Chapter 2: New Camper in the Woods
A warm breeze carrying the promise of spring filled the cab of the old orange Chevy. Rick held his hand out of the driver window, the silky air pouring through his fingers. He'd spent so much time in the Mineraltown Mountains growing up and now, as an adult, his days revolved around those same forest trails he knew so well. He knew what to expect and he relished in that sort of stability in life.
But little did he know that something new could be found in those familiar mountains.
It had been five days since Gotz had pointed out the tent along the lake. As Rick pulled up to the end of the gravel road, he saw the tent was still there, glowing against the brown, muddy backdrop.
"Why can't people just follow the rules," he muttered to himself as he slammed the truck door, irritated that he'd have to confront someone. He was hoping the camper would have packed up and left of their own accord.
It was a short walk uphill to the lake. As he approached the campsite, he announced his presence but received no response. The tent and surrounding area was tidy and showed very little signs of life other than clothing drying on a clothesline. On it hung delicate fabrics cut to fit a feminine shape… he glanced away when he saw a bra flying brazenly in the wind like a flag.
A female camper, he scoffed inwardly, must be some sort of feminist.
He walked from the campsite and onto the nearby trail that encompassed the lake. The early evening sky reflected off the water, mirroring its shades of gray and gold, and the sun sunk low on the horizon behind the trees. His boots sunk into the soggy earth as he approached a person ahead of him-a female, no less. She wore a top cropped to show her taut midriff, pants that seemed of sturdy construction, and some sort of crochet hat that was obviously handmade.
Thought the 70s were over, Rick thought to himself as he approached her.
"Evening ma'am," his voice came out weaker than he'd intended so he cleared his throat. "Do you happen to know the person staying in the yellow tent back there?"
"Well, I don't know her as well as I'd like to… but I am her."
Rick didn't quite understand her answer, so he continued on.
"Do you know that the maximum allowable time to camp in the dispersed areas is two weeks?"
"Yes, sir. The national forest rule states that 'camping or overnight occupancy in any dispersed areas for more than fourteen consecutive days within a thirty-day period is prohibited.' And..." she smiled, maintaining his eye contact, "I arrived at night on my first day, so I still have a few hours."
He hadn't anticipated her answer so his rehearsed responses were no longer applicable. His nerves vibrated in his chest as he thought of what to say next to her. And it didn't help that, despite her hippy clothes, he found her to be very attractive.
"If, uhm… if you can pack up within the next hour I can give you a ride. I can take you into town in my truck. I'm a park ranger," he explained.
She smiled, wide enough to show a full set of perfectly straight teeth.
"The orange truck, no?"
"Uhm, yes?" he answered with uncertainty.
"It's a nice night and I was actually looking forward to the hike down into town. But the hike up the mountain with all my gear will be terribly less fun, so perhaps I'll take you up on that offer when I'm back in sixteen days?"
"Sixteen days?"
"Fourteen plus sixteen is thirty. I intend to camp up here on and off until fall, at least. But I know the rules, so you won't have to check in on me.. unless you want to," she said with a smile and Rick's found himself smiling back. "And I won't keep setting up in the exact same spot each time. Nature needs time to reclaim the damage I've done. I've already scoped out a perfect little spot for when I return." She pointed to the forest, and he noted the slender shape of her wrist as it emerged from the sleeve of her oversized army jacket. Bracelets jingled like wind chimes as she spoke with her hands. "Closer to the rocks, not far from the treeline, and a little closer to the water."
"That sounds like a nice spot," he answered honestly, though still unsure why she'd want to live in such conditions all summer. "Are you alone?"
She hesitated. "Yes."
"We just like to ask… for safety reasons," he assured her. Though his reason for asking also had selfish motivations too. "I'm Rick, I'm the ranger usually patrolling this area of the park. The other ranger, Gotz, comes up here too."
"Oh yes, I've met him! Such a lovely fellow."
Rick couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or not. Folks didn't usually use the term 'lovely' to describe Gotz. "Well, if you need anything don't hesitate to get our attention. We'll check in on you from time to time, just to make sure you're doing alright."
She nodded with a smile and Rick became suddenly aware of how bright the sky was, how bright the water of the lake was. How bright everything was. After an awkward pause, he excused himself and walked back towards his truck–his heart pounding in his chest the entire time.