SODIUM:1 Harbinger Read Online Free Page A

showers were available to all.
    Had I known what was coming I would have never left the safety and security of Atlanta. There is something to be said about the bliss of not knowing everything, especially if you are the only one who wants to talk about it. Sometimes you have to accept whatever it is that life throws at you and continue on while putting down one foot after another. Our real journey had only just begun.

Chapter 3
     
     
    The trail out of Basecamp took us through a deep ravine and into a heavily wooded valley. The uneven ground was tough on the ankles, but we had each been out “practicing” for months whenever we had the chance. North Georgia offered many rugged trails and we had made use of them to get into shape.
    We were headed for Lake Eleanor and did not expect to make it there before sunset. The further we would get into the back country the more snow banks we would see. In Early June there were still snow pockets to be found in the shady areas of the high elevations. The higher you went the more snow pockets there were.
    Once into the ravine we were completely cut off from the outside world for the next ten days. The terrain was beautiful no matter which direction you looked. The clear cool mountain air moved effortlessly through the evergreens. The only sounds other than our own footsteps were the rustle of the breeze through the trees or the occasional bird chirping a warning to others.
    The afternoon passed quickly as we made our way up a valley along the Tuolumne River. Everyone had a smile on their face and we each were pointing and gawking at every little interesting view that nature had to offer. Everything around us was pure in color and natural in design.
    Susi had been using her camera at every opportunity. Before the trip’s end she would have rolls of pictures for Bull and Allie to choose from for promoting the adventure package. Almost every shot she took would look like what you would see on a postcard. The back country of Yosemite National Park was a wild and beautiful place.
    A slight breeze blew into our face as we walked. We startled numerous deer and spooked a number of jackrabbits. As the valley narrowed a bit we came upon a black bear. It was huge.
    I had never seen one up close and I had no desire too now. Bull and Allie advised that we stay well clear of it as they would sometimes charge if they felt threatened, or if they felt their territory was being invaded. I had no desire to fend off a bear with my ball bat so I stayed in back of our little gang of adventurers.
    When it came to large animals I had a phobia, even cows would creep me out. Whenever I was near a pasture they seemed to be staring at me with those big saucer eyes. It had always given me the willies.
    We soon made our way safely around the bear and continued on along the river. We had been making good time so we stopped for a break. I flipped off my pack and sat down immediately on a large rock beside the water.
    It felt good to have the load off my back. My ribs were feeling better and the swelling from the hornet stings was completely gone. The others soon joined me and we sat around on the rock for a short time, just taking in the beauty of where we were.
    As we sat Bull began to tell us a story from his childhood, a story of his days in the Boy Scouts. His local troop had saved up enough money by doing odd jobs around town to pay for a camping trip out to the Rocky Mountains. It had been quite the adventure for the sixteen young boys in his troop.
    Bull told us that it was there that his scoutmaster had told them a story about a mountain lion and a Ute Indian boy named Chaate. The young boy was out hunting with his father when a Grizzly Bear surprised and cornered them.
    The boy and his father were each armed with a small spear. His father had done his best to keep the bear at bay until others in their hunting party could arrive to help, but the others never came and the bear was moving ever closer. Just as