Fatal Descent (4 page)

Mandy remembered that the whole Anderson family, except for Alex, had treated the guides like porters at the put-in. The five of them had stood off to the side, talking about the ugly structures of the Potash mine just upstream and taking photos. The others had done all of the work, lugging gear and rafts between the vehicles and the river bank. The Andersons hadn’t even carried their own personal dry bags to the river. She hoped they weren’t going to expect the guides to wait on them hand and foot for the whole trip.

As she watched Amy and Alice, Mandy wondered whether the
two women might be happier sitting in her raft, where they weren’t expected to paddle. And if they spent some time with her, maybe Mandy could drop the hint that they would enjoy the trip more if they actually pitched in and
did
something.

When Tina took a break in her story-telling, Mandy asked her, “Do you and your mother want to take some turns in the paddling rafts?”

“Oh yes, I do,” Tina said, “especially in the whitewater section.”

When Mandy looked at Elsa, she nodded and said, “Me, too.”

“I’ll make sure that happens,” Mandy said. “We’ll keep mixing it up so you have plenty of time in a paddle raft—but we won’t put Elsa in the same one as Paul.”

Elsa cracked a smile. “Smart gal. You wouldn’t want to have a murder on your hands.”

Mandy gave the expected response of rolling her eyes in jest, but inwardly she shuddered. She had just come off a summer of river rangering where she had experienced much more than her fair share of murders—and the disastrous effects on those she loved. The absolute last thing she wanted to deal with, even more than Rob’s mother’s wedding mania, was another dead body.

_____

The flotilla reached the petrified forest site below Thelma and Louise Point around twelve thirty, perfect timing for lunch. While they beached the rafts, Cool told the story of how the point had stood in for the Grand Canyon in the movie. The National Park Service wouldn’t give the movie makers permission to crash a car in the Grand Canyon, but the Utah state park authorities were happy to oblige.

Mandy and Kendra set up the portable toilet upstream behind a screening stand of tamarisks and willows.

Then Gonzo gave the toilet speech. “Listen up, folks. Here’s the
scoop on pee and poop. Whenever we stop on the river bank, any of you guys who need to ‘water the river’ should head down
stream. Women should head upstream and find a private place in the trees to squat. The chemical toilet is for number two only, or any woman wh
o doesn’t want to squat.”

Gonzo held up a roll of toilet paper in a plastic bag. “This here is the key to the john. If it’s in camp, the toilet is available. If it’s gone, the toilet’s occupied. Everyone got the idea?” He waved the bag in the air.

Alice gave a snort and marched upstream. Diana gratefully took
the key from Gonzo, and Amy followed her mother.

After everyone had relieved themselves, Rob led the clients through
a grove of river cane to the petrified logs with Mandy
bringing up the rear. The other staff stayed on the river bank to make lunch and set up a handwashing station.

Each of the river guides had picked an area of study to bone up o
n
before the trip. Rob took geology, Gonzo had chosen the an
cient tribes and their rock art, Kendra studied the wildlife, birds, and tracks, and Mandy had chosen the plant life. She had gone on a short hike with a Moab herbalist and plant expert the day before the rafting trip. She was glad she could put that education to use when Mo Heedles stopped and pointed at a small bush with grayish-green spiky leaves and small yellow flowers.

“What plant is this?”

Mandy bent down and fingered the prickly flowers. “That’s
snake
broom.” She waved the group over to look. “Native Americans
would
make a poultice out of this plant to put on snake bites. One of the Moab guides told me that when a friend got stung by a wasp on a camping trip, he mixed some of the crushed flowers with a little beer and put it on the bite. His friend said it helped—took away the pain and swelling.”

“Hell, just drinking the beer would do that!” Les gave a hearty laugh and turned away, obviously disinterested.

Mo frowned at him, then turned to Mandy. “That was fascinating. Thanks.” She took a photograph of the plant and scribbled a note in a small journal she carried with her.

When they reached the petrified logs, Rob admonished the group
not to touch them or pick up any pieces. Then he explained how they were created by a sudden flood that washed them down to the mouth of the ancient river where they were covered by a mud flow. Over time the mud solidified into sandstone and minerals leached into the wood, dissolving it and leaving mineralized impressions. The geology hounds, Alex, Elsa, and Paul, seemed most interested in the site, taking photos and asking questions. After a few perfunctory photos posing in front of the logs, the others grew restless.

Mandy suggested it was time for lunch.

When they returned to the beach, Gonzo explained how to use the handwashing station, a hygiene requirement of the Park Service. All of the food preparers had used it before making lunch, and they were supposed to urge the clients to use it before every meal.

