Chapter 59
Phillips saw a tall man with thinning hair. That spoke of greater age than would be guessed from his tanned face. He wore tan pants and a dark green shirt under an open leather coat lined with sheep wool. A big canteen sat propped against the tree trunk behind him but the ranger saw no other gear. That was unusual. Hikers were scarce this deep in the wilderness, particularly this early in the year, but the ranger had seen any number of them in his time. Normally they hauled around huge backpacks filled with tents, equipment, and food. The knee-high moccasins on this man's feet and the g*n belt around his waist were even more abnormal. Most hikers favored heavy-duty boots that laced up over their ankles for stability. Also, it wasn't illegal to carry a weapon in national forests, but mos
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