good,” Hunter affirmed.
Without looking at him, Hannah shrugged, then she spun around and headed toward the canoe to retrieve her backpack and the bedrolls their guide had packed for them. Her friends followed.
Hunter returned to his canoe and pulled a cooler from it, and carried it over to the brown, metal, bear-proof food locker. He pulled four bottles of water from the cooler and a couple of other small packages Hannah couldn’t quite identify, and he stuffed them into his camouflage backpack. After stowing the cooler in the metal bin, he latched the door.
He spun to face them. “Who’s up for a short hike to Wild Canyon Falls?”
“I’m ready,” Bianca responded eagerly as she stepped to Hunter’s side.
“I’ll be ready in a second. I just need to grab my camera from my pack,” Alyssa said as she dipped her hand into her backpack and pulled out her expensive-looking camera and two lenses.
“And you?” Hunter asked with a quick glance in Hannah’s direction.
Hannah nodded.
Hunter led them down the single-file trail. Beach stones lined the first several feet of the path. Most were oval-shaped, dark colored, and they looked invitingly smooth. Hannah liked rocks and shells. They were like little treasures to her and she fought the urge to snap one up. Maybe on the way back.
The path quickly transitioned to moist dirt. It had rained earlier in the day, and the trees lining the path blocked the warm sun from drying the earthy-smelling ground, causing any little slope to be slippery. Hannah figured her hiking shoes would maintain her foothold, but her friends wearing their fashionable tennis shoes, rather than practical ones, would have to be careful not to slip and fall on their rumps. She had warned them to pack shoes more suitable for hiking, but they dismissed her advice.
The ground grew muddier and more slippery as they trekked over a slight decline in the terrain. Now the girls would really have to be careful. She shook her head. This was on them. She had warned them.
Closing her eyes to envision the map she’d studied earlier, and had since stuffed in her backpack, she knew the faint trickle of water she heard was likely not the Wild Canyon Falls. It had to be from something else. Probably a little creek feeding into the falls, or from the falls.
When she reopened her eyes, she focused ahead to find a narrow two-plank walkway a short distance away. The guide walked over the planks with ease, even though there was no railing. Alyssa hesitated and glanced over her shoulder at her and raised a skeptical brow. Hannah nodded, then Alyssa turned and lifted her arms for balance, and crossed over the planks. Bianca did the same.
Hannah followed suit. She glanced down. The distance between the walkway bridge and the ground increased with each step she took. Within a few more steps, a narrow stream flowed under the boardwalk, about four feet below the planks. She studied the clear water for a moment before continuing along. Only a few more feet to go to get back onto the dirt path—solid ground.
The trail twisted and turned. Hunter stopped and pointed at a pine tree about twenty feet into the woods. A pileated woodpecker drove its beak against the bark, carving out yet another hole in the tree that already looked like Swiss cheese. How could the poor bird pound that hard and not get a migraine?
Alyssa snapped a few photos of the woodpecker before they continued down the trail. The sound of rushing water echoed through the forest, louder and louder as they closed in on Wild Canyon Falls.
A cool breeze swept through the air as she stepped onto a flat rock formation overlooking the falls and gorge. The water flowing over the twenty-foot-long ledge was fairly clear. White foam formed at the bottom of the ten-foot falls and then flowed through the gorge with the rapid current. It was louder than Hannah had expected it to be when she’d read about the falls, especially since the drop wasn’t all that far.
She stared at the rushing water, mesmerized by both the sight of it and the thunderous sound echoing off the canyon walls.
Bianca, Alyssa, and Hunter milled around the area, Alyssa taking a gazillion photos as she always did. Hannah had to hand it to her, Alyssa had an eye for taking scenic photos, and an eye for capturing beautiful moments when photographing people. Lucky for Alyssa, Bianca was along. That woman loved having her photo taken, and as pretty as Bianca was, Alyssa’s job was made easier.
Hannah thought about pulling her phone from her pocket to take some photos, but she decided against it, knowing Alyssa would make a scrapbook about their whole adventure when they returned home, and she’d make copies for both her and Bianca.
“Group photo time!” Alyssa yelled as she set up the tripod for her camera. They gathered by the worn wooden fence lining a jutting section of the rock that hung out over the falls.
Bianca fit herself under the drape of Hunter’s arm, curving toward him slightly, and then placed her palm against his chest. The guy ate up her attention. Too bad for him, he’d be just another notch on Bianca’s bedpost. Guilt swept through Hannah’s veins every time she thought of her friend as promiscuous, but the truth was that Bianca fit the mold. Hannah edged close to Bianca’s side as Alyssa prepared the camera and then hustled over and molded herself to Hunter’s free side.
After Alyssa’s mini photoshoot was complete, Hunter pointed to the rock wall that lined the north side of the gorge. “If you want, we can climb up there, where the view of the falls is awesome.”
The incline looked steep but certainly doable since the rock formation was almost like a staircase in some areas; tall steps, but steps nonetheless.
“Let’s do it,” Bianca immediately replied.
