Disclaimer: All characters affiliated with JQ: TRA are owned by Hanna Barbara. No infringement of copyrights are intended. This is a work of fiction written by a fan for other fans' enjoyment. No money was made off of this fic.
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Warnings: Overall Rating of PG. Contains mild language, and some mature themes, and mild violence. (Honestly, there isn't anything worse than what you might find in a Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys mystery.)
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A Note From the Author: The national park in this story is a fictional place based loosely on Glacier National Park. While I love the beauty and majesty of Glacier, I wanted the park in my story to be less pristine with a backcountry more open to human visitation. Keep this national park in the northern Rockies, roughly in western Montana, and voile, you have the fictional Mountain Wilderness National Park. ~Sapphire
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The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
Continental Divide
By: Sapphire
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Chapter One: Hitting the Trail
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July 2000
Location: Mountain Wilderness National Park, Montana
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Timetable: Day One
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"Hey, Dad?" eighteen-year-old Jessica Bannon said as she rounded the side of her dad's brand-new, red SUV.
"Yeah, Ponchita?" her father, Race Bannon, answered.
"I just wanted to say thank-you for letting me bring Maggie on our father/daughter trip. I know this is supposed to be a one on one bonding thing, but I'm really worried about Maggie. She spends too much time up on the catwalk of the lighthouse, alone. Something is bothering her and she won't talk about it. I thought I could get her to open up out here away from everyone else."
"Benton said something like that, too. Seemed to think there was good reason to be concerned. He said it might do her good to have a change of scenery and I offered to take her with long before you asked me, Jess," Race told his daughter. Jessie smiled broadly.
"You're the best, Dad," she said, flashing her father an appreciative smile. Race shrugged.
"It's my job to take care of the family."
"This goes above and beyond taking care of the family," Jessie told him. "Wait, here she comes," Jessie warned her father as a tall girl with shoulder length, sandy brown hair and slate blue eyes jogged toward them.
"I talked to the lodge manager. She said the lost key is no big deal. They'll just replace the locks, and she won't charge me. Someone found my wallet and ID and turned them in, but all my cash is gone, and so are the credit cards. I called Uncle Benton and he said he'd take care of it for me. He told me to just have fun on our trip and he'd see us when we got back to Rockport," Maggie filled them in. Race nodded, satisfied that things were properly taken care of.
"So are we ready to go hit the trails?" Jessie asked, still leaning against the side of the SUV. Maggie nodded affirmatively. "Then let's get going." Jessie and Maggie climbed into the backseat of the SUV, and Race pulled out of the lodge parking lot onto the highway heading into the park.
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Race parked the SUV in the tourist parking lot at the trail head and all three of them got out of the vehicle. "You ladies ready for a week of wilderness camping?" Race asked.
"Am I ever!" Jessie said enthusiastically.
"You bet," Maggie said, her own enthusiasm evident.
"Good," Race replied. "Now, grab all your gear, don't forget anything. We are not coming back until the week is up. Not for anything." Jessie and Maggie nodded. Pulling hiking frames and packs from the SUV, Jessie and Maggie double checked their supplies one last time before struggling into the heavy packs.
"You sure you two can handle it?" Race asked again.
"We're not wimps," Maggie said. "We can handle it. We've both done stuff like this before."
"Yeah, Dad," Jessie said. "So, how far is the first camp?"
"Tonight's camp is just on the other side of the pass, right on the Continental Divide. We're fresh, the terrain isn't too harsh, so I figure we'll make it by five," Race said.
"What are we waiting for?" Jessie asked. "Let's get moving." She started out on the trail. Race and Maggie followed after her.
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Race, Jessie, and Maggie kept up a steady stream of conversation as they hiked along the winding trial. The rangers had warned them there had been an unusual number of bear sightings lately. None of them wanted to run into an angry grizzly, or take one by surprise. Talking would warn wildlife to their presence before they would even know the wild animals were there.