Les skipped the handwashing and looked around with hands on his hips. “Man, it’s time to get this party started! I need some beer. Where’s the coolers?”

No one said a word.

Mandy shot a glance at Rob. While neither they, nor any of the other outfitters, provided alcohol on the trip, they had told the clients there would be room in the coolers for canned or boxed beer and wine if they wanted to bring some. Les had brought a whole case of Budweiser. Hal and Diana’s box of white wine seemed small in comparison.

Rob walked over to Les and put a hand on his shoulder. “We need our wits about us when we’re on the water. So, we’re going to hold off on the alcohol each day until we reach our final campsite. You can have all you want then, but in the meantime, Kendra’s made some lemonade and iced tea for us.”

Les made a face, but when he looked around and saw that no one wanted to join him, he shrugged. “I’ll go with the flow if nobody wants to have some fun. Hell, this trip’s been downright boring so far.”

Mandy bristled at that, but Rob just forced out a laugh and said,
“That’s what relaxation is all about. Glad to know we delivered!” He clapped a bewildered-looking Les on the back and went to wash his hands.

Diana approached Mandy while holding her “Americone.” It was
half of a large flour tortilla rolled into a cone and filled with fresh taco salad. The cooks had mixed crushed tortillas in with the salad to soak up the juices.

“This is genius,” Diana said. “You don’t need plates or napkins or anything. I’ll have to remember it for our next barbecue. And it’s delicious, too.” She took a large bite.

Mandy smiled. Minimizing trash and the need for utensils was the whole point of the meal. “Thanks. There’s plenty, so if you want more, feel free.”

After everyone had had their fill, Mandy and the other guides cleaned and packed the kitchen gear and toilet and stowed it all back on Rob’s raft. Then Mandy got everyone’s attention.

“We want to mix up the raft positions a little,” she said. “Elsa and Tina were in my raft this morning, and they’d like a chance to paddle this afternoon. Anyone else interested in moving?”

The silence was deafening.

Finally, Alex raised his hand. “I’ll give up my spot. I don’t need the practice.”

“You can take my place in Rob’s oar raft,” Cool said to Alex. “I’ll hang out with the ladies this afternoon in Kendra’s raft.”

Mandy looked around for other volunteers.

Her cheeks reddening, Amy nudged her husband. “They can have our spots, don’t you think?”

“Sure,” Les said lazily. “Maybe I can stretch out and take a nap on one of the oar rafts, since there’s not much else to do.”

“I’ll set up a comfy spot for you on my raft.” Mandy flashed a grateful smile to Amy.

With that issue resolved, they quickly loaded the rafts and pushed
off into the current. Once underway, Cool pointed out Dead Horse
Point above them and told the legend of where the name came from.
Cowboys had rounded up wild mustangs on the point and corralled them there with a brush fence across the narrow neck of land onto the point. They picked out the horses they wanted and left the rejects trapped behind the fence to die of thirst within sight of the Colorado River 2,000 feet below.

“How awful!” wide-eyed Amy said, while her husband just shook
his head at her reaction.

“Here’s a better story about the point, then,” Cool replied. “Remember the scene in
Mission Impossible II
where Tom Cruise is rock climbing?”

Peering at the point, Les said, “Sure do. I couldn’t believe that prissy little movie actor would do something so dangerous.”

“That scene was filmed on the edge of Dead Horse Point. He was on cables, but they erased them in the movie,” Cool answered, “and his stunt double did the riskiest parts.”

Les snorted. “Figures.” He smugly folded his arms across his chest, as if he could show Tom Cruise a thing or two.

Mandy said to Les, “I noticed how strong your paddle strokes were this morning. You know, when we unload the rafts at the campsite, we could really use someone athletic like you.”

The comment had multiple purposes—to butter up Les, to make sure he wasn’t miffed about putting off his beer drinking, and to get him i
n a helping frame of mind. They really did need help unloading the rafts. Hopefully, if she could get Les to realize pitching in was expected of the clients, the rest of the Anderson family would follow his lead.

“I guess I could lend a hand,” Les replied. “As long as it doesn’t put off cocktail hour too long.”

“No problem,” Mandy said. “The more hands we can get in a bucket
brigade to unload the gear, the quicker it goes. Shouldn’t take more than a few minutes if everyone helps. Then we guides will fix dinner and set up camp while you folks pitch your tents and relax.”

“I could help,” Amy said timidly.

Les snorted. “You? Lugging these big sacks?” He patted one of the tent dry bags he had been lounging against. “No, don’t worry your
pretty little head over that.”

