Sheila said as they started up the trail. “Are you kidding?” Rusty asked. “Why else would we go traipsing through the woods?” “We know how much you like nature hikes,” Katie added, “so here we are.” Sheila’s eyes darted suspiciously from one to the other of the cousins, then were drawn toward the steep, well-groomed trail that lead invitingly into a forest of lodgepole pine, fir and spruce. “Okay,” she said finally, “just be really quiet and we might see some wildlife.” Sheila led the way while Rusty, last in line, concentrated on keeping up with the girls and keeping his mouth shut. He wondered what sort of wildlife they might see. He thought about bears. And he thought about the two chocolate bars he stashed in his backpack before leaving the campsite. If bears could smell chocolate right through the wrappers, then the best way to get rid of the scent would be to eat the chocolate bars. Problem solved. He stopped and slid his backpack from his shoulders, but then another thought struck him.