The trail was easy to hike and the small group moved along at a good pace. With few obstacles or hazards along the way, they were able to take in much of their surroundings. Despite their conversation, wildlife sightings were abundant; they saw many of the park's chirping little ground squirrels. Some were so accustomed to tourists they would run around the legs of the people passing by. One decided to take a ride on the toe of Jessie's hiking boot. When she saw her passenger, she dumped him off into the bright foliage beside the trail. The small creature shook a fist at her in a scolding manner, and Maggie laughed at the sight. A fox ran across the trial ahead of them, and they saw several elk off in the distance. Birds were everywhere, and several rabbits were startled as they passed by.
By four o'clock they had made it through the pass and to the first campsite. Maggie started a fire and made supper that night while Race and Jessie pitched the tents and filtered water for drinking. Jessie helped Maggie do the dishes once they had finished eating while Race hung the food packs up in a tree so no animals could get at them. Afterward, they sat around the campfire and relaxed.
"We're on the other side of the pass now," Race was telling the girls when they were discussing plans for the next day, "That means we're cut off from civilization. We have to be more alert to our surroundings than we were today. We have to watch the weather, watch where we're going, and make sure we don't take any unnecessary risks. Mistakes can cost us our lives."
"Is this supposed to be a pep talk?" Maggie said with a laugh. "It's not very peppy." Jessie laughed with her.
"No, it's a warning," Race answered her. "Be careful, and look out for each other." The girls nodded.
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Timetable: Day Two
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The next day, Jessie, Race, and Maggie were up with the sun. They managed to get under way in a half hour, eating a breakfast of energy bars as they began the day's hike. Race planned to reach a campsite located halfway up the slope of the mountain that night. With the winding trail, more rugged terrain, and the steady uphill hike, he figured they should reach it around six o'clock that evening, despite the early start and shorter distance than the previous day.
Sometime after midday, they came to a boulder field. The trail was gravelly and there were all kids of huge rocks and eroded washouts littering the way, making it difficult for footing and maneuvering. Maggie and Jessie found themselves slipping often, and even Race, who seemed born for this kind of activity, lost his balance on occasion, though he managed to keep from falling.
"Ouch!" Jessie exclaimed as she fell hard on her right knee. She pulled herself up and sat on a convenient rock to examine the damage. "It hurts, and it's bleeding, too."
"Here, let me fix that up," Maggie said. "I have my trusty first aid kit right here. I might as well put some of my recent training to use. I didn't take those classes for nothing."
"Thanks, Maggie," Jessie said while Maggie began to patch up her scrape. Race stood by and watched Maggie work with capable hands. Since they were already stopped, they stayed for a water break and to rest before starting out again.
As soon as they arrived at camp that evening, Maggie and Jessie dropped their packs in the clearing and found a nice grassy spot to stretch their tired muscles. It felt wonderful to feel them relax after each stretch. Race gathered wood in the mean time and got a nice fire started. When the girls finished stretching, they got to work and helped Race put camp in order. That night, they ate in silence, too tired to talk. Jessie and Race washed up the dishes, then they all sat around lazily by the fire. As it grew late, they put it out, and turned in for the night.
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Race awoke to a strange sound. He opened his eyes to pitch darkness. Checking his watch, he couldn't begin to guess what had awakened him at two a.m. He strained his ears, listening carefully the way Intelligence One had trained him, and he heard something.
It wasn't very loud, it wasn't noisy, it was just so unusual that it had disturbed his sleep. Listening carefully, he tried to determine what the sound was. Something brushed against the side of the tent. He stilled his breath, listening more intently. An animal was outside, a large one, and he could hear it breathing on the other side of the thin Nylon barrier.
The animal snorted a few times, and Race guessed it was probably a bear. The bear moved off away from the tents, interested in something else. A minute later, he could hear pots and pans clanging together. The bear was after the food packs. He had hung the tin pails and things from the side of the packs so they would clang together if the packs were to be disturbed.
"What the heck is that?!" he could hear one of the girls exclaim from the other tent.
"I don't know!" he heard the other reply. Then Race could hear a large creature crashing through the woods, traveling away from the camp. He could hear the other tent being zipped open, and he grabbed his flashlight and got up as well.
"It was a bear, I think," Race told the girls who were standing there in thermal underwear in the cold night air. "It was walking around my tent a while ago."
