Scene of the Climb (6 page)

Alicia glared at me. “Seriously? How long is this going to take?”

I intended to cement myself to the rock formation at the base of the summit for as long as possible, but to Alicia I said, “Oh, a couple minutes.”

She got to her feet and leapt over a cluster of rocks to reach me.

“I'm stretching while we do this.” She pulled her ankle behind her back.

“Fine. Yeah, not a problem,” I said as I snapped a photo of her in a swanlike pose with the rugged landscape behind her. I got the vibe she didn't like me, but why? “Tell me, how did this first climb here in our great state of Oregon feel?”

She looked at me as if I must be joking. “Are you for real?”

I nodded and motioned with my hands for her to continue.

Shrugging, she said, “That wasn't a hike.” She gestured to the top. “Ask me again when we do this next leg. I've heard Multnomah Falls is impressive. Plus, since Dave made us wait for
you,
my heart rate's barely up. I'm ready to pick up the pace.”

She bounced on her feet and turned her head toward the river. “Must say though, this view is pretty spectacular. Never seen anything like it.”

“What about your fellow contestants—can you tell me what it's like to be the only female left in the race?”

“Unlike those two jackasses, I'm serious about this show. I want the million dollars. It's going to pay for my training and let me ski full-time.”

“Yeah, tell me more about skiing. I read in your bio that you're hoping to make the Olympic team. I think our readers will really love to learn about what it's like to train at your level.”

Alicia's eyes traveled in the direction of Lenny and Leaf. They looked an odd match—a hippie and thug who looked like they were sparring on the side of a mountain. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but could tell from their rigid body language they weren't swapping trail secrets.

Alicia leaned toward me and spoke quietly. “You want a story? Do a little research into those two. There's shady stuff going on. This show is going to blow up.”

What did she mean? Before I could ask her she stopped abruptly and shouted to Lenny and Leaf, “I'm outta here! See if you can catch me.” With that she leapt over the rocks and was gone.

Odd response. What were Leaf and Lenny arguing about?

Although Lenny outweighed Leaf by at least fifty pounds, Leaf didn't appear to be backing down. In fact, Gam would say he was holding the space between them. His body was poised in a hardened yoga stance.

Whatever he said to Lenny made Lenny's chest muscles deflate. If only I could hear what they were saying. Drama made for the best stories.

I scrawled a couple sentences on my notebook and called Leaf over.

“Tell me about your impressions of this first hike. I know you're an Oregon native, but how does it compare to other climbs you've done?”

Leaf looked at me with lazy eyes. “Not really a climb, is it? But hey, it's cool 'cause this is what it's all about—communing with nature, becoming a breathing part of the ecosystem.”

He paused, closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. “You know, man, this is where I live. I'm part of this.”

I tried not to stare at his feet, but couldn't help myself. His calluses reminded me of stale chicken nuggets. Gross.

Leaf caught me staring and lifted a foot in the air. “It's taken me years to build these.”

“Does it hurt? What about rocks and prickly vines?”

“A knife couldn't cut through this.” He stuck a dirty fingernail into his heel to prove his point.

“Would it be safe to say you're happy to be able to share this experience and your home—Oregon—with everyone who'll watch the show?”

Leaf's body stiffened. “I didn't say that.”

“Oh, uh, I guess I assumed you would.”

“You assumed wrong.”

“Well, what I'm trying to get at is obviously, you're really in touch with nature. Aren't you excited a national television program is going to showcase that?”

Glancing over at Lenny who was sunning himself on a rock, Leaf shook his head with disgust. “No. I'm pretty bummed to see where the show's going. Dave promised me it would be the first eco-show in the U.S. I'm looking into some other options to make that happen.”

I looked at him with surprise and whispered, “Really? Like what?”

Before he could answer, we heard Alicia shouting from the summit, “Come on, guys! Get up here. I want to go.”

Leaf's lanky body disappeared over the rocks and Lenny took his cue. He squeezed his beefy body next to mine on the rock. I scooted to the edge. It was sharp and dug into my thigh.

“Saved the best for last, eh, babe?” He put his hand on my knee.

Oh God, why had I left him last? This was a big mistake. I was stuck on the ledge with a wannabe Jersey mafia member.

