Dexter looked down at the map and then around at the parking lot. The trail clearly started from this parking lot. It took him a moment to spot the sign denoting the trail head. Supposedly, the trail went straight to a small pond, and then around it. The trail was listed as being three and a half miles in length, and of 'moderate' difficulty. He figured that a short hike like that would be simple enough.
Pointing to the trail head, Dexter said, "There it is."
The sign had the trail name on it, the distance of the trail, the difficulty (medium), and a simplified map of the trail. They had chosen the trail based on its length. The 'easy' trail was actually a mile longer.
Sarah said, "It seems simple enough."
"Let's go," Will said.
Will had been looking forward to this hike. He wanted to report back to his friends what it was really like to hike across country. In the computer games they played it was just a matter of making sure that every player's avatar was in good health, and enough stamina points. He figured he would be able to pick up some tricks that might be useful in playing the game.
Dexter asked, "Has everyone got their bottles of water?"
"Yep."
"You bet."
"Shoes?" Dexter asked. He was wearing the shoes he normally wore to the gym.
"Sneakers."
"I've got my sneakers on," Will said.
Dexter looked at the kids making sure everyone had hats. He patted his pockets to check that he had a small bottle of sun block. He couldn't think of anything else that he needed to bring with him.
"Let's go," Dexter said.
The trio walked down the well marked trail. There was finely crushed gravel that made the trail smooth. The first quarter of a mile was nice and flat. They were surrounded by trees that kept the wind out. They walked along at a brisk pace, not really talking all that much. They did pause occasionally, to take time to appreciate the natural setting.
The trail then began to head downwards. The grade was moderate, but it wasn't all that bad. The surroundings dropped off at a steeper grade, but the path was at an angle to the downward slope. The trio trudged along, pausing occasionally to look down the side of the trail. The trees didn't allow them to see how far down the side went.
Dexter said, "Watch your step. It would be horrible to slip down the hill."
"No problem," Will replied.
Dexter said, "We might want to turn around and head back."
"Why?" Sarah asked.
"It's getting kind of steep. It's going to be kind of a tough climb, coming back," Dexter said looking back up the trail.
"It'll be no problem," Will said.
"We can handle it," Sarah said.
"If you're sure," Dexter said doubtfully.
"We're sure," Will said.
They walked further. The grade downwards got a little steeper. Now there were little areas where parts of the trail had been eroded away by water running down the slope. It made walking the trail just a little more difficult. The crushed gravel disappeared in places, but they could see the trail pickup beyond those points.
Dexter said, "We're lucky it isn't going to rain today. I think this would be a little dangerous in the rain."
"I don't think it would be that bad," Will said.
Sarah said, "I'd hate to get my feet wet."
Dexter stopped. He realized this was a good time to talk a little about wilderness survival. This looked like a little thing, but it could get out of control, very easily.
Dexter said, "The problem isn't getting your feet wet. If you look uphill, you'll see that it is pretty steep here."
"So?" Will asked.
Dexter said, "The water would be running past here at a pretty good clip. The dirt would turn into mud – making it slippery as hell. I doubt you would be able to cross without falling down the hill. With the rushing water, you might not be able to stop until you reached the bottom. By that time, you'd be all banged up. You might even have broken bones."
"It's just a little section of the trail. It couldn't get that bad," Will said.
"It might look little, but those kinds of things are what can kill you out here," Dexter said.
Sarah asked, "Is it supposed to rain today?"
"No," Dexter answered.
"Then why worry about it?" Will asked.
Dexter said, "It's about learning the lay of the land. Right now, this isn't a big deal. If we decided to go hiking on a day where it might rain, we'd know to avoid this trail. Last night around the campfire, we talked a little about survival in the wilderness and that there are all kinds of wildernesses out there.
"Look at this as a metaphor. When times are good, there are places where you can spot potential trouble areas knowing that when times are bad that they can result in disaster. That gives you the opportunity to avoid them when troubled times are on the horizon. You won't be caught between a spot downhill and the car.
"Likewise, you can use this time to look for safe havens so that if things don't work out, then you'll have a safe place to weather the storm. That's all part of that survival mindset that I talked about. The time to start thinking about surviving, is before things go to hell."
"I get it," Will said. "It's like in Cave Explorer where you have to decide what kind of weapon to carry so that you'll be able to fight off the monsters without losing the advantage of first strike."
