We hiked for hours and hours, our belongings growing heavier with each step. I never heard so much cursing in my entire life. Doug could make HBO blush. We’d travelled a long way, the path slowly disappearing with each step. We went up. We went down. We went over and around. It was desolate and rocky, moon-like in parts. We heard animals without seeing them, rats, bunnies, lots of things that tasted like chicken, all of which I could smell, even when they hid themselves as best they could. We found a mountain lake, some trees, bushes. We were up high, though the sun was starting to dip low.
“We should camp around the lake,” Doug said, then pointed to his map. “We’re here now. We can go a circuitous route back, cover new ground in the morning, and be home by tomorrow night.”
I nodded. I f
