“You do know the rest of the world calls them toilets, right?”
She wrinkled her nose as if he’d said something vulgar. Shane laughed, and again he was surprised by how quickly his mood had shifted.
Well, he was surrounded by mountains and fresh air, and the excitement of another day’s hike was coursing through him. That in itself was more than enough to kick the Bad Times away.
Whistling, he mixed milk powder with water and placed the jug on the table, along with a bag of cereal, two bowls, and two spoons. Waiting for Krista to come back, he necked the rest of his coffee and almost choked when something hit against his top lip.
He stared into his cup then burst out laughing at the little wooden frog he found at the bottom, soaked in coffee.
***
The images Krista hadseen on the internet of the Iceline Trail were stunning, but nothing could ever have prepared her for the real-life experience.
They started their hike from the Takkakaw Falls parking lot, having decided to tackle it in a clockwise direction. This meant they had a thigh-screaming hour of steep switchbacks to climb, propelling them a 1000 meters higher, but the view of Takkakaw Falls across the valley had been more than worth the effort. A little farther along, when they’d cleared the tree line and reached the moraine plains, the views opened up in every direction. There were mountain peaks, deep valleys, and dozens of glaciers.
The terrain had changed from the soil of the forest floor to sun-bleached, frost-bitten rocks. Patches of snow and ice clung to cracks and crevices, and slithers of meltwater twinkled in the sunshine between their feet as they walked.
“It’s so pretty here,” she said, letting out a deep breath. Fresh mountain air cooled her throat, and the sun heated her skin.Thiswas exactly what she’d wanted from her vacation, and now that the shock and heartache of Ryan and Zoey—and all that shit—had melted away from her soul like ice and snow among the rocks, she was really enjoying herself.
This was turning out to be a perfect day.
Shane stepped up beside her. “Are you ready for lunch?”
“I’m always ready for lunch.”
They wandered a little off the main trail to sit on a huge flat rock overlooking the valley.
Shane handed her a paper bag containing the cheese sandwich he’d made this morning, along with an apple and a protein bar. “Here are your rations until dinner.”
“Gratefully received, thank you.”
They ate their sandwiches in companionable silence for a while, listening to the birds and the gentle trickling of a meltwater stream.
As she unwrapped her protein bar, the meals that Shane had prepared came back to mind—from muddy sausages and beans, to this morning’s breakfast of canned fruit and cereal, to this packed lunch. Shane had even thought to bring paper bags to wrap everything in. “I’m still surprised you came so prepared with supplies.”
“I was in the Scouts for many years,” he said. “I’m always prepared, especially when it comes to food.”
“A Scout, eh? There really is no end to your talents.” Krista took the last bite of her protein bar and hugged her knees. “You’re a handy guy to have around in the backcountry.”
Tonight, and for the next three nights, they’d be camping somewhere off the Icefields Parkway toward Jasper. It wasn’t strictly backcountry, but wild and remote nonetheless, with only the most basic of facilities. Krista was part excited, part nervous. She loved sleeping outdoors, she loved the wilderness, but the city girl in her couldn’t help but be a little apprehensive of such primitive isolation. And after all the hiking she was doing, a long hot soak in a bath at the end of the day would’ve been awesome.
An idea struck her.
“Shall we go to the Miette Hot Springs one day? They’re not far from Jasper.”
“Absolutely. Maybe we can go on the last day, and then we’ll head down the Icefields Parkway again, back to Banff.”
“Awesome,” she said. “I didn’t get to see much of the Icefields Parkway on bike ride day.” Her sports therapy station had been at the halfway mark, and she, Ryan, and the rest of her co-workers had all piled into the organizer’s minivan as soon as they’d gotten everything packed up. Everyone had had their sights on partying back at the hotel, and Krista...well, she’d had her sights on Ryan. “You still okay to get me back to Banff by noon Sunday?”
“Of course.” Shane stretched his leg in front of him and studied his foot. “How do you feel about catching the same flight home as Ryan and Zoey?”
“The other guys from the gym will also be on the flight. They’ll most likely be asking me what hikes we did...and whatever else we got up to here, thanks to those photos you posted.” She shot him a pointed look.
“Ryan will be all over you by Sunday. I reckon he’s already ditched Zoey, or Zoey’s had enough of him, and your Ryan would’ve figured out he’s been a fool and realized it’s you he wants.”
“You have a wild imagination,” Krista said, shaking her head. “I almost feel bad for taking your money when you lose the bet.”
Of course, she wouldn’t take Shane’s money, but carrying on with this bet was amusing. It also made her feel in control, that even though she’d been upset and disappointed by Ryan, she was still able to joke about this whole random scenario.