"I guess," Dexter said not appreciating the analogy.
Will asked, "So how does this apply to ... I don't know ... the workplace?"
Dexter thought for a moment before answering, "Suppose the company you work for has a 401K plan..."
"What's a 401K plan?" Sarah asked.
Dexter answered, "It is like a savings account where you put money into it out of your paycheck. While the money is in the account, it is being invested and, hopefully, increases in value at a better rate than a regular savings account. The thing is that you can't touch the money until you retire. You don't pay taxes on it until you take the money out of the fund. Now that's a good deal because you're making a lot of money when you put it into the fund so that taxes would have been high, but you're not making a lot of money when you take it out so the taxes are low."
"So it's a retirement thing," Will said.
"Right," Dexter said.
"So how is that dangerous?" Will asked.
Dexter said, "It sometimes happens that the company puts that money into a fund that reinvests that money in the company. It is kind of like this spot right here. Everything is okay, but it could become bad very quickly."
"How?" Will asked.
Dexter answered, "While the company is doing well, having your retirement money invested in it is not a problem. That's the sunny day. The problem comes when the company starts having problems. First it starts with rumors – like thunder in the distance. Nothing is really obviously wrong. Suddenly, stock that was selling at eighty dollars a share is now sixty dollars a share. If your fund had four hundred thousand dollars in it, it has suddenly become worth three hundred thousand. You've lost a hundred thousand dollars of your retirement money."
"That's not good," Will said.
"Then the bad news gets officially announced that the company is having problems. If the company is really in trouble, the stock drops a little more. Now a share is worth forty dollars and you're down to two hundred thousand in it. So at this point, you've lost half of your retirement money, but you still have a job. At this point, you've slipped, but you aren't sliding down the hill yet."
"It gets worse?" Will asked.
"How can it get worse?" Sarah asked.
"Now the problems really start manifesting themselves. The company is losing money, so you get laid off. The stock drops some more. Now it is worth about twenty dollars a share. Your retirement account is worth only a hundred thousand and you're out of a job," Dexter said.
"I guess a hundred thousand is still a lot of money," Will said.
"Not when you have to live on it for twenty or thirty years. You'll eat it all up taking out five thousand a year after twenty years. You can't really live on five thousand a year," Dexter said.
"That doesn't sound like much when you look at it that way," Sarah said.
"So there you are, laid off, no retirement, and lots of bills," Dexter said. "Officially, you are sliding down the mud covered hill, screaming in fear at the bottom that is rushing towards you."
"So what once looked like a good deal turns out not to be that good of a deal," Will said.
Dexter said, "That's what I mean about a survival mindset. You spot that shit early and avoid it."
"Damn," Will said shaking his head. "It sounds like it's a jungle."
"It is," Dexter said. "Let's walk some more."
The trio walked down the trail for another quarter of a mile. Here there was a larger washout. Rocks were strewn on the ground. They tended to roll out from underfoot when stepped upon.
Dexter warned, "Be careful. You could twist an ankle here."
The kids nodded their heads in acknowledgment. They carefully walked across the rock-strewn section of the trail.
By this time it was getting hot and humid. The surrounding trees stopped what might have been a refreshing breeze, from cooling them off. Sweat started dripping from their faces and getting into their eyes. Short breaks during which they drank a little of their water helped, but it was definitely becoming uncomfortable.
They reached the little pond. The trail around the pond was flat and easy to walk. The lake itself had cattails along one end. There were a few ducks swimming near the cattails. A mother duck followed by a half dozen ducklings entered the water near where they were standing.
Sarah said, "Look at the baby ducks!"
The kids watched the mother duck paddle forth with her baby ducklings following behind her in a line.
"That is so cool," Sarah said.
Dexter pointed to the cattails. "Some parts of that plant are edible. The early shoots are editable. That part that looks like a hotdog can be steamed and eaten like corn on the cob when it is green. Near the base, you can strip off the leaves and get what is called the cattail heart. The roots can be mashed, soaked in water – the residue can be turned into a thickener for stews."
"That's cool," Will said. "Have you ever eaten any?"
"No," Dexter answered. "I never had the nerve to try it."
"You want to try some now?" Will asked.
Dexter answered, "Not really. Besides, this is a park and I'm not sure they'd appreciate us eating their plants. However, it is good to know that if things were to get bad that we can find food and keep from starving."
