Rocky Mountain Mayhem by Joan Rylen

gave Kate a dismissive wave.
“The class meets at Sunnyside trailhead, not the cemetery. Much
cheerier.” Lucy pulled into a small, muddy parking lot and stopped
in front of a large oak tree.
    A Paul Bunyan-sized man was speaking with
three other guys just past a marquee providing info and a map of
the trail. It was the same guy they’d seen on the internet.
    “You here for the primitive wilderness
course?” he asked as the girls walked up.
    Vivian felt about 3-feet tall under his
hazel-eyed gaze. She imagined running her fingers through his
unruly brown hair but didn’t think she could reach it.
    “Yes, we are,” Wendy answered.
    One of the other guys snickered, and Bunyan
cut his gaze to him. The guy immediately stopped.
    Bunyan introduced himself as Buck, and
introductions were made. Vivian didn’t like Chris, the snicker-er.
He was about 6-foot, but looked like Tattoo from Fantasy
Island compared to the instructor.
    Buck got right to business. “The essentials
in wilderness survival are shelter, fire, food and water. You need
to be able to find, make and maintain shelter, fire and food, and
you need to be able to find and purify water. In order to do those
things, every hiker or wilderness explorer should hit the trail
with their EDC, everyday carry tools.”
    He pulled a knife out of a sheath on his
belt. “One of the most important tools out here. Whether it’s
cutting saplings for a tree-pit snow shelter or skinning dinner, a
sharp knife is a must.”
    Vivian shivered. She hoped there would be no
skinning demonstrations.
    Buck returned the knife, then picked up his
backpack. He pulled out some of the contents. “Rope, poncho and
stakes for a lean-to.” He threw those on the ground and reached
into the bag. “First-aid kit. Should be a no-brainer, but you’d be
surprised at the number of hikers who get into trouble that could
have been avoided, had they had a stocked first-aid kit.”
    He pulled out a small brown bottle and a
contraption with a pump and tubes. He shook the bottle. “Iodine
tablets will kill 100 percent of the bacteria, viruses and giardia
in contaminated bodies of water, but the results don’t taste
great.” He dropped the bottle in the backpack and held up the
contraption. “Water purifier, the most essential tool for the most
essential element in wilderness survival. We will hike through the
oaks about half a mile to a pond. Each of you will have a chance to
use the pump, and I encourage you to taste for yourself.” He turned
and headed up the trail.
    The group followed as Buck pointed out hidden
dangers, identified foliage that could be eaten, animal tracks
along the way, etc.
    At the pond, Chris, the snicker-er, said, “No
way I’m going to drink anything out of there.”
    A stench rose from the murky, film-covered
water. Decaying plant matter along the sides left suspended
particles in the muck.
    “Who wants to go first?” Buck asked after
demonstrating the purification process.
    Vivian’s stomach lurched thinking about it,
but she was determined to show up the guys, so she raised her
hand.
    “That’s what I like,” Buck said. “Someone
who’s not afraid to take chances.”
    She assembled the pump as Buck had
instructed, and stuck the dirty end of one tube in the pond. She
put the clean end into a small plastic cup Buck provided. With a
few easy decompressions on the pump handle, clear water filled the
cup. She air-toasted Chris and gulped it down. It tasted a little
funkified, but she forced a smile on her face.
    “Who’s next?” Buck asked.
    One of the other guys was overeager and
pumped shots for his buddies. It was the girls’ turn to
snicker.
    Buck moved to a nearby evergreen and
explained how to pick a good spot for a lean-to, then showed how to
construct it using the ropes, poncho and stakes.
    Lucy raised her hand. “What’s the tree-pit
snow shelter you mentioned earlier?”
    “Let’s go over here and I’ll show you,” Buck
said, then moved off the