Chapter 3

A cloud of dust billowed out behind the truck as it pulled a horse trailer down the dirt road. Ed pulled up and parked next to the other cars. Getting out, he went around to the horse trailer and opened the back. With a little coaxing, he was able to get both horses out of the trailer and tied up to the side of the trailer. With practiced movements, he saddled his work horse and then put a pack on the second horse. The little Bobcat sat on the ground waiting patiently.

Seating himself on his workhorse, he grabbed the rope to the pack horse and, with a simple kick of his heels, rode towards the canyon where his classmates were camping. This was the first day of the geology field trip. This day was to be spent reaching the initial campsite. The trip required crossing terrain that was too rough for trucks. The horses and the cat would have no problem.

The previous day, Ed had told his professor that he would be late and would catch up with them at the campsite. Despite the odd look from his professor and the protest that it was an all day hike, Ed had assured the man that he would be there well before dark. It was only two in the afternoon and he was supposed to be in camp by five. If he remembered correctly, it was only a three hour ride to the campsite.

The last rain in the area had changed the landscape enough that his trip was actually a little faster. The banks of the gullies had collapsed in areas making it easy for the horses to cross. When he hit the broad gully, he knew that the trip was going to be even shorter as it originated near the canyon where his fellow students were camped. The ride would be direct and easy.

As he rode, he watched the ground keeping an eye out for interesting specimens. Places where water ran out of the canyons were littered with fragments of rocks that had been washed out of the canyon during the last rain. It wasn’t all that likely he would find a good specimen in a wash like this, but the fragments would let him know what kinds of rocks he could expect further up. If the rain had been recent, he might find some good samples that were easily accessible. If not, he’d find weathered samples that he would have to remove to reach the better samples.

Looking down, he spotted a number of crystals that he initially assumed were quartz. When he noticed that one of the crystals had a bend in it, he realized that it was crystalline gypsum. The quantity that was scattered about suggested that a nice area of gypsum had been recently exposed. He paused and looked at the canyon ahead trying to figure out where the gypsum might have originated.

He continued on, watching the ground and then as the walls of the canyon rose around him, he fixed his gaze on the walls. This area was very rich in minerals, with over sixty different varieties of crystalline minerals. This canyon would probably have at least fifteen different kinds of minerals that he’d be interested in locating. He had only gone a half mile into the canyon before he found he gypsum deposit.

He dismounted from his horse and tied it to a very weak looking bush with half of its roots exposed. The cat sat down to watch. Going to his pack horse, Ed searched through the pack until he found his rock hammer. Slipping the hammer in his belt, he proceeded to climb to the deposit. Once there, he looked at it carefully. The outermost crystals showed the effects of weathering. With very gentle effort, he dug out the upper most level to expose the crystals underneath. These were pristine and very nice. It took him about thirty minutes to extract several very good samples. One he would add to his collection, one would be for his assignment, and one for the lab at the school.

He returned to the horses below and put the samples into small boxes that he had brought for that purpose. Once the samples were secure, he put the rock hammer back in the pack. The cat had wandered twenty feet away and Ed watched the cat moving slowly towards another small bush. With a quick pounce, the cat caught a mouse and swallowed it whole. Shaking his head, Ed resumed his ride to the campsite continuing to watch the walls of the canyon. He found several more sites that looked promising, but held only quartz that was pretty poor quality.

After riding for a bit, Ed spotted an area of lush plant life. He rode the horse over to it and looked around for a minute, trying to spot the water that had to be present. He climbed off his horse and dug in a likely looking spot. About a foot down, the soil became moist. After another foot, the hole slowly filled up with water. He took the opportunity to water the horses so that he wouldn’t have to do it when he reached camp. He figured the camp was another fifteen or thirty minute ride from where he was.

It was approaching five thirty and Professor Simms was pacing around the campsite wondering if Ed was going to get there before dark. Although Ed was the best student that he’d ever had, the man was so busy that at times it drove him crazy. There were many occasions when Ed would call and then disappear. After a few days, he would return to campus tired and often wounded. Professor Simms, wondered what Ed did that was so dangerous.

Professor Simms looked down the canyon and couldn’t believe his eyes. A cowboy on horseback leading a packhorse was making his way to the campsite. He watched, incredulous, as the man approached. It wasn’t until a few minutes later that he recognized that it was Ed riding into camp and that the Bobcat was moving along beside the horse. Shaking his head at the sight, he walked towards Ed calling out, “I was beginning to get worried about you.”

