“Valerie, please just listen to me. There are reports of women being assaulted on the trails as recently as last week. I’m not saying that you can’t handle yourself. I’m your sister and I want you to stay safe, is all.” Caroline’s pleas weren’t unusual as she freaked out every time Valerie Martin decided to take a break from her life in Seattle and sought the serenity of the Cascade Mountains.
“Caroline, we go through this every time I take a solo vacay.” Valerie didn’t bother to mention that it was too late for her to turn back, anyhow. She’d left her small SUV in a parking lot four miles away from the hike-in campsite she was halfway to. “Listen, I’m going to lose cell reception soon. I’ll be back in three days. Make sure you give Daisy her probiotics.” Her beloved Pomeranian was best left at her Seattle condo, as her incessant barking had gotten Valerie kicked out of the last campground she’d taken her to.
“I will. Please tell me you brought a knife with you, at least. And remember, serial killers are often charmers.” Caroline’s mumbled acquiescence made Valerie smile. No one besides an older sister—by twelve years—would worry so much about her. They’d lost their parents when Valerie was only twelve and Caroline had taken custody of her, eighteen years ago.
“Of course I have a knife. How else will I stop Sasquatch from stealing my food?”
“You’re too much.” Caroline’s sigh faded and Valerie looked at her phone. The single remaining network bar morphed into an SOS ONLY symbol. She shoved the phone into her front cargo pant pocket and paused to breathe in the cedar-tinged air, to fully absorb the myriad autumnal hues that turned the Cascade Mountains into a living watercolor. September was her favorite month, and not because it was her birth month. Since she’d been small, she’d loved the change in the air, the retreat of the Pacific Northwest summer as the winds along the Pacific Coast changed to embrace the colder Canadian air.
Branches cracked nearby and she turned to her left in time to catch the fleeting silhouette of another hiker up above and ahead of her. The switchback trail climbed the mountain to where she planned to camp tonight, and tomorrow night, lakeside and literally under the stars. It always felt safer to her to do day long hikes via loop trails that brought her back to her campsite. Valerie considered herself adventurous but never took enough time off from her job to commit to a backcountry trek. Day hikes also saved her back as she left her site set up while she hiked.
Before she put her next foot forward, the other hiker reappeared. Fear trickled into her awareness. Should she have heeded Caroline’s warnings?
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