Skiing in Black Bear Park

"What do you think of winter camping now, Matt?" asked Katie.

“I’m happy that we will be warm,” he said. “I’m not so sure about the wildlife.”

“I want to try skiing again tomorrow,” said Katie. “Roxanne says they have good trails in the park.”

Matt was trying to figure out what kind of trees he was seeing. It was hard to tell at night, but he knew that they had passed some maples and some birches. A patch of bark on one of the birches was shredded and hanging. Matt wondered if the tree had some sort of disease.

Matt loved all that grew in the forest. In science class, he had learned about the bark, leaves, and needles of different kinds of trees. He had gone into the woods to collect samples to add to the display at the back of his classroom. He wanted to stay longer, but he was afraid. What else might be out there with him?

They walked in silence together. The night was dark. They would not be able to see the moon or the stars tonight unless the clouds went away.

Then Matt spoke. “Katie, shouldn’t we be there by now?”

Katie stopped, turned, and shone her flashlight behind them. Then she spun around and aimed the light in front of them.

She marched on.

They came to another corner in the road. Katie turned left. Matt followed her lead.

“Katie, do you know where you’re going?”

“I think so.”

“I think we should have turned way back there. I bet we missed a corner after we left the washrooms.”

“But I was sure we were supposed to go this way,” Katie said. She looked all around her. She didn’t understand how she had wound up here.

“Katie,” Matt said, “we’re lost.”