From atop his horse, Ed took off his cowboy hat and wiped his brow. After placing the hat back on his head, Ed replied, “I told you that I know this area. I would have been here earlier, but I found some nice samples of gypsum. I spent about forty minutes collecting the samples.”

“You found some samples already?”

After moving over to a scrubby tree, Ed climbed down from his horse and tied it to the tree. He went to the packhorse and removed one of the boxes containing a sample that he had collected. Opening it, he showed it to his professor and said, “This is one of three samples that I extracted.”

Professor Simms took the thumbnail sized sample from Ed and looked at it whistling. Impressed with the quality of the sample, he looked up at Ed and said, “Very nice. That’s probably the best sample we’ll get out of here on this trip.”

As they talked, Ed removed the saddle from the horse. Setting it on the ground, he returned to the pack horse and removed the pack from the back. He grunted as he carried it to the saddle and set it on the ground. From within the pack, he removed two feedbags and filled them with oats. He slipped the feedbags on the horses. Smiling Ed replied, “So am I forgiven for being thirty minutes late?”

Smiling, Professor Simms said, “It all depends on how long it takes you to get settled. We’re going to have a group meeting in half an hour and then start dinner.”

Professor Simms handed back the sample which Ed put in the pack on the ground. Grabbing the saddlebag and bedroll off the saddle, Ed straightened up and said, “Where should I put my gear?”

His mentor shrugged his shoulders and replied, “Where ever you want.”

Ed dropped the bedroll on the ground next to the saddle and set the saddlebag down next to it. Turning to face the professor, he said, “I’m all set up.”

“Where’s your tent?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Ed answered, “I don’t have one. Maybe you’ve forgotten, but I’ve been doing this kind of traveling since I was sixteen. I’ve got enough supplies here to last two weeks.”

Looking at the pack, the professor asked, “So what do you have in there?”

Ed glanced over and replied, “A couple changes of clothes, oats for the horses, some cookware, and food. The total is about a hundred and eighty pounds.”

“Jesus!” replied the professor.

Ed dug in the pack and brought out a rather large package. Handing the package to the professor, he said, “There’s ten steaks and ten baking potatoes in there for dinner tonight. I figure we are going to be out here for a week and might as well get off to a good start. I’m sure most of the students brought canned or instant food. We can use that to augment what I brought.”

Holding the package, the professor said, “I don’t know what to say.”

Laughing, Ed replied, “I know that my gear looks crude, but I value my comfort a whole lot. I like to sleep comfortable and eat well when I’m on the trail. I don’t see any reason for others to be less comfortable than me.”

The two men went the thirty feet to where the tents were arranged in a circle around a fire pit. The other students were already gathered there feeling like they were on a great adventure. Ed looked around in amusement at his fellow students. They all had nylon one man tents and sleeping bags. There were a number of propane lanterns sitting around on the ground near the tents. Shaking his head, he knew that the lanterns would run out of fuel the first night and become useless weight after that.

Professor Simms went to the middle of the clearing and addressed the students. He explained a little of the geology of the canyon and what the students were to look for as they searched the walls of the canyon. He explained that they would spend a day here, then move on the third day. They would camp there for a day while searching the area for samples. They would then return traveling half a day and spending the rest of that day examining the area.

After giving the lecture, Professor Simms asked, “Are there any questions?”

Raising his hand, Ed asked, “What about weather?”

“I brought a weather radio along that gives twenty-four and forty- eight hour weather predictions. If they start to predict rain anywhere in the area, we pack up and head out of here.”

Nodding at the wisdom of that approach, Ed said, “Good.”

One of the students asked, “Why should we leave? We have tents and won’t get wet.”

Gesturing for Ed to answer, Professor Simms stepped back to hear what Ed would say. Looking at the professor with surprise, Ed answered, “This canyon serves the run-off for over two hundred square miles. The ground will absorb about the first quarter inch of rain and the rest will end up coming through here. Even a light rain can produce an eight-foot tall wall of water moving down this canyon at speeds of twenty miles an hour. You don’t even want to imagine what a heavy rain will do. Anyone in this canyon during a rainstorm will be dead.”

The student asked, “How do you know this?”

Smiling, Ed answered, “I once had the displeasure of riding out of a canyon like this in front of a wall of water. We lost one man, half the herd, and three horses. That’s why I sleep next to my horse and saddle at night.”