“Uh, okay. So, Lenny,” I said, removing his hand from my knee. “How does this experience compare to other locations you've seen?”

“The ladies are hot as shit?” He ogled me.

I laughed uncomfortably. “Uh-huh. Anything else?”

“Not really my thing—no nightlife here, no bling.”

“But what about the race? Haven't all the legs of the race been filmed outdoors?”

“Yeah. Still not my thing. I mean, I'm obviously the best competitor here”—he flexed his arm muscles—“but I don't need all this nature shit. Gimme a brewskie, a couple hotties and I'm good to go.”

Was this guy for real? How did he end up on an extreme adventure race? I studied my notebook, trying to think of anything to ask him that wouldn't lead to him regaling a laundry list of his sexual exploits.

“How do you feel about your competitors?” I asked, keeping my eyes on my journal.

Lenny pointed at himself with a double hang-loose sign. “Please, look at me. There's no competition. Alicia's all hot 'n' shit, but she's too uptight for me and, that hippie scum ain't beatin' me. I got this one in the bag. The million bucks is mine.”

Wow, the words flew out of him. I'd have great material to work with later.

The farther I traveled with this ragtag team, the more unbelievable it seemed that the production was legit. Something tugged at my intuition. I didn't know much about producing a television show, but this couldn't be typical. Maybe there was a Pulitzer in my future after all. Once I dragged myself off this rock face I was going to have to brush up on my investigative skills and get to the bottom of the real story behind Race the States. That should impress Greg.

Lenny reached over and gave my knee another hard squeeze. He smelled like stale rum and pomade. “Catch ya later.” His tight torso and bulky calves flexed with each step he took. I couldn't tell if he walked that way naturally or was trying to impress me. Too bad he was such an ass; his body truly was like a sculpted work of art.

Now the question was
how to get down?

But first a little snack to help fortify my thoughts. I pulled a bag of chocolate almond trail mix and a bottle of lemon Gatorade from my backpack. I gulped Gatorade without breathing and chomped on the salty sweet mix.

Questions swarmed in my mind. Should I ask Greg what he knew about the race? He was a key sponsor after all. How much research had he done before partnering with Dave? And where was he?

I glanced at my watch; it was after 1:00; Greg should have been here by now.

Who were the contestants and how were they chosen for the show? Was Alicia right that Leaf thought he was participating in some sort of eco-challenge? Had he really gotten in a physical fight over it? And what did he mean when he said he was looking into other options for the show? The whole thing seemed crazier by the minute.

While I ruminated on the many questions surrounding Race the States, I heard Dave's voice shouting from above, “Hey, Meggie! Ya gotta come up here!”

When could a girl catch a break? I thought they were going ahead without me.

Might as well get on with it. I sighed and stuffed the camera, trail mix, Gatorade and my notes into my pack. The pack didn't feel any lighter when I slung it over my shoulders. Nor did my feet. Sitting had made them worse.

I treaded carefully, feeling the skin on my ankles rubbing off onto my soggy socks.

The basalt formation comprising the summit was a gnarly collection of giant boulders with jagged edges. No wonder the guidebooks said this hike was not kid friendly.

I took another tentative step forward. Smaller rocks slipped below my feet. My entire body lurched forward.

Don't look down. DO NOT look down!

Was any job worth this? Maybe Jill's couch wasn't so bad after all.

I willed myself forward one baby step at a time. Hobbling at a snail's pace, I'd gotten about a quarter of the way.

Dave's voice echoed from above. “Keep it up, Meggie! You're close.”

Our ideas of close weren't exactly in alignment. The summit looked insurmountable from my vantage point. I felt more exposed than ever with the wind whipping over my head. The sun disappeared behind a patch of granite clouds. A rumbling sound erupted. I prayed it wasn't an avalanche of rock debris heading my way. Instead, it was an airplane making its descent into the Portland airport. It was flying so low it looked as if I could reach out and swipe the underbelly of the fuselage. The plane's wings tilted and tipped with the wind. Not a flight I'd want to be on. I could only imagine the nervous passengers who were likely gripping armrests and clenching their teeth tightly on the bumpy descent.

