a sexy name because they wanted me to feel sexy. By the way, how old are you? Maybe I shouldn’t be telling you these things.”
“Don’t worry, I’m old enough.”
“When I was thirty it was a stately name and when I was fifty it was regal. Now that I am nearing sixty I’m afraid to hear what it’s considered next. So I go by Ally and now I can be whatever age I want.”
“So what age do you want to be?” I asked.
“I liked thirty-five the best. That was a good year. I was old enough to know I didn’t know everything but young enough to enjoy it. And I was old enough to know there was a lot of learning still ahead of me.” She climbed down lithely from the rocks and joined me on the ground. “I was hoping for a nice young man, maybe thirtyish.”
“He was twenty-nine and he broke his leg. Don’t worry, there will be more of them when we get back to base camp. Have you had water?”
“I knew to conserve that. I’ve got a tiny bit left.”
“You can finish it. I’ve got more. How long has it been since you’ve eaten?”
“About a day and a half. I look on it like a forced diet. Maybe I lost a little weight,” she said hopefully. She wasn’t fat but she wasn’t thin either. She was huggable to her grandkids but attractive to men her age. Her gray hair was in an easy care cut and her eyes smiled behind stylish glasses.
I found a comfortable spot to sit for a while, removed my pack and rifle, then opened the pack and began digging around inside looking for something to eat. I brought out my camp stove and a packet of backpacker food. I handed Ally the remains of my trail mix and a bottle of water. A few quick pumps and a flick of a Bic and I had the stove working, then water heating. Even after going a day without food she picked out her favorite parts of the trail mix.
“The one thing I missed out here was a bath. That water makes me want to go home and take a long, hot bath. When night came yesterday I knew it was time to stop running around in circles. I’ve always liked rocks. Rocks and trees are friendly. The trees close me in and the rocks are fun to climb around on. So I decided to stay here and wait.”
“Smart move. I wish more of the people I find would do that.”
While the water was heating I located our position on the map and figured out how to get back to Elk Meadows. I was relieved to see it wasn’t far. I poured the hot water into the pouch, folded the top over and shook it a little.
I called Strict on the radio. I always felt self-conscious when I spoke on the radio. I let the guys carry the radio most of the time. It was a gadget and guys like gadgets.
“Strict?”
“Go ahead, Cassidy.”
“Ten Sixty-five found.”
“Ten forty-five?”
“Ten forty-five A. We’re fine.”
“Need a lift?”
“Negative. I found us on the map. We can make it out today.”
“Give me your coordinates.”
I read them off the GPS, he located our position on the map and agreed to let us hike out.
“We’re just eating some lunch and then we’ll head back.”
“Ten four.”
“Your name is Cassidy?” Ally asked.
“Yeah, my dad is an old west buff.”
As Ally ate her reconstituted noodle lunch she said, “I have a better recipe for this if you’re interested.”
“I bet you do. What is it?”
“I think it’s trying to be lasagna but it has a bit of a stroganoff flavor to it, too, like beefy sour cream. What would that make it strogagna? Lasanoff?”
“I think the label says lasagna on it.”
“So,” she said changing the subject, “what do your parents think of you traipsing around in the mountains by yourself?”
“They are glad I’m doing this because it’s a lot safer than what I do when I’m not traipsing around in the mountains.”
“What do you normally do then?”
I laughed, “I’m a housewife and trouble magnet.”
“You, a housewife? You look like…”
“I’m still in high school, I know.”
“You remind me of those pictures they used to show of kids in the Mid-East carrying machine guns.”
“Gee thanks.”
“I didn’t mean…”
“It’s okay, actually, I have been one of those kids in the Mid-East carrying a machine gun. I didn’t use it though. I spent six months in Afghanistan. Your husband looked worried when he saw me packing the rifle, but I’m used to that.”
She laughed, “I bet he did. He thinks women should fit into his little mold like his mother did. I’m afraid I haven’t stayed within that mold myself. There are too many interesting things outside the mold so I end up hopping out and getting lost in the mountains. By the way, how did you know where to find me? I expected a dozen men to be searching the hills calling out my name, not some teenager walking quietly up to me and introducing herself.”
“I followed your tracks. If I’m not around I guess they do send out a dozen guys to search the hills and call out people’s names, but since I am here they only sent out two.”
“And the other guy broke his leg?”
“Yeah, he was flown out by helicopter. I was hoping the helicopter would catch your attention. Did you see it?”
“No, I heard something in the distance but I was up in the rocks wondering how trees manage to grow there. If I were a tree I sure wouldn’t pick solid rock to try and grow in. Seems like it would be hard to get water out of solid rock and even harder to grow roots.”
“Thinking like that is exactly how I got to be a tracker. I was curious about tracks, how they were made, what kind of animals made them, where the animals went. What did they do? The more tracks I followed the more I learned until it was the most natural thing in the world to just follow tracks to see where they led, and what kind of people made them. I like your tracks. I could tell from your footprints that you were an interesting person and someone I would like to meet.”
“And I think you are an interesting person who my class should meet.”
“Your class?”
“Yes, I teach kids how to be interested in the world around them. Well, technically I’m a kindergarten teacher but at that age curiosity gets them further than book
