Sheri paused as she rounded a bend in the trail she was hiking with her sister, Jess. “Look at that!” she exclaimed in awe. Just to the right, there was an outcropping of rock in the shape of a bow from a boat. Beyond that, Lake Jenny extended with beautiful teal and blue waters, to the eastern shore. The expansive, gentle rolling hills leveled out in the distance to flatlands that seemed to go on forever.
“I want a picture out there.” Jess said determinedly.
Sheri nodded, knowing that they wouldn’t get to hike further until the picture was captured. She sighed blissfully. This was a family vacation and they had been allowed to strike out on their own for just a little while to explore the steep trail. They had already passed rock climbers in some sort of class finding their way up a rocky wall near a thundering waterfall. She still wondered how they could hear the instructor or each other for that matter over the roaring sound. Sheri and Jess both chattered on excitedly afterward on the trail, talking about how they wanted to try rock climbing one day.
Just before the point of the photo opportunity, they had come to a spot in their small journey where a huge boulder narrowed the trail to single person passage. Sheri sent Jess forward first and followed carefully. It was both exciting and daunting. She kept finding herself carefully watching her footing while trying to drink in the gorgeous scenery around her. They suddenly came face to face with hikers on their way down and backtracked to allow them to continue on their way. Everyone they passed had the same blissfully serene, delighted expression on their faces. The trail around the boulder gave way to a slender path with rocks that bulged outward on their left side and dropped steeply down on their right.
Their smiles were genuine as they took turns posing on the outcropping and taking the pictures. It was their Father’s brand-new digital camera and they were extra cautious in the handling of it. Both had been surprised when he had lent it to them. He told them to take it so he could see the vistas from the trail. He had been so serious in his facial expression, but then winked as he handed his camera to them.
Sheri and Jess headed up as far as they dared go for the time limit given to them by their parents. They had taken a ferry across Lake Jenny to get to the base of the trail. But, it was getting late in the day and they would have to walk approximately one mile around the lake’s shoreline to return to their family van. The trail beckoned them to climb higher and higher. Sheri knew they had pushed their time limit past what they should have. She sighed in resignation as she breathed the mountain air scented with the evergreen trees clinging to the mountainside.
The girls made it to the outcropping only to discover their Father’s camera was missing. They looked at each other in dismay. Sheri felt her stomach sink while a lump formed in her throat. Hurriedly, they turned and headed back up the trail. The delight of the evening was forgotten while they worried about the situation they were in. Five minutes into scrambling up the trail, a middle-aged man approached them with the camera in hand!
“Is this yours?” he asked kindly.
They both babbled excitedly and showed him pictures of themselves on the camera. Then, they thanked him profusely for bringing it down to them. He stated that his intention was to take it to the lost and found at the ranger station. He offered to take a picture of both girls and they eagerly agreed.
After thanking the man again, they hurriedly headed back down the trail to the walkway which ran parallel to the lakeshore. Both girls broke into a run and made their way as quickly as they could to their waiting family. In the distance, Sheri thought her Father’s expression looked irritated. As they slowed down to catch their breath, he asked, “How was your hike?”
The girls exchanged glances and laughed.
Thoughts of Enigmatic Minds 