Disclaimer: I don't own Lizzie McGuire or any of the characters you see on the show. The only character I own, so far, is Charley.

Summary: Set in the future. Lizzie and her friends are 23 and Matt(only a brief appearance) is 20. Lizzie and Gordo are dating and Miranda is dating Ethan. Lizzie, Gordo, Miranda and Ethan go on a trip to Colorado. They go skiing, hiking and camping in the Rocky Mountains. What happens when their trip takes some unexpected and frightening turns? Story in Lizzie's POV

Chapter 2: Hiking, Grand Lake, and An Old Bridge

The next morning we all woke up at about ten o'clock. Skiing had worn all of us out. I usually hated sleeping late because it wasted the day, but this time I didn't mind. After breakfast, we sat in the living room trying to make plans for the day.

"I would really like to go on a hike," Gordo said.

"Me too," I agreed," the scenery around here is so beautiful. A hike would be a great way to see it up close."

"I was thinking about going in to Rocky Mountain National Park or something," Miranda told us.

"Ooh. We could go to this place called Grand Lake. In the summer there's tons of water skiing and stuff and there's supposed to be a really good hamburger restaurant in the town. It's too cold for water skiing, but there are still boat rides and stuff to do," Ethan explained.

"I don't know. I think I want to hike around here. Didn't the guy you rented this place from say that there's no one else around for miles?" Gordo asked.

"Yeah. The nearest neighbor is eight miles away," Ethan said.

"I'm with Gordo. I wanna hike around here. There's probably lots of people around the National Park," I told them.

"Okay. We can split up for the day," Miranda said," no one said we have to stay together. You guys can hike and we can go to Grand Lake."

"Sounds good to me," Ethan agreed.

"Lizzie and I can take the tent we brought and camp out overnight. It wasn't too cold last night and it's supposed the same way tonight. We got lucky and the weather's been nice here," Gordo said.

"Well then, I guess Gordo and I will go pack and we'll see you guys tomorrow sometime," I finished.

Gordo and I each packed up a hiking backpack with food, clothes and other supplies. Gordo offered to carry the tent and I carried a picnic lunch for the afternoon. We each grabbed an extra bottle of water and set off on the trail that led into the woods behind the cabin. We hiked until we both hungry for lunch. We got lucky and found an old picnic table where we could stop and eat our lunch.

While we ate, Miranda and Ethan arrived in Granby and ate at a hamburger restaurant. Then they parked their car at Grand Lake and found the boat Ethan had called ahead and reserved. The lake was mostly empty because the temperature was only about 49 degrees. There were the occasional local fishers who politely nodded at the couple. Ethan paddled the boat out towards a secluded spot on the lake while Miranda relaxed. Unbeknownst to her, he planned to propose to her once they were alone. She was shocked by his proposal, but immediately said yes. She couldn't wait to get back and tell me that she was getting married.

After Gordo and I finished our picnic, we hiked further up the trail and began to look for a good site to pitch the tent. We came across a beautiful canyon complete with a waterfall. We sat down on a log to enjoy the view.

"Gordo?" I asked.

"What is it dear?" he replied.

"Have you ever pitched a tent before?"

"Um. Once, I think. Why?"

"Are we gonna be able to set up our tent tonight?" I inquired.

"Don't worry. It's one where you just pull a cord and it pops up, all you have to do is snap the poles into place. I'm sure it's simple," he assured me.

"Good. I sure don't know how to pitch a tent," I told him.

He laughed at me and then stopped in his tracks.

I nearly ran into him," What did ya stop for?"

"Look at that bridge," he pointed ahead.

The trail led right to an old rope bridge. It was ropes running across with boards on it to walk on. It looked like something you would see in a movie where the characters were in the jungle. The kind of bridge that looked really old and unstable.

"Do we have to cross here?" I asked.

"Well, this is where the trail leads and we really should not go too far off the trail. And there's nowhere on this side to put our tent up. Come on, I'll go first to make sure it's safe for you," he said.

"All right. I guess if this the only way across, I'll go."

"Okay. Let me get all the way across first. We don't want to overload something that looks as old as this," he started across.

The bridge was about ten or fifteen feet above a creek that looked to be pretty full. I prayed that Gordo and I both would make it across safely. Gordo made his way slowly across the bridge testing the planks for sturdiness. He made it to the other side and dropped his backpack to the ground. He beckoned for me to start across the bridge. I stepped gingerly onto the first plank and when it didn't move, I kept going. The worst part was looking down. I had to watch my feet as I crossed and it was making me nervous. Once I reached the halfway point, however, my confidence was building.

Out of nowhere, the planks under my feet snapped in half. I let out a scream and barely grabbed the support rope in time to keep from falling in the water. Gordo was running across the bridge to help me in a flash, but the added weight was too much. The entire bridge let loose, sending us both into the icy cold water. I found the bottom of the river and pushed myself to the surface. I took in a fresh breath of air and scanned the water for Gordo. I searched all the way around and couldn't see Gordo anywhere. I began to panic, fearing he was trapped under the water somewhere.