“Pitching a tent isn’t very hard,” Mandy offered. “And if you haven’t done it before, one of us could show you how.”

“Sounds like fun,” Amy said, while Les looked doubtful.

To continue softening Les, Mandy said to him, “I guess from the looks of you, a corporate security officer has to stay in good shape. What do you do for work, exactly?”

Les waxed eloquently about the importance of his position, the hush-hush nature, the element of danger. But when Mandy probed further, with appropriate ego-stroking comments about how important it all sounded, it seemed like the job mostly involved paperwork, such as processing and checking on employee clearances. It all sounded like a huge bore to her, but it was easy to feign interest with a remark here and there.

After a while Mandy tried a couple of times to steer the topic
toward Amy and her activities, but Les kept dismissing his wife’s life as trivial and returning the discussion to himself. Finally he yawned mightily, leaned back on the dry bags and pushed his hat over his face to take a nap. Then Mandy and Amy could talk quietly about Amy’s home life.

Soon, Mandy had trouble stifling her own yawns. There was no
way
she could tolerate Amy’s sedate, mostly indoors existence,
catering to Les’s whims. Mandy mused to herself that if she were in Amy’s shoes, she would go out back and shoot herself—or Les.

four

Should you shield the canyons from the windstorms
you would never see the true beauty of their carvings.

—
elisabeth kübler-ross

Later that afternoon, the
gr
oup reached the Little Bridge camp
site and tied the rafts to some sturdy tamarisk trunks. Gonzo made hasty work of widening steps that had been cut by a previous party into the tall sand bank rising about five feet above the water. Again, one of the first items unloaded from the raft was the steel box toilet that was set up a discrete distance from camp. Rob then organized a bucket brigade line to pass gear from the rafts up to a wide, sandy area about
twenty yards from the river bank. Mandy was glad to see the Andersons pitching in.

Once the unloading was complete, folks picked tent locations
and the guides helped the clients figure out how to pitch their tents
.
Mandy told everyone to just toss their sleeping bags and gear bags inside
the tents, that there would be time to organize their gear later. After folks had grabbed a piece of fruit or a granola bar for a snack—or a beer in Les’s case—she got everyone’s attention.

“We’re going to divide into two groups, so you have a choice of activities. Cool and Gonzo will take one group over to the cliff wall above us to try some climbing and rappelling.” She swept an arm toward the red sandstone cliff rising above the downstream side of the camp. It was riddled with caves about halfway up, a three-story climb. “You’ll get an awesome view of the river from those caves, so be sure to take your cameras.

“For those who aren’t feeling so daring, Kendra will lead a short hike back into the canyon. You can take photos there of the wildflowers, the beautiful amphitheater formed by the cliff walls, and any wildlife you see. And, of course, you have the option of doing nothing and hanging out here. Rob and I will stay here to cook dinner. Now, who wants to go with Kendra?”

Kendra stepped away from the group and held up her hand. As Mandy expected, Diana and Hal Anderson walked toward her. Their daughter Amy did, too, as did Tina Norton. That surprised Mandy, since both of Tina’s parents seemed to be opting for the more adventurous climb.

“Don’t you want to hike with your daughter?” Elsa asked Paul Norton.

He shook his head. “I’ve always wanted to try climbing. It’s one of the reasons I came on this trip.” When she frowned, he said quietly, “Let’s just try to get along.”

That left eight clients with Cool and Gonzo. “Can you handle so many?” Mandy asked Cool.

Cool began tossing helmets to the people in his group. “Sure, we’ll rig up two belay lines, with Gonzo in charge of one and me in charge of the other.”

Elsa sidled over next to Cool, and with a sigh, Paul stepped toward Gonzo.

After explaining how to fit their helmets to their heads, Cool addressed
the climbing group. “This will be a short, easy ascent to those
caves, to give your climbing muscles a first stretch. After some time for photo ops, we’ll rappel down. This will prepare you for more challenging climbs later.”

“Just be sure you’re back before dark, so folks can organize their
tents before dinner,” Mandy reminded him.

He gave a quick nod. Then he looped a gear harness across his chest and over a shoulder that clanged with carabiners, removable
anchors and other hardware. Next, he shouldered a large backpack stuffed with ropes, gloves, and belay harnesses. Gonzo did the same. After making sure everyone had a full water bottle, they headed
for the boulder hill at the base of the cliff.

In the meantime, Kendra had waited patiently until everyone
in her group had dug out a camera and filled water bottles. Though she didn’t need to wear much sunscreen to protect her own black skin, she reminded the others to be sure to put some on. Once everyone was ready, with a nod to Rob and Mandy she led her group into the canyon.