"Sure was," Jessie said shining her flashlight down at the ground over some paw prints. "Big one, too."
"Grizzly," Race said. "Better go check on the food packs. The clanking sound you heard was my animal alarm. It scared the bear away." Race headed for the tree where the food packs were strung up above the ground.
"Animal alarm?" Jessie asked Maggie with a raised eyebrow. "I guess my mom was right. Men are just little boys trapped in oversized bodies." Maggie laughed and the two girls ran to catch up to Race. Relief was mutual when they saw that nothing was harmed. Race checked the ropes holding the packs in the air to make sure they were still secure. Jessie and Maggie walked around the camp, making sure nothing else was disturbed. When all was well, they went back to bed.
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Timetable: Day Three
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The campers slept in late. When they did get up, they were anxious to get moving. It wasn't long before they were on their way. The trail they followed would lead them up and around Trapper Mountain. This mountain was the center point of a cluster of high peaks and would have breathtaking views of the surrounding peaks.
The trail took them above the tree line before lunch. On one side of the trail, the mountainside rose steep and high above them. On the other side, the mountainside slopped off, then dropped steeply below them, down into the trees some thirty feet below.
"Be extra careful here," Race warned. "It wouldn't be fun to fall down that cliff." They kept to the innermost edge of the trial, taking their time as they hiked along.
They stopped for a rest where the trail widened into a ledge about the size of a two car garage. Jessie and Maggie dumped their packs in a heap against the cliff wall, then took a seat on a couple of rocks near the cliff edge. Binoculars in hand, they took in the view far below them.
"Look at the river," Maggie said in awe. "It looks like a silver ribbon winding through the green valley." Jessie made a sound indicating agreement. Maggie shrugged, then panned her binoculars across the landscape, looking for any sign of wildlife.
"I think I just saw a mountain goat," Jessie said. "It's hidden by trees right now, though." Maggie continued to scan the mountainsides and the forest edges for any signs of wildlife. A wind gusted down the mountain and whipped through the trees below making them dance and sway. Between the moving branches, Maggie saw something odd.
"I saw something white," she noted aloud.
"A goat?" Jessie ventured. "A rock?"
"I don't know. I couldn't tell what it was." She looked through her binoculars again, and kept them trained on the spot she had seen it. As another gust whipped at the trees, she glimpsed it again. "I think it's a person!" she exclaimed with a gasp of surprise.
"That's impossible," Race said from behind them. "There aren't any trials down there."
"But I saw a person. Someone in a white t-shirt," Maggie repeated, absolutely certain of what she had seen.
"Where?" Jessie asked.
"Right down there," Maggie said pointing, "About twenty or thirty feet from the edge of the tree line." Jessie looked through the binoculars, and Race joined them. "Wait for the wind. The branches are in the way." They waited and sure enough, they both saw the white object.
"Are we going down there, Dad?" Jessie asked. "If it is a person, they could be hurt."
"There's no choice but to check it out," Race agreed. "Two of us will have to go down. The other needs to stay up here to watch our gear, explain what's going on if someone comes along." Maggie and Jessie looked to one another. They wanted to go down there, but they didn't know if Race would let them.
"Okay, you two can go," Race said when he saw their expressions. "Stay together and watch your backs." Race started getting out the ropes and climbing gear and setting it up while Maggie and Jessie collected things they thought would be useful to them.
Maggie attached her first aid kit, a small sheathed fishing knife, a flashlight, a compass, and the hatchet onto her belt. Then she stuffed a Swiss Army Knife into her pocket. Jessie took her own compass and utility knife, then grabbed a few rations and a canteen filled with fresh water. She hung her binoculars around her neck and they were ready to go.
Race helped them into the climbing harnesses, having finished checking and securing the rappelling rope. He flung it over the cliff, and held it out for one of the girls to take. Jessie took the cliff first. She was most experienced and could talk Maggie down the final leg of the trip if the less experienced girl should need it.
Neither had to worry. They made it down just fine. At the bottom, they freed themselves of the rope, then utilizing the compasses, set out into the trees to find the mysterious person in the white t-shirt.
