She hitched her chin toward a man who looked very familiar but whom she couldn’t place.
“Hey, guys. I’m Carter. I moved to Boston recently and like to play basketball.”
Ah, that’s where she knew him from. Carter McNair was a Boston Celtic! He’d only signed last year and wasn’t a starter or anything, but still, how cool.
“I don’t have much camping experience,” Carter said. “Looking forward to some quality time with nature though. Oh, and I’m single.” He winked at Tess with his last statement.
“Great,” Tess said, ignoring the flirtation. “Next?” She raised an eyebrow at one of the men she’d caught talking about her.
“My name is Joseph. I’m a heart surgeon, and I live in Connecticut. I’m married, three kids, and my whole life is work, so that’s about it.”
“Done any camping?” Tess asked.
“I’ve studied a lot.”
That meant no. He came across as a haughty, know-it-all, which in a heart surgeon might be a good quality, but wouldprobably be annoying as a student camper. Tess guessed he was in his fifties, probably here trying to avoid an early-onset midlife crisis.
She turned to Fancy Pants next.
“I’m Logan, from Houston. I camped some as a kid, but never in mountains like these. Look forward to learning some new stuff.” He ended with a smile.
“Nice to meet you, Logan,” Tess said. “You know you can’t wear those boots for hiking, right?”
“Yes, ma’am. I brought others for the trip.”
Tess nodded and went on to the next camper, a handsome guy who oozed arrogance.
“I’m Ashton. You might recognize me, ’cause I’m an actor. Still kind of B-list right now, but working my way up. I’m up for a role where the lead is good in the woods, so I’m here to do research. Also, single.”
“And last, but not least…” Tess jutted her chin toward a shy, nerdy-looking guy who appeared to be trying to melt into his chair.
“Oh, yeah. I’m Grayson. I guess I’m what you’d call a tech bro? Into coding and stuff like that. I’m trying to push out of my comfort zone, and someone recommended this. No camping experience. Hope I don’t slow you all down.”
Tess made a mental note on each man. Carter—Celtic’s player and a flirt. Joseph—doctor, kind of a jerk. Logan—green eyes from Texas, seemed nice enough. Grayson—shy tech bro. And Ashton—arrogant actor.
“Great start. By week’s end, we’ll either be BFFs or have killed each other. Let’s shoot for the first, shall we?”
Everyone gave a courtesy chuckle.
“All right. Campout rules. No alcohol. No phones or video cameras. Regular cameras are fine, but no pictures of people without consent. No judging others. All food and food trash is kept sealed in plastic bagsat all times. You pack it in, you pack it out. Business talk is not strictly prohibited, but read the room on it. Like I said, lotta folks are up here to take a break. Any questions?”
“What if there’s an emergency and no one has a phone?” Grayson asked.
“I’ll have a satellite phone and will teach y’all how to use it.” When no one else piped up, she continued. “Today we’ll go over the agenda and talk about basic skills that you’ll need from day one—hiking stuff, how to keep wildlife away, specifically bears, and what to do if that doesn’t work and you have to face one. We’ll talk about food prep, personal hygiene, including bathroom stuff, make a chore list, and discuss individual responsibilities. To finish up, we’ll end with a gear check to make sure everyone’s prepared.”
She paused for comments or questions, and when there were none, continued. “This campout’s different from the basic weekend warrior. Most anyone can ride out forty-eight hours, but it takes grit and gumption to get through a whole week. This campout focuses more on practical survival skills—catching and cooking your own food, building a shelter, navigation, first aid, and so on. We find food, we eat. We don’t, we starve.” She shrugged. “It’s called ultimate survival for a reason.”
They spent the next few hours going over the basics. She patiently answered questions and addressed concerns.
The arrogance, nonchalance, and this-will-be-a-walk-in-the-park attitudes faded quickly. And by the end, ten eyes alight with a healthy dose of fear stared back at her. Which was exactly what she wanted. To be successful, they would have to check theircocky, I’m-in-charge personas at the door, be willing to try and fail at new tasks, and learn to follow directions.
“Before we do the gear check,” Tess said. “I need to be clear about something. You’d think it would go without saying, and it pains me to have to clarify this, but you can’t bring a roller suitcase into the woods. Everything you take, you pack on your back. There is no concierge, and your luggage doesn’t magically show up at the top of the mountain.”
“Did that really happen?” Carter asked.
“No comment.” They all chuckled.
After the gear check, she left them with a pep talk.