“Ah, alone at last.” Rob snaked an arm around Mandy’s waist. “Come here,
mi querida.
”

After a quick glance around to make sure they were alone, Mandy joined Rob in a kiss that deepened and lasted until she was reeling and wanting more.

Rob pulled back and gazed into her eyes. “I needed that.”

“Me, too, and I wish we could finish this in the tent.” Mandy gave his butt a squeeze before releasing her hug. “But we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

With a finger to her lips, Rob said, “Save my place. We’ll pick this up again later.”

He winked and headed for the gear pile. They both knew this was the way it would be for the rest of the trip. Quick snatches of alone time when they could find it. But as Mandy watched the muscles bunch in Rob’s sexy thighs while he hefted the camp stove, she smiled. She could always watch him—and anticipate the nights when those thighs would be next to hers.

They worked companionably together, comparing observations on the clients while they set up the kitchen, handwashing station, three-stage dishwashing station and folding camp tables and chairs. Rob agreed with Mandy that Les Williams was proving to be an ass, but Rob thought he could handle him.

“You’ve done a good job with him so far,” Mandy said. “I just wish the whole Anderson family would pitch in more.”

“Hey, they’re on vacation,” Rob said with a shrug. “If they don’t want to pitch in, that’s their privilege. They paid for it.”

“You’re right,” Mandy said, blowing hair out of her face, “but it’s always the clients who roll up their sleeves who get the most out of these trips. The Andersons don’t know what they’re missing out on.”

“It’s their loss, not ours. I’m more worried about the Nortons. Keeping Elsa and Paul from arguing and putting a damper on the whole group is going to be tough.”

“At least the three women have been no problem so far. They’re a lot of fun and enthusiastic.”

They went to work on the meal. Mandy chopped vegetables and started a pot of rice boiling on the gas stove for stir-fried rice. Rob fried spring rolls on the griddle side of the large gas stove, then set them aside in a covered pot to stay warm while he fried chicken breasts that had been marinated in teriyaki sauce. They stirred up pitchers of lemonade and iced tea and put out s’more makings for dessert later.

By the time Kendra returned with her group, Mandy and Rob had laid out a buffet line, and all of the food was being kept warm in pots on the stove.

“See anything interesting?” Mandy asked.

Amy shrugged. “Some pretty wildflowers. I think I’ll organize our tent and lie down for a bit before Les and the others come back.” She headed for it.

“That cryptobiotic soil is fascinating,” Hal said. “Some of the crusty mounds were five or six inches high.”

“I thought they were strange-looking anthills,” Diana said, “until Kendra explained the crust was a mix of lichens, mosses, fungi, algae, and—” She snapped her fingers. “What’s the term for that bacteria again?”

“Cyanobacteria,” Kendra answered. “The mucus they secrete is what holds the soil clumps together.”

“And it’s amazing how those teeny tiny organisms can do that huge job of retaining water and controlling erosion.”

“But only if you don’t step on them,” Kendra said. “You all were great about staying on the trail.”

“I thought that bridge formation in the back of the canyon was pretty spectacular,” Tina chimed in. “I snapped some good photos of it before we had to head back.”

“Great,” Mandy said. “You can show them to your folks when they get back.”

“What can I do to help?” Kendra asked, and before Mandy could
answer, Tina said, “Me, too.”

What a nice change from the Andersons, Mandy thought. “You can
collect driftwood for a fire later, Kendra. And Tina, after you wash your hands, you can set out the spring rolls and dipping sauce for an appetizer.”

Kendra and Tina quickly went to work. In the meantime, Hal Anderson dug their wine box out of the cooler. After asking for cups,
he poured white wine for Diana and himself. They sat and drank at one of the camp tables and watched deepening shadows crawl across the river while munching on the spring rolls Tina brought them.

About a half hour later, as the sun dipped below the pink cliffs behind the campsite, gilding the upper rim golden red, Cool and Gonzo arrived with their group, all chattering enthusiastically about the climb.

Mandy came out of the tent she was sharing with Rob, where she had been laying out their sleeping bags. She flashed a greeting smile at the group. “How’d everyone do?”

Les pumped a fist in the air. “I was first to the top.”

“After the guides, that is,” Alice added.

“Well, of course,” Les said with a scowl. “They had to set up the route. But I beat your bro fair and square.”

“Were you racing?” Mandy asked.

“Not really,” Alex replied as he dug a beer out of one of the coolers and tossed it to Les. He popped the top on another one, drank some, and let out a satisfied “Ah,” then smacked his lips. “Les and I were the first two to go up, so of course,
he turned it into a race.”

