Page 34 of Love in the Time of Wildfires

“What is that?” she asked after fifteen minutes of silent walking on a shady part of the trail.

It was a relief to go back into guide mode. “A snow plant.” Even this late into summer, hiking high enough in altitude, like Lake Aloha, one was bound to come across small patches of snow. Near one of these areas, River squatted to study the shoot bursting from the ground like a giant red asparagus-like spear. This one was already stretching itself in preparation for the flowering stage.

“Oh my gosh! I’ve never seen one in person. I had no idea they were this big. Can I touch it?”

“Sure.”

She delicately fingered its edges as though taking care not to destroy it, before taking a picture with her phone. “There really are so many beautiful things. You must feel lucky to have grown up here.” She stood beside Logan and smiled sweetly. Nothing he’d ever seen in the natural surroundings of Lake Tahoe could even come to mind, because all he could see was her.

“We’re almost there,” he said, forcing his budding feelings aside.

“Oh, to the lake? With all the time it took to get here, it must be the most amazing lake in the region.”

While Lake Aloha was beautiful, making it feel like the pinnacle of heaven, its surrounding peaks usually snow-covered, he hoped it would feel worth it, and that she’d find some sign of foxes. The trail shifted into a steeper slope. They were getting close to coming out of the woods and toward the shores of the lake. It was quiet, as there wasn’t any sign of anyone else hiking in the area. He couldn’t decide if that was good or bad.

Suddenly River halted. “Oh my gosh. What was that?” she whispered.

Logan stopped as well, staring in the same direction of the wilderness as her, but didn’t see anything. She continued taking careful, slow steps.

“Did you really see something?” His chest filled with excitement that this might be it. She’d finally get to check off that square on her childhood bingo card. But would that also mean an end to their hikes? Logan wasn’t sure he was ready for that yet.

“I’m just going to take a look.” She started to make her way over, and he followed, although it wasn’t easy once they were off path because of the slope of the ground. Loose dirt and pine needles made footing less secure.

“You need to be careful where you step.”

“Yes, Dad,” she replied dryly.

They stopped when they came to a creek that wasn’t big, but considering it gathered water from melting snow caps, rushed at a good clip. It wasn’t a good place to cross—he could see that and yet was watching her test how secure her footing was on a small tree that had fallen across the length of it.

“Maybe we should find another way—”

“It’s okay. You can stay here. I’m just going to look real fast.”

“I don’t think that’s a good—”

“Logan, relax,” she replied as she balanced herself on the trunk, bowing slightly under her weight. But, like a panther, she gracefully and lightly made her way across. He felt slightly annoyed at her dismissing him when she’d been the one to almost fall on her head earlier on the trail. He wasn’t going to let her go exploring without him, especially since black bears weren’t unusual in the area.

Trying to find a way around on this particular creek would take a while. He tested the tree trunk, feeling certain it wasn’t going to support him. Logan decided to split his weight, balancing half on the log and then rock-hopping with his other leg. He realized his mistake at the halfway mark, his left foot stepping on a rock covered in green, wet algae. He slipped, lost his footing completely, and crashed into the chilly water. It wasn’t deep, reaching the bottom of his thigh, but it was freezing and returned him to a bad mood. Swearing, Logan pushed his way across the creek all while continuing to slip, getting wetter.

“Oh my gosh!” River turned, rushing to him. “Are you okay?” She offered a hand to help pull him from the creek, but he refused it because this was her fault.

“No, I’m not okay. I told you that we should find another way, and now I’m soaked and have to hike all the way back in wet shoes.” While he knew it was wrong to take it out on her, because it was his decision to cross the creek, he couldn’t stop himself from firing the irritation in her direction anyway.

“Do you have any extra clothes in your backpack?”

“No,” he replied, more impatiently than was warranted. How the hell could he have known he was going to fall into a creek today? “Did you see anything?” he asked.

She seemed reluctant to answer, fiddling with her fingers. “It was just a mourning dove poking around in a bush.”

He blew out an aggravated breath. “So, this was all for nothing?”

“I told you that you didn’t have to follow me.” She was getting miffed in return, her eyes sparking as she looked at him unflinchingly.

“And I told you that you need to be careful and watch where you’re walking.”

“I’m not the one who fell in the creek! You broke the log, so now we do have to find a different way to cross back over.”

“If you didn’t just scamper off, I wouldn’t have broken the log.”