Waiting for Dusk by Nancy Pennick

Canyon.”
    He seemed so excited to show her everything.
“Come on, walk with me.”
    Drew took Kate’s hand. “I really want you to
see Kolb Studio. It was built by two brothers, Emery and Ellsworth
Kolb. They are very famous. Have you read about them? Perhaps
you’ve seen their work in National Geographic.”
    Katie seemed to recall going to Kolb Studio
when she was on the trip with her mom and dad. She wished she paid
better attention. “They made a trip down the Colorado River and
filmed it. I think they showed the movieat this studio.”
    “Yes, exactly right. They were the first to
make a moving picture of their trip down the Colorado through the
Grand Canyon. They still show the movie. We can go see it if you
like. Emery still lives here, shows the movie everyday and narrates
it himself. Today he’s having a guest lecturer, Jack Woods. He’s
very famous in his own right and won’t be here long. I believe he’s
going back east to get married soon. Jack’s a good friend of mine
and I’d really like for you to meet him.”
    Kolb Studio was a very fascinating building.
It looked like it could fall right into the canyon, but was really
built on a sturdy piece of rock. As they passed by, Katie saw a
sign posted for the guest lecturer.
    Boring! she thought. Maybe she could
distract Drew and he wouldn’t want to go to the lecture.
    “What about that hike?” Katie asked. “We
still have time, don’t we?”
    “Yes, for a short hike. Bright Angel path is
just ahead. We can have a short walk if you like.” He had a canteen
over his shoulder and patted it. “We’ll need water in this
heat.”
    Kate hadn’t thought of that. It was a warm
day, and she wore more clothes than when she had come with her
parents. The khaki-color knickers, pants that billowed out and
banded at the knee, were kind of cute in an old-fashioned way. The
matching vest was worn over a white blouse. Finally, brown
knee-high boots finished the look.
    Haven’t they heard of shorts and tanks in the
twenties? Katie chuckled.
    “A penny for your thoughts.”
    “I was just thinking that a short hike would
be just fine.”
    They started down the path. Drew took out his
pocket watch. “Fifteen minutes down, then a half hour to
return.”
Katie looked a little surprised. “That long? What about fifteen
down, fifteen back?”
    It was Drew’s turn to laugh. “It’s all
uphill, Kate. All uphill.”
    Drew paid the gatekeeper a one dollar toll to
use the trail. He explained he was not too fond of having to pay
someone for the right to walk on a trail. The park service was
working on having the path transferred over to them, but the owner
was giving them quite a battle. The land was still part of a mining
claim owned by Ralph Cameron, a U.S. Senator, who was making things
extremely difficult. There was another trail, Kaibab Trail, built
by the park service so people had a free alternative.
    “Then let’s use that one.” Kate was all for
supporting Drew’s passion about the park and also longed to tell
him that there was no longer a charge to use Angel Bright.
    “That trail has no shade and I want you to be
comfortable. Plus it’s farther away. So as much as I object to the
fee, we’ll use this one.” Drew shook his head. “I’m getting a
little too serious, aren’t I? This is supposed to be your day.”
    They laughed, took hold of each other’s hand
and headed off down the path. The trail was a pretty easy walk for
her. There were plenty of switchbacks that were incorporated into
the trail to make the descent easier, but also made the hike longer
to the bottom. Drew explained if they went all the way to the
bottom of the canyon, it would have been several miles of
walking.
    When they returned, Kate realized she really
hadn’t looked at the sights but was focused on Drew the whole time.
She listened to his every word, his laugh, his breathing. She
looked at his face, his emerald green eyes, and his lips with just
a little fullness to