Holding up the package given him by Ed, the professor announced, “You may be happy to learn that Ed has graciously provided steaks and potatoes for dinner tonight.”

As the students applauded and shouted their appreciation, Ed gave a mock bow. The group broke up to build a fire to prepare dinner. Ed returned to his gear and brought back a small grill that was about one foot by two foot in size. It was large enough to cook a couple of steaks, and yet small enough to pack. Searching around the camp, he found a couple of large rocks, on which to rest the ends of the grill.

He returned to the fire pit in time to see that they had piled the wood into a bonfire. Since the fire hadn’t been started, he removed about two thirds of the wood. Another of the students who had been working hard to stack the wood for the fire asked, “Don’t we need a big fire to cook the steaks?”

Shaking his head, Ed answered, “No. We need coals. We will cook next to the fire, raking coals under the grill as we need them. The fire will provide light when it gets dark. If you don’t light a lantern you’ll be able to see just fine by the light of the fire.”

The fire was started and Ed went about the business of getting the meal prepared. In terms of cooking outdoors, Ed was as good at that as John. It isn’t possible to live most of your life on the range without learning how to cook good enough to survive. As Ed had said earlier, he didn’t like to be uncomfortable when outdoors.

The small size of the grill didn’t prevent him from cooking all of the steaks at once. After taking everyone’s orders, he laid out the steaks putting them on in order of the degree of doneness. The potatoes were wrapped in aluminum foil and cooking in the coals. When the food was nearly done, Ed said, “All of you who brought canned fruit might want to open a can or two to share. Set them over to the side so that people can put some on their plates. Don’t open too many because we can’t handle leftovers.”

One of the students asked, “What about your cat?”

Smiling, Ed answered, “This is the cat’s natural habitat. He’s been hunting down his own food the whole trip here. He’s had about a dozen field mice and will probably take down a rabbit, later.”

The dinner was uneventful other than the fact that everyone enjoyed their food. The fire served as a focal point of attention as people sat around looking at the flames and talking about their excitement about the field trip. It was a comfortable evening as the students chatted, weary from their hike, satisfied by the food, and happy with their companions. For most of the students, this was the first chance that they had to actually get to know each other outside of the university environment.

Ed sat on the ground tailor fashion with Tiger lying next to him. The initial topic of conversation started with questions about Tiger and how the cat had come to travel with him. That led to a discussion of his family life and the fact that he had a husband and two wives. That topic was sufficient to keep people talking for more than an hour. The sun set and the group was lit by the warm light from the fire. As the stars came out, the conversation changed to the nature of the universe.

For the time being, Ed was able to relax among the students. Sitting there stroking the cat as the night passed, Ed was just another student around the fire. The group broke up early, a result of the combination of exercise and fresh air. Ed returned to the horses and took care of them. Removing the feed bag, he watered them and then hobbled them so that they could graze on the little greenery in the area. Returning to where he had set his saddle, he unrolled his bedroll. Resting his head on the saddle, he lay back staring at the stars overhead. He had to laugh when he thought of the last outdoor trip where he had met the Two-Sided One. This was definitely a more relaxed trip than that one had been.

Ed was about to drop off to sleep when he heard a noise approaching him. It wasn’t Tiger since the cat was curled up beside him. It wasn’t the horses since they were on the other side of him. Since the cat wasn’t reacting, Ed wasn’t worried. He sat up and turned around to see what was approaching, but was blinded by a flashlight. Shaking his head as the beam flashed across his face destroying his night vision. Holding a hand in front of his eyes, he said, “Turn off the light.”

A woman’s voice came back, “I need it to see where I’m going.”

Unable to see her because of the light in his eyes, he recognized her by her voice. It was Terry, a slightly overweight woman that was fairly bright, but suffered from a horrible self-image. She was normally very shy and it was very out of character for her to search him out in the dark.

Frowning, Ed turned away so that he wouldn’t be looking into the light. It was useless to argue with her. She couldn’t see in the dark because she had the flashlight on and had destroyed her night vision. If she turned off the light now, she’d have to wait ten minutes for her night vision to return enough to be able to see in the dark.

She reached his bedroll. Sitting up to make room for her on it, he patted the end and waited for her to sit down next to him. She asked, “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

It was really too late to object, so he answered, “Sure. What’s on your mind?”