With the route determined the young couple had only to watch and listen. They spent nearly every waking hour over those last thirty days before departure with Jake Slaton and Trish McGrange. Fortunately, the Parkers had considerable backpacking history, so they knew fairly well what essentials to bring. Jake and Trish filled them in on the peculiar needs of a trip like the one upcoming. They would require a bevy of knives, most of which they could purchase in Belem, a small city at the mouth of the sss. Even though they were assured by the airline that hunting knives could be packed in their luggage, the explorers planned to carry everything onto the plane, meaning knives would be confiscated and most assuredly not returned. “You don’t want to entrust your back pack to a baggage handler,”
