Appalachian Adventure Racing Camp
Copyright© 2025 by Canairs90s
Scene 10 — Lindsey
Once they got outside where Round 3 would start Lindsey observed the outfits the other teams were wearing, curious if anybody else shared their theory. It appeared Teams 1 and 4 did not, the guys were in green running shorts with white t-shirts. She didn’t think that would get them very far if the restaurant had a dress code. The girls were in old looking black shorts, Cara in a burgundy running tank top and Bailey in grey.
Team 3, however, did seem to be thinking along the same lines as Cal. Stefan was neatly dressed in a pair of forest green trousers and a button down blue shirt while Annie wore a green sun dress with a yellow flowered pattern.
“Welcome to Round 3 everybody,” Laurie shouted in that overenthusiastic voice she used that made her sound like a game show host. “Before I dive into the rules for this game, a quick review of the scores. Team 2 is perfect so far with 6 points from a possible 6. Team 4 is in second with 3 points, Team 1 is third with 2 and Team 3 is in last with 1 ... but at least they’re having a great time,” she deadpanned.
“As my dear husband alluded to, Round 3 will take us on our first, and only, adventure off the grounds of the camp. Your task is to head into the nearby town you likely all passed through on your way here, get a table at The Little Smoky and have an appetizer, then race back here. This one is simple, first team back takes maximum points and so on down the order.”
“While The Little Smoky is actually a lovely place, we understand you’ll all be in a rush,” Pierre jumped in for this part of the explanation. “We have prepaid for each team with an amount comparable to a typical full 2 person meal, so the wait staff won’t be short changed on tips and you won’t have to worry about paying. You must simply request the ‘Camp Special’ and they will understand that you will not be paying the actual check and only want an appetizer. This will also level the playing field for all teams.
“Your only requirement is that you must clean your plate before leaving. We have asked the wait staff to let us know if anybody tries to skip that step, so please don’t do it or you will be disqualified.”
“We have a simple map, just a marked up screenshot from online maps to be honest, for each team,” Laurie told them and handed out the printouts. “Good luck to everyone and we’ll see you again soon.”
Cal and Lindsey studied the map they’d been given. The obvious route marked on the map was about 6 miles, taking them several miles west from the camp back to the main road, a few miles up that and then east into town. Lindsey noticed that the town appeared to be much closer if you could go directly to it without following the road, perhaps a mile or two away. However that was directly north across what appeared to be fields of crops; not ideal considering their attire. Surely that fact was not lost on the organizers and this game was not meant to be a simple running contest.
“What do you think?” Lindsey asked, “I can’t imagine us crossing all these fields, not to mention this creek,” she pointed to a waterway running through the middle of the fields, “and being presentable enough to get seated if this place has any standards. I think if we are going to bet on that being a concern, the direct path isn’t an option.”
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