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Too wired to sleep, Ryan gathered all his gear and rolled, stuffed, and stowed it all in his new backpack. Plenty of room left for group gear. In the kitchen, he checked his food and water bottles and made a sandwich for the long drive tomorrow. The Frank was immense; the few roads were all dirt, so it took a very long time to get anywhere in the interior. And deep as they were going into the wilderness, they were hardly scratching the surface.
Ryan pulled out his tablet and sent a reminder to Wiz that he'd be backpacking for the next five days. To his surprise, she opened a DM and chatted with him. Guess she was feeling better. Wiz showed him some of the property and houses she'd found online. He had to laugh at her annoyance with the property descriptions, but most realtors didn't evaluate real estate in terms of defensive firing positions and evacuation escape routes. He promised to check them out when he returned, and she sent him a smiley face emoticon—the first he'd gotten from her since the attack.
Ryan went to bed early with a smile on his face. The next morning, he woke with a lot more enthusiasm for life. He couldn't wait to get out there, deep in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. They'd hike and search for trails that were still on the map but hadn't been cleared in well over a decade. Finding old, overgrown trails could be difficult, and staying on them could be challenging. And fun.
He dragged his backpack, lunch, and an extra water bottle down the stairs. Erin was locking the coffee shop door when a big, burgundy SUV with the University of Montana logo on the side pulled up.
"Hey, Erin!" The bouncy blonde trip leader, Jules, jumped out of the driver's seat, waving. She hugged Erin, then bounded to him. "Hi, you must be Ryan. How are you this morning?"
"Great." He forced a smile, but all that energy was hard to take at o-six-thirty.
She smirked and shook her head. "Let's get your packs loaded and get this show on the road."
"Thanks for picking us up here." Ryan grabbed his pack.
She led him to the back of the big SUV. "We were driving right by. No reason for you to drive an hour north and then come right back, but you're welcome, anyway."
Ryan put both their packs in the back of the SUV. They climbed in, bringing their sack lunches and water. He noticed Erin had a thermos of coffee; she’d almost certainly made enough to share. Which was wonderful because he was dragging.
Jules turned in the driver's seat. "We had a couple of people cancel last minute, so we're a smaller group than we planned." She nodded at the man in the passenger seat. "You remember Tyler, my co-trip leader, right? And then we have Dan and Laura in the very back. It's a long drive down the Magruder Corridor into the Frank Church, so kick back and relax."
Erin held up the thermos. "Before we leave, anyone want a shot of espresso? It's got cream in it, and I've got sugar packets." Everyone shoved mugs at her, and she laughed.
Ryan dug the sugar out of her lunch sack, handing it out. Then he handed Erin his mug, too. "You fired up Izzy this morning? Why didn't you tell me? I could have done that."
She poured. "I was up early. Didn't dawn on me until I got over to the shop that I could. So, I did."
Sounds of approval surrounded them. "Wow, we're stopping here first on our next trip." Tyler toasted Erin with his mug.
Erin chuckled. "You should. We open at six."
"I won't have any trouble staying awake on the drive, that's for sure." Jules sipped.
Erin asked about the trips they'd led so far, and Jules and Tyler told them funny stories about all the crazy things people did out backpacking and the strange and cool things they'd seen. Then they talked about music, and movies, and other common topics. Jules drove the huge SUV like a dirt track racer, so it wasn't long before they reached the trailhead. They exited and pulled out gear. Jules and Tyler made last-minute adjustments to the food for the reduced group size, and Erin gave him bags of her homemade oatmeal mix.
Jules pointed at the gear and food spread out by the vehicle. "Grab a couple of things, it's all got to go in someone's pack. When that's done, we'll do a stretch and safety circle, then get moving."
Ryan grabbed some of the heavier items, like a stove and fuel, one of the big group dinners, a pot, and a small folding saw. Everyone was in good shape, but the leaders already had a lot of stuff, and he was younger than everyone else.
Once packed, they gathered in a circle and did some active stretches. Jules pointed at the trailhead sign. "As we told you at the meeting, we've hiked the first part of this trail, and there's a good campsite about four miles in. We'll probably spread out on the trail, so stop at any trail crossings or streams so we can regroup, and make sure no one’s been snatched by a sasquatch." They all chuckled, but Ryan was sure they all realized it was to make sure no one got left behind in case of an accident or someone took the wrong trail.
Ryan’s amusement didn’t last. He’d just ask. With only six of them, it was better to get the freaking out over with. "Uh, I've got a slightly bizarre question."
"Sure, Ryan, what is it?" As he swung a leg to warm up, Tyler's wild brown curls bounced.
He grimaced. He didn't want to but... "I don't want to make any of you uncomfortable, but it's really more comfortable if I don't wear my prosthesis when I'm hiking." He waved his left arm in the air. "Does anybody mind if I take it off?"
Erin chuckled, but the rest of them stared at him wide-eyed. Blast it all, he should have sucked it up. Then Jules and Tyler laughed, too. Eventually, Dan and Laura joined in, although they were shooting looks at each other.
Tyler shook his head. "Dude, I thought I'd heard it all, but that's a new one on me. I certainly don't care. You do you."
Everyone nodded, although Laura still looked a little wild-eyed. Ryan pulled his prosthetic off and strapped it through the pack's shove-it pocket, hiding it from view. Which was good because an arm strapped across a pack was a little weird. It was a little tricky getting the heavy pack on with only one hand, but he'd practiced. He lifted it to his knee, then swung it around, catching the strap with his residual arm, and fastened it up one-handed. The hip strap was challenging, but he'd figured it out.
"That's pretty impressive. I don't think I could pull that move off." Tyler tried to buckle his hip strap with one hand but gave up.
Ryan grinned. "Practice."
"It's probably a good idea. I solo a lot, and you never know when you might break an arm or something." He nodded slowly, his eyebrows lifted.
