“We shall.”
We both walk to the garage. Like the gentleman he is, he opens the door for me, and once he’s joined me in the Jeep, we’re off. The drive to the hike’s starting point is short, barely ten minutes, but it’s the first time I’m out since we’ve arrived, so I spend it admiring the view. I can’t believe I spent nearly five weeks cooped up when this is what’s around me.
Once we’re parked and out of the car, we easily find the trail’s starting point thanks to the large sign next to it. There’s a map with the trail drawn on it.
“So,” Lex starts, pointing at the blue trail, “this is what we’re doing today. It’s a slow descent to the waterfall for three miles, then the way back is a little over two miles, with this section here that’s a little steep. Think you can handle it?”
“Yeah, it should be fine.”
“Then, when you’re feeling strong enough, we can take this path here. It’s about twelve miles, and it leads to a bigger waterfall right… here.”
“Perfect! Let’s see how I handle five miles first. Baby steps.”
“We’ll increase the distance one hike at a time, don’t worry,” he reassures me.
We begin this first hike with enthusiasm, and I marvel at our surroundings. In the middle of the forest, obscured by pine trees, bushes, and weeds, we’re cut off from the rest of the world, in communion with Mother Nature. While it’s sunny today, the ground is wet from the rain we’ve had lately, soft under the soles of our shoes. The smell of leaves, moss, and bark is refreshing, and so much more agreeable than the city’s stench. The trail narrows at points, so one of us has to be in front now and then. But we’re side by side most of the time, and I often reach out to hold his hand.
This trail must be popular because we come across a few people, some lightly geared like us, some clearly here for the longer hike with walking sticks and everything.
It’s nice. It’s so,sonice. To be outside, to be breathing fresh and pure air, to use my legs and not be a couch larva for once. Various birds chant around us, and I spot a small rodent that I know is a squirrel, even though Lex insists it’s some wood rat.
“Are there bears out there?” I ask at some point, looking around with sudden concern.
“Yes.”
“What are we supposed to do if we see one? Turn into a human ball?” I shudder at the idea that I might be turned into ground meat by some wild animal, like DiCaprio inThe Revenant.
“Yes, they can outrun and out-climb you. So, you drop to the ground into a fetal position, protect your head and neck with your arms, and wait for it to pass.”
“That didn’t work for Leo,” I mumble. “We might not see one at all, though, right?” I wonder, picking up the pace to catch up with him.
“Well, mating season has started, so they are out there, and they might feel quite territorial. But I’ve got a can of bear spray with me, so that’ll protect us,” he explains, pointing at a spray can that dangles off the backpack, easy to access.
“My hero… How do you know so much about bears?”
“There’s an encyclopedia at the house about British Columbia’s fauna.”
“Oh, and you read it all?”
“Almost. I do that when I’m out of work, and you’re taking a nap.”
“I see… So, that squirrel I saw really wasn’t a squirrel, uh?”
“It really wasn’t,” he chuckles.
For the following half hour, I ask him random questions about the animals we see or what we might expect. He doesn’t seem to mind at all, giving me details and everything. I have to admit that this unconscious display of his genius intellect is getting to me. Afterreading a book once, he can recite huge chunks of information. Which is so much hotter than it should be.
In a little over an hour, we reach the waterfall. It’s not that impressive, but I still feel great about the accomplishment. I was shot five weeks ago, and now I’m hiking, which I never did before. Yay me!
We walk to a clearing where there’s tall grass and a tree that was cut down and left behind. It’s an ideal spot for a break, so we sit on the trunk and take out a few things. We drink from our bottles, I eat a protein bar, and he checks the hiking booklet he brought with him. Now that we’re out of the woods, the sun is warming us again, and I lean back to enjoy its rays on my face. The heat slowly penetrates through my clothes, and soon the hoodie becomes too much. I remove it, adjust the straps of the tank top I’m wearing so the scar won’t get any UVs, and return to position.
This is so fucking nice.
“Do you want some sunscreen?” Lex offers.
“We won’t stay very long. And I need to work on my freckles. They’re almost gone.”
“I noticed, yes. So, you get more of them with the sun?”
