Ch. 6: The Hike
In the morning the Trapp family went in the car over to the mountains to hike to their campsite. The car was crowded mostly because of Elsa's many bags of supplies.
"Elsa we are just camping for a couple of days you know. Is it necessary to bring all of this darling?" Georg asked her.
"Why yes, do you expect a baroness to behave like a commoner and be dirty during an outing?" Elsa replied. The children rolled there eyes and jumped into the car. The car was full with her luggage, so full Gretl almost had to sit on the top of the car.
"Well it looks like someone is going to have to sit on the top of the car." Maria pointed out jokingly. She was rather annoyed by Elsa's luggage, but did not show it.
"Let's put Gretl on top, no one will miss her." Kurt told her.
"Hey…" Gretl began with tears in her eyes.
"Sssh…Gretl no one is really going to have to sit on top, now get in the car with your sisters and brothers." Maria told her.
"Okay, but can I slap Kurt, Maria?" Gretl asked her. Maria grimaced, but then smiled.
"I don't think that is treating people the way you want to be treated is it?" She continued, whispering to Gretl. "Maybe though Brigitta will push him into the lake when we get there for you." Gretl laughed and sat down happily.
The car eventually stopped at some beautiful mountains outside of Salzburg. Elsa got right out and began to unpack her bags.
"Excuse me Baroness, what are you doing?" Asked Louisa.
"I am unpacking. I thought our camping spot would be closer to the lake than this, but I suppose I was wrong. I also thought it would be more beautiful."
"Oh it gets more beautiful once you walk up there." Brigitta said. "That is where the lake is…and that is where we are camping." Brigitta said smartly. Elsa's mouth dropped and she ran over to Georg who was getting ready for the hike.
"Georg, do you actually plan on hiking all the way up those mountains on foot?" Elsa asked in a surprised tone.
"Yes Elsa we are going to. It is only about four miles to the lake." He told her.
"Four miles? Georg this is totally one hundred percent insanity."
"It is actually quite fun Elsa. Have you hiked before?" Maria asked overhearing them.
"This is not fun. Walking is work. It is insane to want to walk four miles to get to some lake. It is preposterous. This seems like something some commoners would do not high honored class." Elsa stated dryly. "Georg you are rich and not a lower class citizen, like some other unmentionable person. You don't have to stoop to their levels and do what they do."
"You know Elsa I actually find it quite surprising that the people that do not have as much money as I seem to always want to stoop to the level we are at. I mean honestly, they might poor in money, but not in spirit. They know what love, trust and compassion are. I find them some of the most pleasant people you will ever meet. So I don't try to stoop to there level, I try to reach for their level. I guess I try to be a commoner at heart." He told her passionately, he glanced over at Maria who was grinning widely.
"Yes well you are doing a very good job at that Georg." Elsa replied bitterly. She did not understand what had come over him ever since he returned to Vienna. Before the new governess had come he had seemed much more of an aristocrat. Ever since that governess had come though she had sensed that Maria changed a lot of things in his life, beginning with the children, but not ending there. She was well aware of his constant looks and smiles at Maria. She knew he was in love with her and her only comfort was Maria was supposed to be a nun and she would be leaving in a week. Then she would have Georg all to herself again. Elsa decided he only thought he was in love with her. For how could he fall in love with someone who had no material value whatsoever? Anyways men always got over their fondness of people, or at least the men Elsa knew. Nevertheless she was concerned and began to think of Maria as competition because of her inward beauty.
"Shall we begin our hike?" Georg asked Elsa. She nodded slowly and the children started to climb the mountain. Maria stayed in back to make sure no one got too tired, while Georg and Elsa were the leaders in front. Georg was a skilled hiker, but Elsa was not and she was very slow. After awhile the children were tired of hiking at one mile per hour pace.
"Georg I am too tired. Can we please stop for a while?" Elsa asked him falling into his arms. Georg rolled his eyes he could not believe how exhausted she was.
"Darling we have only hiked one mile." He told her. Maybe you should go in the back with Maria for a while. She could help you." Elsa nodded as he watched her go to the back with Maria. He sighed, as he wished it were Maria having a difficult time hiking so she could fall into his arms. Unfortunately that plan would never work because Maria was a skilled hiker and was obviously doing quite well on this short little hike.
After a few more miles they stopped to have a quick snack. They were very close to the lake. The children were doing excellent and every one of them was excited to see the beautiful lake they had all camped at long ago.
"Look it is a rat!" Kurt cried as one scampered behind a rock.
"It is not a rat Kurt." Brigitta told him smartly. "It was a mouse." Kurt stared at her blankly. Then he started whispering to his brothers and sisters. Louisa smiled the most and caught the mouse as it tried to escape the group of people close to it. She rose up silently and started to speak.
"Look what we found Father!" Louisa exclaimed. Georg looked over at her with amusement. Louisa always was catching something.
"Oh my goodness, Georg it is a rat! Get it away from me! Oh my it is going to kill me." Elsa shrieked.
"Calm down Elsa it is not even on you." Georg told her.
"Well put it down, far away from me." Elsa stated. Louisa walked over and silently gave it to Friedrich who was about to put it down when he had a better idea. He walked over casually and put the mouse in Elsa's hair. Maria noticed him doing this and could barley keep a strait face. Soon Elsa realized it and began to feel around.
"Oh Elsa darling what is in your hair?" Georg asked her not knowing of the trick. Elsa took the creature with her hand and looked at it. She threw it in the air when she realized what it was.
"Oh my gosh!!!!!!! It is a rat!!!!!!!! Get it away from me!!!!!! It is going to kill me!!!!!! I am going to get one of those diseases that they have stored in them! Oh help, it is going to kill me!!!" With that Elsa began to run up the hill the family had yet to climb. She didn't stop until she stumbled on a lake. Georg found the whole thing quite amusing, though he would never admit it. He smiled a little and asked the children and Maria if they were ready to hike up to the lake, which was only a quarter of a mile away. Liesl led the way and Georg stayed back with Maria. Soon they reached the lake where they found Elsa with soap in her hands rubbing them together vigorously.
"Elsa, what are you doing?" Liesl asked.
"Washing my hands what does it look like I am doing?" Elsa told her.
"Baroness you do know that this water is invested with leeches, don't you?" Brigitta asked her. Elsa looked scared for a moment.
"Yeah, the only difference is that these leeches are very large. Almost the size of a bird." Kurt continued. With that Elsa dropped her soap in the water and went screaming to Georg.