Karen
The ride to the parking lot of the state park was uneventful. Mark checked his gear, Liz plugged in her headphones and Matt seemed content to drive leaving me to stare out the window and admire the scenery. Staring out the window became of secondary importance to admiring the scenery, namely Mark. Having gotten through medical school in record time he was able to establish a lab for testing the virus that now worked with hospitals and closely with the nearby one, all while only being in his early thirties. Looking up from his pack Mark raised a single eyebrow to my gaze and suddenly the window became much more interesting.
Pulling into the park signaled the commencement of gathering the packs, double checking the water and the application of sun and bug goop. The assembly of everyone at the trailhead prompted Mark to ask "So where are we going to exactly and do you have a particular route in mind?"
"We are going to take the fork on the left of the ridge to the camp grounds near the old gnarled tree." Ben supplied
Mark's expression became inscrutable, prompting Karen to ask "Do you know the place?"
"Yeah I camped there a lot when I was younger."
By the fifth mile it became clear that Rob and Martha were not going to be able to keep up with the younger adults in their so-so physical shape. By general consensus they would catch up later with the company of Ben to divide the experience among the groups.
Mark
The weather was idyllic , just enough sun, no clouds, and a refreshing breeze. The perfect weather for a trip. With Rob and Martha gone the pace had been picked up considerably putting our arrival time at five p.m. , enough time to set up camp.
We made good time enough to set up camp and have enough time to lounge about as Martha, Rob and Ben arrived. Martha and Rob looked exhausted so Ben was set to cooking while I notified the group that I was going up the ridge. Unfortunately it seems that sunsets are determined to ruin my reminiscing as Liz, Matt, and Karen decided to tag along to see the view. Seeing as it was a short walk up I brought my pack but everyone else left theirs. As I hopped up the last few yards to the top I heard Liz gasp at the view while Matt let out a low whistle. "I can see why you wanted to come up here" stated Karen in a low voice as she took in the other side of the ridge. On the other side of the ridge there was a steep drop off that ended in a small stream and wonderful formations that looked enchanting in the golden light of the setting sun. We watched as the sun slowly set and just as it was going below the horizon Liz stood up and dusted off her pants stating "Well better get back before it gets much darker". I started digging the headlamps out of my bag when Karen gasped and pointed "Look at that". That was a hawk that was banking just as it was starting to get truly dark. We all watched, and it distracted me enough that I didn't notice the charge to the air that preceded the blue light. Mark opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by a flash. The one I had tried desperately to find.
A flash of blue light.
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I know it is really slow right now hopefully it will pick up.
So far I haven't even had one review. Please comment, or something. ;)