The snow started halfway up the mountain. Mikhail gritted his teeth as he gripped the back of the trunk, carrying the bulk of the weight up the mountain while glaring at the steely clouds above. The flakes of white that were currently melting against the game trail would be covering it after another thousand feet of elevation, and even if they doubled their pace, he couldn’t imagine a scenario where they got off the mountain before dark. They were moving far too slow for that.
He’d debated heading around the mountain before they’d broken camp that morning, but he didn’t know what kinds of canyons, rivers, or gorges they might run into if they hiked around the base. If they’d tried to go around it only to reach an impassable spot, they could have lost an entire day and still ended up heading over the mountain tomorrow.
So he’d chosen the path he’d known for certain would lead them back to the river.
And he’d prayed that God would hold off the snow.
God hadn’t listened.
Ahead of him, Heath, who was carrying the front of the trunk, slowed his steps until they were barely moving.
“Why are you slowing down?” Mikhail bit out. “We only have about an hour before the snow starts to accumulate.”
“I’m tired,” Heath wheezed. “Not all of us are used to carrying trunks and packs up the sides of mountains.”
“Then switch with Richard.” Mikhail jutted his chin toward the man who’d been walking just ahead of Heath.
Richard looked like he wanted to complain. He’d started off carrying the trunk that morning, then had switched with Heath a couple of hours ago. Personally, Mikhail didn’t find the trunk all that heavy. The rocks he’d taken out of his pack that morning had weighed more than the trunk. But the trunk was awkward and cumbersome, and it pulled on his arm and shoulder muscles.
He liked the pleasant burn that the pulling left, but then, he liked signs that told him his body was working hard, liked the energy that came with exerting himself as he climbed a mountain with a heavy pack or did exercises with his kettlebells and Indian clubs back in Sitka.
Yet even though Heath and Richard had jobs that required them to explore remote places, it didn’t seem as though either of them did anything to keep their bodies strong.
“Perhaps we should stop for lunch.” Dr. Ottingford rubbed his chest. “I’m feeling a bit winded myself, and I’m not even carrying anything.”
“No.” Mikhail moved his gaze up the steep trail. “I want to cover as much ground as we can before the snow accumulates.”
“I can try carrying it.” Bryony stepped forward. “I might not be able to carry it for as long as Heath or Richard, but?—”
“No,” Heath and Richard said at nearly the same time.
She raised her chin. “But I haven’t carried anything today, and I want to do my part.”
“It’s not the job of a woman,” Richard snapped.
“I agree. You’ve got no business trying to carry such a heavy load.” This from Heath, who was still holding the front of the trunk and stumbling up the trail at a snail’s pace.
Bryony’s shoulders slumped, and she ducked her head, causing the hood of her parka to fall over part of her face.
“Bryony.” Mikhail spoke softly, so no one else would hear them. “I need you to look up and watch where you’re going. Remember, we can’t afford for someone to break a bone or twist an ankle.”
She sighed and raised her head just enough to view the trail in front of them, but her shoulders were still slumped, and her steps were slower than before.
“If you weren’t undernourished, I’d give you a chance to carry the trunk, just to give the men a rest.”
She looked up at him then, never mind that the hood of her parka was so large it nearly fell into her eyes. “You would?”
“I would, though the trunk is both heavy and awkward.”
“I know. We carried it in, remember?”
He gave his head a small shake. “Why didn’t you take a horse and wagon?”
Her shoulders rose and fell beneath the fur of her parka. “We weren’t planning to leave the river, but once we cataloged the most obvious specimens along there, Father asked our guide if we could look for a glacier. He’s wanted to study the vegetation near glaciers for a long time.”
“I hope he’s happy with the results of his studies.”
“He is.” Bryony’s breath puffed a small cloud of white into the cold air. “He discovered several new species of lichen.”
