The next morning, the Cliffhangers assembled outside by the gazebo. All the
equipment was loaded in to a trailer and the kids got in to a twelve-seater
van. Peter and Sophie were up front, they drove for an hour to the destination.
When they stopped everyone got out and put their gear on.
Both teams settled in a group to check out their maps. The first two days of the trip they were canoeing and portaging. On Wednesday, they were supposed drop off the canoes at the halfway point. They would hike through the woods the rest of the way and end up back Horizon on Friday.
Peter called for everyone's attention. "Okay everybody. We just want to wish you luck and remind you that you're a team. Each group has a different route, but you might be close together while you're canoeing. Try not to socialize you guys. If you run in to trouble use the radios, but only if it's an emergency. They're not toys."
"The same lame college football coach babble every time," Shelby whispered to Kristy.
"If you get separated from the group, stay put and use the whistle signals. I don't want anyone to get hurt, look out for each other and make sure you communicate." Peter clapped his gloved hands together,
"Be careful," Sophie said as she and Peter walked back to the van. "We're sure you'll be fine."
Scott lifted up Kristy's pack for her, so she could put her arms in the straps. She clipped it around her waist and waited for the others to be ready. David was carrying the map that day, he pulled a compass out of his pocket and adjusted it to find the direction they needed to go in.
Then they walked down the beach and got in to their canoes. They waved goodbye to the other group, Ezra and Shelby were arguing over the compass, and started paddling away.
They hiked for half an hour before stopping for a few minutes to rest and drink some water. David walked in front of everyone on the narrow path since he was navigating. Juliet walked a few feet behind him, then Kristy and then Scott at the end.
They all talked a little, mostly about the direction they were heading in. Juliet made a comment about the gray clouds in the sky. "Maybe we'll get lucky and it won't rain until tonight," Juliet said as she stepped over a log at the first portage.
She was wrong though, when they stopped to eat the sandwiched they'd packed for lunch it began to rain lightly. They quickly finished their lunch and pulled rain jackets out of their bags before getting back in the canoes. The rain picked up a tiny bit.
Luckily the rain stopped later on. Around four o'clock, they reached a small clearing on an island that David announced was where they were staying for the night. Everyone quickly went about setting up the tents, one for the girls and one for the boys. Scott and David left to find dry firewood while Kristy and Juliet stayed behind, rooting through the food pack for the food they were supposed to cook that night for dinner.
Kristy and Scott made dinner a little while later, a sloppy version of hamburger helper. The four of them finished the entire meal. For the rest of the week they would have to eat vegetarian meals because meat couldn't be kept cold properly while they were camping.
As it got later and colder, they circled around the fire and talked a little. "How do you think the others are doing?" Kristy asked.
"I'm sure they're all ready to kill each other," David laughed.
Juliet beamed, "They're with Augusto, they'll be fine."
"Right. Your superman will look after them just fine Jules," Scott teased her. She blushed and looked at her knees.
"All I need right now," David paused. "Is a nice cold beer."
Juliet wrinkled her nose, "Yuck."
Kristy stared at the fire and ignored David, it had been a long time since she'd had a drink and the idea sounded very appealing to her. She and Scott were sitting side by side on a log, she linked her arm around his elbow.
"Are you cold?" Scott whispered to him.
She shook her head, "No I'm okay." He moved closer to her anyway.
*
"Don't you think it's weird that Scott's gone out with me, Shelby and you?" Juliet asked Kristy when they were in the tent that night getting ready for bed.
"Not really, I don't think about it that much," Kristy replied as she zipped up her sleeping bag.
"The fish in the sea are kind of limited at Horizon I guess." Juliet clicked her flashlight off. "Scott and I weren't really serious. You two are so cute together, he's so protective of you. Auggie's like that. When we took off last year, he wouldn't let me out of his sight."
"Auggie's a nice guy," Kristy admitted. She was tired and didn't feel much like engaging in girl talk with Juliet, because she knew it could go on forever. "Goodnight Jules."
*
Kristy woke up before everyone else the next morning and started breakfast. As usual Scott was up soon too, he got out of his tent and stretched. "Morning," he walked over to where Kristy was and gave her a quick kiss.
"Hey," she was stirring pancake mix.
"Did you sleep okay?" he asked as he sat down on the log beside her and started helping her.
She lit the small camp stove with a match, "Yea, once Juliet finally stopped talking."
He laughed, "I thought I heard her going for a while."
"Do we have a long way to go today?"
"Not really, the portages are short. It's more paddling than anything else." He watched as she stirred the yellow batter and rooted through the bottom of the food pack at the same time, "Do you want some help?"
"Um, can you find the granola bars, I think they're in the bottom or something. I'm not a big fan of pancakes or breakfast in general for that matter," she explained.
Scott took the bag from her and searched for the zip lock bag full of granola bars, "Why are you making them then?"
"Because there wasn't anything else to do. I know you and David will inhale them anyway. Juliet has to eat them too," she told him quietly. Peter had mentioned something to her before they left about watching Juliet's diet. It was easier for her to cheat when Peter and Sophie weren't around but she'd been really good lately so there was probably nothing to worry about.
*
David was sitting on a dock at the end of a portage waiting for the others to meet up with him.
"What's so funny?" Juliet asked him when she reached him at the deep lake.
He was holding his stomach laughing, "I tripped when I was putting the canoe in the water."
"So what?" Juliet noticed his muddy boots.
"Well my pack kind shifted a little and the tent fell off."
She stared at him in surprise, as Scott and Kristy reached them. "David tell me you didn't lose the tent!" Juliet yelled.
"What is she talking about?" Kristy asked as she unclipped her pack and put it on the ground.
David stood up, "I had some trouble getting the canoe in the water. The tent fell off my pack."
