Time and Again

took only a glance for her to determine that the price tags had hardly been removed from the packs and boots.
    "If they hike much farther in that direction, they'll be on top of the ship."
    Libby swallowed a bubble of panic and smiled as the group approached. "Hello."
    "Well, hi there." The man, big, solid and fortyish, leaned on the Land Rover. "You're the first people we've seen since morning."
    "We don't get many hikers up this way."
    "That's why we picked it. Right, Susie?" He patted a pretty, exhausted-looking woman on the shoulder.
    Her only answer was a very weary nod. "Rankin. Jim Rankin." He took Cal's hand and pumped it. "My wife, Susie and our boys, Scott and Joe."
    "Nice meeting you. Cal Hornblower. Libby Stone."
    "Out four-wheeling it, huh?"
    Noting Cal's blank look, Libby said, "Yes, we were about to head in."
    "Backpacking's for us." Jim grinned broadly.
    It took less than ten seconds to see that only Jim was enthusiastic about tackling the mountains on foot.
    That might be an advantage. "How far have you come?"
    "Started off from Big Vista. Nice little campground, but too crowded. I wanted to show the wife and boys nature in the rough."
    Libby judged the boys to be about thirteen and fifteen, and both looked as if they were on the edge of whining. Calculating the distance to the Big Vista campground, she could hardly blame them. "That's quite a hike."
    "We're tough. Right, boys?" Both sent him miserable looks.
    "You weren't planning to go up this path?" Libby asked, gesturing.
    "Matter of fact, we were. Thought we'd try for the ridge before nightfall."
    Susie groaned and bent over to massage an aching calf muscle.
    "You won't be able to reach it this way. Up ahead's a logging and reforesting area. Did you see the break in the trees?"
    "Yeah, I did." He fiddled with the pedometer at his waist. "Wondered about it."
    "Harvesting," she said without a blink. "Hiking and camping are off-limits. There's a five-hundred-dollar fine," she added for good measure.
    "Well, I sure do appreciate you letting us know."
    "Dad, can't we go to a hotel?" one of the boys asked.
    "One with a pool," the other chimed in. "And a video arcade."
    "And a bed," his wife murmured. "A real bed."
    Jim offered Cal and Libby a wink. "Family gets a little cranky this time of day. Wait till you see that sun come up tomorrow, gang. It'll all be worth it."
    "There's an easy trail to the west." Libby rose out of her seat to rest her hip on the side of the Land Rover. "Do you see it?"
    "Yeah." Jim didn't like adjusting his itinerary, but the five hundred had done the trick.
    She was glad she could give them one with a gradual incline. "Another, oh, three-four miles, and there's a clearing, makes a good campsite. The view's fabulous. You shouldn't have any trouble making it before sundown."
    "We could give you a lift." Cal had noted the tired, sulky look on the younger boy's face. The moment the offer was out, it lifted into an engaging grin.
    "Oh, no, no, thanks all the same." Jim beamed. "That would be cheating, wouldn't it?"
    "Maybe." Susie shifted her pack on her aching back. "But it might just save your life." She nudged her husband aside and leaned toward Cal. "Mr. Hornblower, if you drive us to that campsite, you can name your price."
    "Now, Susie-"
    "Shut up, Jim." She grabbed a hunk of Cal's damp shirt. "Please. I've got four hundred and fifty-eight dollars worth of gear on my back. It's yours."
    With a hearty laugh, Jim put a hand on his wife's arm. "Now, Susie. We agreed-"
    "All bets are off." Her voice rose shrilly. In an obvious effort to control it, she drew a deep breath. "I'm dying here, Jim. I think the boys might be traumatized for life. You don't want to be responsible for that, do you?" Because she wasn't entirely sure of his answer, she jerked away to tuck each boy under her arms. "You hike it," she said. "But I've got blisters, and I don't think I'll ever regain the feeling in my left leg."
    "Suze, if I'd known you felt this way-"
    "Fine." She wasn't willing to give him time to finish a single sentence. "Now you do. Come on, guys."
    They crammed into the back of the Land Rover. After a moment, Jim settled sadly in with them, his youngest on his lap.
    "It's, ah, beautiful country," Libby began as she directed Cal along the trail. "You'll probably appreciate it more after you've rested and eaten." And a great deal more than that, she was sure, when Susie discovered they had circled a couple of miles closer to Big