The rumbling quieted as the plane bounced its way above the Columbia River, dipping beneath my line of sight. Something sleety and wet landed on my head. A rain shower burst out of the clouds, impaling the rocks and me with fat drops.

The rain made the going more difficult. The trail was like a sheet of ice. Within minutes I was soaked to my underwear. Water pooled in the crevices of my pack and streamed down the back of my legs. Rain trickled down my sweat-stained face, leaving the taste of salt in my mouth.

I laughed out loud. Otherwise I would have cried. What else could go wrong today?

Slogging my way to the crest, I realized the path was carved between basalt boulders. On either side a sheer cliff dropped into rock graveyards. I was done. No way was I going any farther. That's when I heard Greg's voice below.

“Hey! Meg, is that you?”

Very carefully I turned around and glanced down. I thought I was going to vomit. Greg's angular body waved at me from the exposed bluff below.

I raised my hand in a half wave and gulped.

“Greg-o! Ya made it, mate!” Dave's scruffy body emerged past the rock cliffs on a solid wooded trail maybe fifty yards ahead of me. He waved energetically at Greg and caught my frozen eye. “Coming, Meggie?”

I grimaced and pretended to adjust the straps on my backpack. “Yeah, one sec.”

Greg on my heels, Dave in plain sight, I had one option left—I was going to have to fake it. There was no way I could traverse this path of death upright.

So, I did what any self-respecting girl would do. I faked a fall. If I do say so myself, it was an Oscar-worthy performance—maybe too good.

I flailed my arms and let out a little scream, flinging myself on the slick rocks below. My hands hit the hard, wet rubble first. My skin burned as I slid along the gravelly slab. What I hadn't counted on was half my body landing on a slab of rock protruding over the edge. I dug the other half of my body into the loose tangle of pebbles, desperately trying to slow my momentum.

How ironic would it be if in trying to fake a fall, I actually ended up sailing over the side of the cliff? Something opaque flashed in front of my eye. The earth under my knees stalled. I heard a deep guttural scream. I looked up in time to see Lenny's body flying backward from the top of a craggy rock about three feet above me.

“Oh my God!” I heard my voice wailing, but it didn't sound like me. It took a moment to get my bearings. Was I really flat on the ledge of the summit? Had I really seen Lenny fall? Could this all be a terrible dream?

I refused to move my body for fear of launching myself over the side of the cliff. Taking an internal inventory, I tried wiggling my fingers and toes. Nothing broken.

I pushed up to my hands and knees. There was a gash on my right thigh and blood was oozing onto my khaki shorts. My left elbow throbbed. Everything else, aside from scrapes and bruises, felt okay.

Slowly I crawled forward. I had to know if my eyes were playing tricks on me.

Had I seen Lenny fly past me? Rock fragments were cemented in my dirty hands, but I had to know if what I'd seen was legit.

I crawled so my entire body was back on the trail. I craned my neck to see over the side of the cliff. Large boulders blocked my view. There was the sound of yelling ahead and behind me, but in my muddled state I couldn't make out who or what was being said.

Dave's strong hands shook me back to reality. He pulled me to my feet in one swoop. “Meggie, ya all right? Nasty fall.”

How did he get to me that quickly?

Dave caught me as I swayed. “Easy there, lassie.”

Uncontrollable shaking overcame my entire body. “Le-Le-Lenny,” I managed to squeak out.

Dave rubbed my arms vigorously and pulled my pack off. “You're in shock. Let's get ya over here to sit down.” He gently kicked my pack to the side of the trail and eased me along the path toward the group of boulders that Lenny had fallen from.

I clawed his arm with my nails and stood frozen and shaking. “I can't.”

“Come on, lassie, it's okay, I got ya,” Dave said as he maneuvered behind me and wrapped his tanned arms around my body. He guided me with a firm grasp on both my shoulders. Something cracked under his feet. He reached down and picked up one of Andrew's waterproof cameras. “Wonder how that got here,” he said, examining the plastic camera in the air and tucking it in his pocket.

He lowered me onto a rock. Behind me on the spiny summit was an expansive view of Beacon Rock and Silver Star Mountain. I whipped my head around.