"You're probably right," Will said.
So far, the hike had been easy. It wasn't until they started back that they realized why the trail was marked as being moderate in difficulty. The steep walk down to the pond was now a steep walk up to the parking lot. What had once seemed a gentle slope was now a muscle killer.
They got part of the way up and had to stop to rest. They drank a little more of their water. The exertion of their climb, the warm temperature, and the high humidity now had them sweating rivers. It was so bad that it tended to run into their eyes.
"Are we near the top yet?" Sarah asked.
"My legs are burning," Will said.
"We've got mile or more to go," Dexter said.
"It didn't seem this steep coming down," Sarah said.
Dexter said, "We'll take more frequent breaks."
"Good idea," Sarah said.
After a ten-minute break, they resumed their climb towards the parking lot. It was a while before they reached the spot where the trail had been washed out, to the point of leaving rocks exposed. Dexter crossed the spot, forcing one leg in front of the other. He was thanking God that for all of that time spent in the gym. He figured that he'd be lying by the side of the trail near death if it hadn't been for all of the exercises.
His thoughts were interrupted when Sarah screamed. Dexter and Will turned to look at her. She was sitting on the ground, rocking back and forth, holding her ankle.
"What happened?" Dexter asked.
"I twisted my ankle," Sarah said.
Moving carefully over the loose rocks, Dexter made his way to Sarah's side. He examined her ankle, but couldn't really tell anything, other than it hurt. He helped her stand up.
"I can't stand on it," Sarah said.
"I'll support you," Dexter said while putting an arm around her.
Together, the pair made it to where the quality of the trail improved. She made little sounds of pain with each step.
Dexter looked up the trail. He knew that she'd never make the walk back to the parking lot. He didn't see many options.
Dexter said, "I guess I'll have to carry you."
"I can try walking," Sarah said.
"You'll just make it worse," Dexter said.
Sarah climbed onto his back. He supported her legs with his arms. She wrapped her arms around his chest.
After taking a deep breath, Dexter said, "Let's go."
Being sure to take frequent breaks, they made their way up the trail. It was hard going and there were times when Dexter didn't think they would make it. The bottles of water were empty before they reached the end of the trail.
Will was exhausted by the time they reached the parking lot. His life of sitting around and playing computer games had not prepared him for any level of physical exertion comparable to what he had just experienced.
Although he was in much better physical shape than Will, Dexter was barely aware that they had made it to the parking lot. He had never been so exhausted in his life. His legs felt like lead, the sweat in his eyes blinded him, he was feeling faint, and his back was cramping.
Dexter eased Sarah to the ground near the sign at the start of the trail. He collapsed beside her.
"I'm getting ... too old ... for this," Dexter said, panting.
"I'm sorry, Daddy," Sarah said looking over at her father.
She couldn't believe how bad he looked. His hair was plastered to his head. His shirt was soaking wet. He was breathing hard. His face was red.
Dexter said, "Nothing ... to be sorry ... about. -- Accidents ... happen."
"I can't believe you carried her that far," Will said. "I'd have given up a half a mile back."
Breathing heavily, Dexter said, "You do ... what you have ... to do ... for your family."
"Duty?" Will asked.
Finding it a little easier to breath, now, Dexter said, "Yeah ... something like that. Although ... in my case ... it's more like stubbornness ... than anything else."
"Damn," Will said looking at his father with respect.
The fact was, Will knew he wouldn't have been able to carry Sarah all of that distance. He had barely made it to the trail head, himself, and that was without carrying any extra weight. Sarah, although young, wasn't exactly a lightweight. Will figured that she weighed more than a hundred pounds. It seemed incredible to him that his father managed to carry her that far.
"Can you go to the car and get some water for us?" Dexter asked.
"Sure," Will said, groaning as he stood up.
While Will went to get some water, Dexter looked over at Sarah. "After we get a little water in us, I'll carry you over to the car. We'll find a doctor and see how bad your ankle is."
"What will they do?" Sarah asked.
"Oh, they'll probably x-ray it, to make sure it's not broken. Then they'll wrap it with an elastic bandage, and have you put ice on it to keep the swelling down," Dexter answered.
Sarah said, "You know, you're a pretty tough guy."
Dexter snorted. "Just make sure you tell your boyfriends that!"
"Oh, Daddy!"
Edited By TeNderLoin