Sara hadn't been camping in ages. As a mother with a young child, she had decided that it was a good time to introduce her daughter to the environment before social media and texting had absorbed her life. As a child, Sara had loved to camp. She loved being observant of nature and adventurous. The day was beautiful and crisp. As she rode in the passenger seat, she marveled at the beauty of the wildlife. The pine trees were tall and they seemed to touch the sky with their pointed tops.

Her husband, Gil, was driving. She had intended to make it a mother-daughter bonding trip, but when Gil announced that he was coming it was transformed into a family event. To say their marriage was in a rough place was an understatement. It had been downright uncomfortable to be alone in the same room with him, let alone locked in a car for hours.

It wasn't a lack of love that was affecting them, but a lack of patience.

"Daddy, I don't want to sleep in the dirt," Nora whined from the back seat. "The bugs will get in my ears!"

Gil laughed softly at his daughter. "We'll be in a tent," he said. "and if they get in your ears then we will just dig them out."

Nora clasped her hands over her ears. "No!" she yelled at him.

"Gil, " Sara said in a whisper. "Don't terrorize her. She'll never let you live it down."

Gil took his wife's hand. "She'll have so much fun she'll forget all about insects in her ears."

Sara slipped her hand out of her husband's grasp. She stared ahead at the road, her eyes not meeting his.

"Just the same," she said.

Gil sighed and lowered his voice. "Sara, I'm trying here. Cut me some slack."

"Why do you think I am still here?" she asked. "This is the slack."

The car felt back into an awkward silence as they continued down the road. It had only been a few months ago that they were happy, but Gil's new position as the dean of the Biology department was taking a toll on things. He had been acting like his wife and daughter didn't even exist. She knew that his new job came with obligations and responsibilities, but when Nora started to feel neglected that was when Sara stood up.

Gil had disregarded all of her concerns and told her that she was being foolish for thinking the way she was. He insisted that things would go back to normal, but they hadn't and she was still holding her breath. It made her feel like a single parent.

~8~

Before settling on a trail, Sara had consulted many brochures. It was Nora's spring break from school and she did not want her daughter sitting at home. She had picked a backpacking trail that was rated moderate to easy. The hiking gear that she had purchased was expensive, but worth the investment. They planned to hike a trail that went around a medium sized mountain and then looped back around to the starting point. In total, the hike would last four days.

When Gil had finally parked the car in a large gravel parking lot, Sara climbed out. They had been driving for hours and it was a relief to stretch her cramped legs. Nora unfastened her safety seat and rushed to pull her pack out of the trunk.

"Open it!" she yelled.

Gil pressed the button that released the trunk and Sara pulled the lid up and lifted Nora's bag out. As she settled the bag on the little girl's back, Gil pulled a folded confirmation page out of his wallet.

"I'll go pay," he said.

Sara gave him a nod. "I'll have everything ready to go," she said as she took the car keys from him.

Gil leaned over to whisper in her ear. "See, that was the nicest thing you've said to me in months," he joked. "that wasn't so bad, was it?"

Sara turned to look him in the eye, her face looked serious but she couldn't help but smile. "Just go and pay," she said. "I'm not going to drop you like a bad date if that's your concern."

"We're getting along already," he called as he walked away from her.

"Don't bank on it, professor," she said back as she turned to reach for a can of insect spray.

~8~

Gil opened the door to the visitor's center and stepped in. Off the entryway he saw a display that housed maps. He browsed them, located the one that featured his trail, and took it. He wasn't dumb enough to chance a hike without it. In front of him, two men were busy talking to a ranger and pointing to a map. When they saw Gil they stepped aside and watched as he handed over his confirmation and debit card.

"You hiking alone?" the ranger asked.

"I have my wife and daughter," he said.

The ranger slid a clipboard over to him. "Names and ages," he said, tapping the board.

Gil took the pen that was attached to the board and scribbled down the ages of Sara and Nora. When he was finished, he stopped for a moment and stared. Was Nora really seven? It felt like she had just been born and she was wrapped in a standard issue hospital blanket.

"Here is your first aid bag," the ranger said, handing over a yellow bag. "It comes with bear spray and a whistle, but if you stay on the trail you don't have to worry about bears. You can grab a canoe outside. If you need help, rangers are always walking the trails."

Gil took the bag. "Thanks," he said as he left.

After he was gone the two other men looked at each other. "What trail is he taking?" they asked the ranger.

~8~

As Sara finished spraying Nora's exposed skin with the repellent, Gil approached and handed Sara the first aid bag.

"We're all set," he said.

Nora tugged on his jacket. "Daddy can you put Mr. Bear in my bag?" she asked, holding up a limp teddy bear that Sara had patched.

Gil took his daughter's beloved friend and stowed him away in the child-sized hiking pack. He gave the contents a glance before he zipped it closed: a coloring book, a fresh pack of crayons, a box of cookies, her blanket and pillow, and her favorite book.

"Ready to go?" he asked Sara as he zipped his daughter's bag.

Sara gave him a nod. "Let's roll," she said.

Nora adjusted her hat. "Roll out," she said, copying her mother.

Gil led his family over to a group of canoes that were on display beside the lake. Sara went over to select their paddles, while Gil selected a canoe and dragged it to the edge of the water. They were going to paddle to their starting point.

Gil climbed in first so that he could steer, Sara placed Nora in the middle and gave her a small paddle, and she sat in the rear. When everyone was settled, Sara pushed away from the edge with her paddle and the canoe began to glide away.

"Say bye to the car," Sara said as they drifted farther from the shore.

"Goodbye!" Nora called.

~8~

As they glided through the water, Sara watched as Gil pointed out various water bugs to Nora. He was doing his best to try and turn her on to his passion, but she saw Nora was not interested. She would probably never be interested in physics either.

"It's so pretty out here," Sara commented. "I just love how open it is."

Gil agreed. "It's a change," he said. "Quite romantic too."

Sara laughed and shook her head. "You're not going to give up, are you?" she asked.

"Not a chance," he said. "I'll be seeking your favor until the day I die. Then maybe I will still seek your favor."

Sara laughed out loud at him. It felt good to laugh again and take things a little more lightly. Maybe things would start to get better for them after this trip. Maybe this time away was what they needed to bring them closer together.

"Daddy, can I paddle?" Nora asked.

"Of course," Gil said, turning to her. "Hold onto it tightly and just dip it over the edge like mommy and me."

Sara watched as Nora dipped her paddle into the water and mimicked her father's motions. She brought her paddle out clumsily, brought it to the other side, and repeated her actions. She wasn't a professional, but she wasn't bad either.

~8~

Well, I told myself I wouldn't post this, but I just cannot help it. It's like some kind of addiction!