"Where's the tent man?" Scott asked losing his patience.
David was laughing hysterically by then. He managed to tell them, "It sank."
Both teams settled in a group to check out their maps. The first two days of the trip they were canoeing and portaging. On Wednesday, they were supposed drop off the canoes at the halfway point. They would hike through the woods the rest of the way and end up back Horizon on Friday.
Peter called for everyone's attention. "Okay everybody. We just want to wish you luck and remind you that you're a team. Each group has a different route, but you might be close together while you're canoeing. Try not to socialize you guys. If you run in to trouble use the radios, but only if it's an emergency. They're not toys."
"The same lame college football coach babble every time," Shelby whispered to Kristy.
"If you get separated from the group, stay put and use the whistle signals. I don't want anyone to get hurt, look out for each other and make sure you communicate." Peter clapped his gloved hands together,
"Be careful," Sophie said as she and Peter walked back to the van. "We're sure you'll be fine."
Scott lifted up Kristy's pack for her, so she could put her arms in the straps. She clipped it around her waist and waited for the others to be ready. David was carrying the map that day, he pulled a compass out of his pocket and adjusted it to find the direction they needed to go in.
Then they walked down the beach and got in to their canoes. They waved goodbye to the other group, Ezra and Shelby were arguing over the compass, and started paddling away.
They hiked for half an hour before stopping for a few minutes to rest and drink some water. David walked in front of everyone on the narrow path since he was navigating. Juliet walked a few feet behind him, then Kristy and then Scott at the end.
They all talked a little, mostly about the direction they were heading in. Juliet made a comment about the gray clouds in the sky. "Maybe we'll get lucky and it won't rain until tonight," Juliet said as she stepped over a log at the first portage.
She was wrong though, when they stopped to eat the sandwiched they'd packed for lunch it began to rain lightly. They quickly finished their lunch and pulled rain jackets out of their bags before getting back in the canoes. The rain picked up a tiny bit.
Luckily the rain stopped later on. Around four o'clock, they reached a small clearing on an island that David announced was where they were staying for the night. Everyone quickly went about setting up the tents, one for the girls and one for the boys. Scott and David left to find dry firewood while Kristy and Juliet stayed behind, rooting through the food pack for the food they were supposed to cook that night for dinner.
Kristy and Scott made dinner a little while later, a sloppy version of hamburger helper. The four of them finished the entire meal. For the rest of the week they would have to eat vegetarian meals because meat couldn't be kept cold properly while they were camping.
As it got later and colder, they circled around the fire and talked a little. "How do you think the others are doing?" Kristy asked.
"I'm sure they're all ready to kill each other," David laughed.
Juliet beamed, "They're with Augusto, they'll be fine."
"Right. Your superman will look after them just fine Jules," Scott teased her. She blushed and looked at her knees.
"All I need right now," David paused. "Is a nice cold beer."
Juliet wrinkled her nose, "Yuck."
Kristy stared at the fire and ignored David, it had been a long time since she'd had a drink and the idea sounded very appealing to her. She and Scott were sitting side by side on a log, she linked her arm around his elbow.
"Are you cold?" Scott whispered to him.
She shook her head, "No I'm okay." He moved closer to her anyway.
*
"Don't you think it's weird that Scott's gone out with me, Shelby and you?" Juliet asked Kristy when they were in the tent that night getting ready for bed.
"Not really, I don't think about it that much," Kristy replied as she zipped up her sleeping bag.
"The fish in the sea are kind of limited at Horizon I guess." Juliet clicked her flashlight off. "Scott and I weren't really serious. You two are so cute together, he's so protective of you. Auggie's like that. When we took off last year, he wouldn't let me out of his sight."
"Auggie's a nice guy," Kristy admitted. She was tired and didn't feel much like engaging in girl talk with Juliet, because she knew it could go on forever. "Goodnight Jules."
*
Kristy woke up before everyone else the next morning and started breakfast. As usual Scott was up soon too, he got out of his tent and stretched. "Morning," he walked over to where Kristy was and gave her a quick kiss.
"Hey," she was stirring pancake mix.
"Did you sleep okay?" he asked as he sat down on the log beside her and started helping her.
She lit the small camp stove with a match, "Yea, once Juliet finally stopped talking."
He laughed, "I thought I heard her going for a while."
"Do we have a long way to go today?"
"Not really, the portages are short. It's more paddling than anything else." He watched as she stirred the yellow batter and rooted through the bottom of the food pack at the same time, "Do you want some help?"
"Um, can you find the granola bars, I think they're in the bottom or something. I'm not a big fan of pancakes or breakfast in general for that matter," she explained.
Scott took the bag from her and searched for the zip lock bag full of granola bars, "Why are you making them then?"
"Because there wasn't anything else to do. I know you and David will inhale them anyway. Juliet has to eat them too," she told him quietly. Peter had mentioned something to her before they left about watching Juliet's diet. It was easier for her to cheat when Peter and Sophie weren't around but she'd been really good lately so there was probably nothing to worry about.
*
David was sitting on a dock at the end of a portage waiting for the others to meet up with him.
"What's so funny?" Juliet asked him when she reached him at the deep lake.
He was holding his stomach laughing, "I tripped when I was putting the canoe in the water."
"So what?" Juliet noticed his muddy boots.
"Well my pack kind shifted a little and the tent fell off."
She stared at him in surprise, as Scott and Kristy reached them. "David tell me you didn't lose the tent!" Juliet yelled.
"What is she talking about?" Kristy asked as she unclipped her pack and put it on the ground.
David stood up, "I had some trouble getting the canoe in the water. The tent fell off my pack."
"Where's the tent man?" Scott asked losing his patience.
David was laughing hysterically by then. He managed to tell them, "It sank."