Chapter31
Maggie slowly opened her eyes.Walker was standing over her, looking down.
“You need to go potty?”She eased up on her elbows.
Walker whined and nuzzled her cheek with his nose.
She laughed.“I will take that as a yes.”She threw the sleeping bag off her legs and shivered at the noticeably cooler temps.She grabbed her hoodie and slipped it on along with her sneakers.
She attached Walker’s leash to his collar and unzipped the sleeping bag.
Maggie bundled deeper into her hoodie and stuck her hands in her hoodie pocket.Walker trotted about fifteen feet before stopping to pee on a nearby tree.She decided that, since Cindy was still sleeping, they would walk around the campground.
Families were outside, moms sipping their coffees while dads grilled breakfasts.Children were riding their bikes and laughing, while dogs snoozed by campfires.The smell of bacon sizzling and the sweet aroma of pancakes made her stomach growl.
By the time they made it back to their campsite, Cindy was standing outside the van stretching her arms over her head.
“Good morning.”Maggie smiled.“Did you sleep well?”Walker rushed over to give Cindy some licks on the back of her hand.
Cindy laughed and rubbed his head.“I slept like a rock.How was the tent?Was it warm enough?”
Maggie nodded and opened the van door.“It was.Walker is a good snuggler and just the thing to keep the chill off.I’ll make us some coffee.”She stepped inside the van and grabbed the coffee pot and all the ingredients to get their day started.
After prepping the pot, she stepped back outside.
“What time are we supposed to go to the national park?”Cindy frowned.
“Ten o’clock.We have time for coffee and a shower before we need to head over there.I looked on the website, and we can drive the van there and park midway in a parking lot.There are buses we can take if we want to go further up.”
Cindy frowned.“Will they let Walker on the bus?”Cindy eased into a seat at the picnic table.
“Good question.Let me check the website.”Maggie pulled out her phone and quickly found the website.“Bad news.He won’t be allowed on the bus or on the hiking trails.It does say dogs can be walked near the picnic areas or on park roads.”She looked at Walker.“I think we should just drive the van into the national park and see how far we can go.If we have to turn around, so be it.At least we’ll be together.”
Cindy nodded excitedly.“I agree.Plus, I heard some campers talking about how they saw lots of animals on side of the roads, so maybe we’ll get lucky.I’ll go grab a shower.”She ducked inside the van.Cindy returned, holding a pair of red shorts.“Do you mind if I borrow these today?”
Maggie shook her head.“Grab a pair of my jeans.It’s too cold for shorts.They have laundry facilities by the office.We can wash everything up tonight.”
Cindy nodded.When she stepped out of the van her arms were full of a fresh change of clothes and the shower caddy.“I won’t be long.”
Maggie reached for the coffee pot and poured herself a cup of coffee.She walked over to the swing on the camping pad and sat down.
Walker looked up at her.She made room on the swing and patted the seat next to her.“Come on, boy.”
Walker edged close and put his paws on the seat.He tried lifting his back leg but it was too high up.Maggie set her coffee mug down on the ground.She wrapped her arms around him and lifted him into the swing before sitting down next to him.
“This is the life, isn’t it, Walker?”She took a sip of her hot coffee and gazed at the mountains.
The jagged edges of the rock jutted toward the sky in snow-covered caps.The gentle, early morning breeze trembled the aspen trees and sent a calming cacophony through the campsite.
Walker licked his lips and sent a plume of breath up to the air.She laughed at the sight.
She wanted to start a campfire but they wouldn’t be here long enough before heading into the national park.They would just have to wait for tonight to build one.
Her phone buzzed, breaking the serenity of the mountains.She sighed heavily and pulled it out of her pocket.
Where are you?!~Mom
Maggie should just ignore her mom.But when her mom sent the same text two seconds later, she felt her blood boil.
