Boxcar Children 61 - Growling Bear Mystery by Charles Tang, Gertrude Chandler Warner

“We have to be at the front desk at six-thirty.”
    While the other children stirred and stretched, Jessie reread the note they had found taped to their door the night before.
    Dear Aldens,
    Change of plans. Can you work in the morning instead of the afternoon? If so, please meet the manager, Mr. Colter, at the front desk, at 6:30. If you have other plans, don’t worry. It’s your vacation! Happy treasure hunting. See you Thursday. Lester and I are off tomorrow.
    Eleanor Crabtree
    “It looks like Ranger Crowe got in touch with Mrs. Crabtree after all,” Henry said. “And that Sam is on the trails with her.”
    By six-thirty, the Aldens had finished a breakfast of pancakes and sausages. They gathered in the lobby to meet Mr. Colter.
    “I like working here, but I wish we could go hiking instead,” Benny said. “What if Sam Jackson finds the cabin before we do? Or Mr. Crabtree does?”
    Jessie bent down to talk with Benny. “Know what? There are four of us Aldens and only one Sam Jackson, one Ranger Crowe, and one Mr. Crabtree. Remember what Mrs. Crabtree said? We have four pairs of eyes. We’ll go hiking again first thing this afternoon. I promise.”
    A minute later, a jolly man with a big smile came over to the Aldens. “Let me guess who you folks are,” the man said in a booming voice. “The Aldens, right? I’m Bob Colter. I heard all about you from Eleanor. I hope you don’t mind the change of plans. This morning our guides need some extra help giving a children’s nature tour out at the West Thumb geyser areas. I heard a rumor that you are good at taking care of young people.”
    Benny looked up at the man. “That’s because we are young people,” he told Mr. Colter. “And we know lots about nature, even geysers. Especially Jessie. She knows everything.”
    This tickled Mr. Colter. “So I heard. Anyway, the tour is only a couple of hours long. You’ll have the rest of the day free. Well, come along. The van is leaving for West Thumb at seven.”
    Benny stuck his thumb out. “West Thumb? Here’s my west thumb, just like where we’re going.”
    The Aldens spent the morning helping the guides lead a group of children around the West Thumb Paint Pots near Yellowstone Lake. The young children on the tour loved having the Aldens along. And Benny was right. Jessie knew everything—almost, anyway.
    Riding back in the van, Henry had a good idea. “We’re passing the Continental Divide area soon, aren’t we?” he asked the van driver.
    The driver nodded. “We’re about five minutes away. Why?”
    Henry leaned over so the driver could hear him. “My brother and sisters and I would like to get off there. We want to hike on this end of the Lost Cabin Trails if they’re open. Then we’d only have a one-way hike back to the lodge.”
    “Sure thing,” the driver said. “I’ll pull into the parking lot.”
    In a few minutes, the van slowed down. “Here’s the spot,” the driver told Henry. “Looks as if the trails are open. I’ll drop you off. You folks have plenty of water, food, and all your hiking gear?”
    Henry held up his bulging backpack. “We Aldens don’t even go on a nature walk without all our outdoor supplies. Thanks a lot. Oh, would you tell Mr. Colter we decided to go hiking?”
    “No problem,” the driver said. “Happy hiking.”
    For a while the Aldens had very happy hiking indeed. Their backpacks were filled with plenty of water and trail mix. The hike began at the top of the mountain and went down. Best of all, they had the copy of Oz’s map safe in Henry’s pocket.
    “This is an easy hike,” Benny announced, now that he was an experienced hiker. “It’s downhill. No huffing and puffing.”
    The Aldens had plenty of time to chat as they went along. Today they weren’t the least bit out of breath.
    “Do you think we’ll run into Sam and Ranger Crowe?” Violet asked. “I’m worried that Sam saw our map. What if he made a copy for himself or figured out where the