Hand on his hip, Les said, “Why not? Adds an element of excitement.” He looked around. “Where’s Amy?”

“Napping in your tent, I think.” Mandy pointed.

Before walking away, Les said, “You shouldn’t feel bad, Alex. At least you didn’t get beat by a girl, like Paulie boy here.”

Paul bared his teeth in a nervous smile, looked at his daughter and explained, “Elsa and I went next, and she reached the top before me.”

Mandy glanced at Elsa, who quickly wiped a triumphant smirk off her face. In a nonchalant tone, she said to Tina, “Your father and I weren’t really racing. It just turned out that we got on the two ropes at the same time.”

I bet,
Mandy thought. Elsa, like Les, seemed to have that type A personality that grabbed at competition whenever it could. These were the type of clients that Meander Canyon was best for, cutting them off from their electronic devices and forcing them to slow down and savor life.

Cool came up behind Alice Anderson and Betsy Saunders and draped an arm over each, pulling them close to him. “The lovely ladies did great, too,” he said with a salacious grin.

Alice slid out of his grasp. “I’m going to clean up before dinner.”
She walked away.

Still holding on to Betsy, Cool tried to throw an arm around Mo Heedle’s shoulders, but both women twirled out of his grasp.

“We’re going to clean up, too,” Mo stated firmly, and the three women headed for their large tent.

Mandy frowned. The last thing she wanted was Cool carrying the flirtation thing too far and pissing off the female clients. RM Outdoor Adventures couldn’t afford to deal with a sexual harassment lawsuit.

Left with empty arms, Cool gave a shrug and went to work stowing the climbing gear back in one of the rafts. Gonzo snatched a spring
roll and gave a toodle-oo wave with his fingers to Kendra before going to help Cool.

Mandy raised an eyebrow at Rob, but she couldn’t really say any
thing to him about Cool in front of the others. They would have to talk about him later in the privacy of their tent.

_____

Everyone had worked up an appetite. They descended on the Chinese meal like a swarm of locusts on a cornfield and stripped the pots bare. Dusk had descended, so the camping lanterns had been brought out and lit, and most of the group had applied bug repellant or donned long-sleeved shirts and pants.

Exhausted now after her mostly sleepless night and work-filled day, Mandy struggled to maintain a perky smile and posture. She
silently calculated how long it would take to clean up and put the
campsite right before she could crawl into her sleeping bag.

Too long.

The clients had all settled back into camp chairs with s’mores and mugs of decaf or regular coffee. The three girlfriends passed around photos of their families to show the others. Kendra roasted marshmallows over the small driftwood fire burning in the metal fire pan for those who wanted seconds on dessert. She slapped Gonzo’s hand playfully when he grabbed a chocolate bar to eat by itself.

Rob started a discussion on the differences between Meander
Canyon, with its slow-moving flatwater, and Cataract Canyon, with
its whitewater rapids. Cataract also had twice the water volume, from the confluence of the Colorado and Green rivers. Both canyons had their pluses. Meander Canyon offered more chances to interact with nature and examine the geology and history of the Utah Canyonlands while taking hiking, swimming, and climbing breaks. Cataract Canyon offered the thrill of surfing an almost continuous string of roaring rapids—an hours-long roller coaster ride.

Rob leaned forward in his chair. “Here’s a challenge. I’d like each of you to choose which canyon you think you’re going to enjoy the most. At the end of the trip, we’ll talk about this again to see if anyone changes their mind. Surprisingly, I’ve been told that a lot of people do.”

By then, Mandy felt sure she could predict which canyon each of their clients would say they preferred, but she listened carefully to see if her people-reading skills were right.

Of course, the older Andersons, Diana and Hal, chose Meander Canyon, especially Diana. With a shudder, she said, “I’m still worried about those huge crashing waves in Cataract Canyon that I keep imagining.”

Alex laughed and patted his mother’s hand. “You’ll end up whooping and hollering like the rest of us. I guarantee it! And, of course I choose Cataract Canyon. If there was a way to get there without going through this slow stuff, I’d probably do it.”

As Mandy expected, the type-A personalities of Elsa Norton and Les Williams chose Cataract Canyon. Alice Anderson, too, who had looked so bored during that day’s float downriver, chose Cataract Canyon.

Betsy, Viv, and Mo spent a lot of time discussing the choice. They noted their interests in animal tracking, bird-watching, and wildflower identification, respectively, and said they had enjoyed the quiet float and challenging climb that day. However, they all had a sense of adventure, too. They wound up refusing to choose, no matter how much Rob needled them, saying they had chosen the trip for both and thought they would like both equally.