It was almost dark when I got the call-
Maddie and Pal chose my errand day to run up to Broken Bow (the tail end of the Ozarks - 30 minutes north) and hike the skyline trail (12 miles). They'd never done it before and were unaware it had such great waterfalls with temptingly clear water to swim in (one of the few places you might feel safe when water moccasins are so bountiful.) They couldn't resist the temptation and had stripped to their under clothes for a dip. But, wet underclothes make for wet outer clothes when they're put back on, and that's a bit cold for 70 degree weather. It also goofed up their 'hiking in daylight' time frame. So they hurried down to the end of the trail, in the semi dark, with wet clothes; only to find that the bridge going over the white water had washed away. Their cell coverage was also sketchy. I got several cut off phone calls that went something like this:
*crackle, crackle* "Mom, HELP!..." *crackle, crackle, disconnect*
*crackle* "Mom, bridge out!..." *crackle, disconnect*
"We don't know what to ...." *crackle, disconnect*
"Easel almost dead...." (easel is our three legged dog)
"can't find a crossi..."
"going to..."
Bert was in the middle of a c-section and couldn't leave right then, so Hydn and I rushed home and started loading rope, flashlights, life vests, dry clothes, food, snake bite kit, and everything else we could think of into the truck - you know, in order to be REAL LIFE HEROES! Our plan was simple: hike the trail backwards, cross the river with the life jackets/rope, save grateful children. Bert made it home just in time and we started out into the now pitch black night. It was almost disappointing to get a call just minutes later -with no crackles or disconnect, telling us not to worry and that they had SAVED THEMSELVES. They'd hiked the shoreline, found a fisherman who knew a new trail and made it out. They walked in the door 40 minutes later laughing and having a great time reliving their grand adventure... They had no sympathy that they'd ruined mine.
New hike - different day.
It's becoming quite the pastime.
