But I can’t help feeling like I’ve failed: that the rest of the group won’t get to finish out the final stretch of our hike as planned.
That I won’t get much of a chance—if I getanychance at all—to smooth things over with Sadie.
“We’re so close, Dani,” I tell her. “Just Mount Valerie, and then Lavender Fields. The group has come so far—I think we owe it to them to finish strong.”
She’s quiet on the other end, for so long I fear we really will have to cut the trek short. Instead of being at the top of a mountain tomorrow, everyone will disperse to go home.
Sadie will head back to Texas.
And I will return to my empty apartment, where I’ll try to work up the energy to do all of this over again when the next trek begins.
I’m exhausted just thinking about it, and I don’t think it’s only becausetodayhas been exhausting.
“You can finish out the trek,” she finally says, “but I want you and Matteo in my office the second you get back to the museum, okay?”
“Sounds good, yeah,” I reply. “We can do that.”
I slip my phone into my pack when we’re done.
Under normal circumstances, I would probably opt for a decent break before heading out again—it’s late, I’ve barely eaten, and the idea of hiking for several more hours tonight feels excruciating, especially considering we’ll be getting up with the sun to summit a mountain tomorrow morning.
Sadie is on the other side of that hike, though. And she deserves the chance to climb that mountain—I want to see her face when she’s on top of the world, looking out over all the ground we’ve covered together. It might be brutal for me, but it will be worth it for her.
“Ready to go?” I ask. “We should put the fire out and head back.”
“I’ve been sitting here for most of today,” Matteo says, rising from the boulder he’s been using as a chair. “Let’s move.”
DAY TEN
Sparrow Valley Falls to Mount Valerie to Lavender Fields
Mount Valerie—while not the tallest peak in the Sierras, measuring just shy of ten thousand feet, about two-thirds the height of Mount Whitney—is the perfect way to finish off a trek around the Mackenzie Lake Loop. Bring significant sun protection and a way to filter water fresh from the crystal-clear alpine lakes you’ll encounter along the way, and make sure you have the correct permits on hand to present to the attending park ranger. Look out for the lockbox at the base of the mountain, where you can store nonessential personal items and pick up a set of hiking poles—just remember to trade everything back at the end. If you experience symptoms of altitude sickness, retreat to lower elevation as soon as possible. Mount Valerie is a challenge, but it’s well worth it. Enjoy the stunning view when you get to the top!
—Henry Herrington,Backpacking the Sierras: A Beginner’s Handbook(Fourth Edition)
37SADIE
I wake before the sun, in the half-light of dawn, after a night of fitful sleep.
For once, I didn’t dream at all: nothing steamy to make me miss Thorn even more, and no nightmares to amplify my concern for his safety—just fragments of awareness interspersed between shallow sleep.
I give up trying, rummage around for my coffee gear.
As soon as I unzip my tent, I’m met with a surprise: a very Thorn-shaped surprise, stretched out and sleeping in the narrow gap that separates my tent from Zoe’s, not even a sleeping bag beneath him. He’s out cold like he’s never met a more comfortable bed in his life.
Maybe I should make sure he’s breathing, now that I think about it.
I’m pretty sure he is, though he’s lying at an angle that makes it hard to tell. I lean down until we’re face-to-face, hoping for clear proof that he’s not just a corpse on my doorstep.
His eyes fly open, two inches from mine, and it’s all I can do to stifle my shriek of surprise before I accidentally wake the entire camp.
It takes him a minute to process the fact that it’s me right here in his face, especially since I must look like a freshly minted ghost after that jumpscare—but when it registers, he dissolves into a fit of silent laughter.
“What are you doing here?” I whisper, still trying to catch my breath.
“Iwassleeping,” he whispers back.
“Well, I did gather that much,” I reply. “What time did you get back? Aren’t you exhausted?”