"Hello!" they both called out. "Is anyone there?!" Taking their time, walking slowly, they searched over every inch of ground for the white object.
"We should be right on top of it," Jessie said. "We've walked far enough."
"Where is it? We must be so close." Maggie turned and cupped her hand to her mouth. "Hello!"
"Hellllp!" came a faint cry from the left. Jessie and Maggie both heard it and started off in that direction.
"We hear you!" Jessie called out. Several feet more through the brush and they could see the person. A minute later the girls were standing beside him. The young man appeared to be in his mid twenties, and he was lying on the ground, one foot stuck in a rotted log.
"You have to hurry and get me out. My cousin needs help bad," he said urgently with a slight southern accent.
"Don't worry, we'll get you out in no time." Jessie said trying to pull the log apart where his foot had gone through. She turned to Maggie. "We need a good strong branch to pry the log open with. That should do the trick." All the deadfall they found lying around the area either broke or couldn't be wedged into the log when they tried.
"What about one of these saplings?" Maggie asked eyeing a few slender young trees. "They should be strong, and won't break easily." Jessie nodded, and Maggie took the hatchet from its sheath and started to strip the smaller branches from the tree as it stood. Then she began to chip away at the trunk.
"What's your name?" Maggie asked while she hacked at the sapling's trunk.
"Blain Walters," he said.
"Where are you from?" Maggie asked next.
"I'm from Whitehall, Vermont. I'm a college student there. My cousin and two of our Fraternity Brothers came out here for an adventure trip. It's an adventure, all right," Blain replied, a touch of sarcasm to his last statement.
"Where's your cousin now?" Jessie asked.
"He's a long way from here. His leg is broken. We didn't see the drop. He walked right over it and fell six feet. I managed to avoid it. I had to leave him and go for help. That's when this happened," he indicated his foot.
"I got it, Jess," Maggie said as she snapped the tree the rest of the way off. It fell to the ground with a thud. Jessie got up and helped Maggie force the sapling into the crack in the log. Together, they pushed down on the sapling like a lever, prying the log open.
"I'm free," Blain said once his foot was clear of the log, and the girls let go of the sapling.
"Don't try standing yet," Maggie said. "I have to make sure your ankle isn't injured." Blain nodded. "Slowly move your leg, knee, then ankle. Tell me if it hurts."
"No pain," he answered as he moved his foot around, rotating his ankle.
"Okay. You're good to go," Maggie said.
"How far would you say your cousin is from here?" Jessie asked.
"About three hours walk," Blain said, "Maybe more."
"What about your other two fraternity brothers? Where are they?"
"We were whitewater rafting through the valley. The raft capsized. We lost all our supplies. Our guide, Steve Murphy, is missing. The four of us split up to find him, one group heading upriver, the other group downriver. We were supposed to go as far as we could, camp overnight, then meet up today. Mick and Scott will be wondering where we are," Blain said.
"Looks like we'll need to meet up with them while we're at it," Maggie said. Jessie nodded.
"We'll need supplies," Jessie said. "Let's go talk to my dad." Maggie and Jessie led Blain back to the cliff. Jessie climbed up to inform her dad of what they knew. "So, how are we going to do this?" she asked when she was finished. Race thought long and hard, an unreadable expression on his face. Jessie waited impatiently for him to say something.
"You and Maggie go with Blain and get his cousin and the others," Race said letting out his breath slowly. "Bring them back here. I'll hike back to the trailhead and get some rescue people and meet up with you. Leave a good trail. If you aren't here when I get back, I'm coming after you."
"You're letting us go out into the wilderness alone?" Jessie said in disbelief. "That doesn't sound like you at all, Dad."
"I can't send one of you back alone to get help. It's a four day round trip if a person really pushes it. I can move faster than you two. And if I did send one of you, who's going to believe some kid? Its not my favorite choice, Jess, but it's the best one," Race told his daughter, "and I know you and Maggie can handle it."
"Thanks, Dad," Jessie said giving her dad a hug.
"Now, lets get the gear reorganized," Race said and they got down to business.
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To be continued…
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