“Meg!” Greg cried as he sprinted over the slick path to where I was sitting. “Geez, I saw you disappear and heard a scream.” He looked at Dave crouched next to me, still rubbing my arms to generate heat. “You're a mess!”

Dave got to his feet, put his hand on Greg's shoulder and spoke as if I wasn't there. “She's in shock, mate. Had a good scare. Got any sugar in there?” he asked, motioning to Greg's pack.

I wrapped my arms around my wet and bloodstained body, trying to stop shivering.

Greg flung his pack off, and dug quickly through it, pulling out a Snickers bar. He unwrapped it and thrust it at me with a worried look on his face, “Here. Eat this, it'll help.”

I tried to stammer out a thanks, but my mouth wouldn't form real words. Why weren't they trying to help Lenny?

“Everyone else gone?” Greg asked Dave as he untied the jacket from his waist and wrapped it around my shoulders.

Dave nodded in the direction of the wooded trail ahead, “Yep, they're all out there.”

I shook my head no, but it didn't seem to make any impact in the midst of my full body quake.

Greg ripped off his shirt. Wow, his washboard stomach was taut. He dropped to his knees and dabbed my bloody knees with his shirt. Looking at Dave he asked, “What happened?”

Dave paused and gave me a long conspiratorial look. He knew.

I held my breath as he answered, “Meggie here, tripped on a snag there.” He pointed to the trail behind us.

We both knew there wasn't a snag.

Greg didn't notice as Dave nudged me and continued. “She had me worried for a minute there—thought she was gonna slide right off. Huh?”

I nodded at him. The shaking began to subside. Greg doctored my knees with Band-Aids and applied pressure to the gash on my thigh.

“You'll be fine, Meg. It's only a surface cut.”

I chomped a bite of the Snickers bar. They were right. The sugar and chocolate surged through my bloodstream. My body let out an involuntary shiver. I wolfed down the rest of the bar. Greg and Dave sat on either side of me. I noticed Dave give Greg a nod of approval, as if they agreed I was no longer in danger of going into full-blown shock.

After polishing off the candy bar, I cleared my throat, inhaled through my nose and tried to refocus on Lenny. “Lenny!” I said, pointing behind me. “Lenny fell.”

Greg's face squished in a puzzled expression. “Lenny fell where?”

My energy was definitely returning. Heat rose on my face. “Right here.” I motioned to the top of the rock.

Dave looked at me in disbelief. “
You
fell, Meggie. Lenny's out there with the crew runnin'.”

I shook my head, feeling like a kid caught in a lie. “No, no, Lenny fell. Right after I tripped. I saw him!”

“Are you sure?” Greg asked, removing his hand from the gash on my thigh. “Maybe you got confused when you fell. Saw a bird or something?”

“No! I didn't see a bird. I swear—I saw Lenny. He fell backward off this rock.”

Greg shrugged at Dave and pushed himself up. He stretched to see behind and below us. “Nothing there.”

Dave returned to standing and peered with Greg. “Nope, lassie. I think your eyes were playin' tricks on ya.”

My checks blazed with heat. Birds don't scream or flail backward off the sides of cliffs. “I saw him,” I insisted. Despite my cuts, bruises and blistered ankles I stretched myself to standing.

Once upright, I swayed again. Dave and Greg caught me on either side. I brushed them off. “I'm okay.”

Swallowing the fear mounting in my stomach, I stood on my toes to get a better view. They were right. There was nothing but water-stained rocks below.

“Come on, Meg, let's get you down and in dry clothes,” Greg said, grabbing my arm.

“I'm gonna catch up with the crew,” Dave said, starting off in the other direction. “Glad you're okay, Meggie. See ya at the other side, okay, mates?”

I shuffled my feet over the rocks with Greg leading me by the arm. His touch stirred my stomach into an entirely different kind of nervous flutter.

We'd only taken a step, when I spotted a break between the boulders. “Wait!” I shouted. “There!” I pointed to a speck of yellow below.

Greg stopped in midstride. He followed my finger, dropped my other arm and raced to the rock where I had rested. Carefully he climbed to the top and surveyed the landscape below.

“Dave!” he hollered. “Get back here!”

To me he ordered, “Meg! Don't move!”