to the south. The view was breathtaking, forested hills with canyons carved between them dropping away to the valley where Phoenix sat. By now she was a couple of thousand feet above the valley floor, and could look down on the thick haze of smoke that hung over the city.
“Where are the guys in the Jeeps?” She asked when Steve picked up.
“Just cresting the ridge to your south,” he answered. “They’re moving a little slower than you. Hard to tell on satellite, but I think one of the Jeeps isn’t really set up for any serious off-road travel and the driver is having to take it really easy.”
Finally some good news.
“How much farther do I have?” Katie asked, digging a fresh bottle of water out of the back of the truck.
“The computer shows forty one miles, but it’s just drawing a line and not taking into account the terrain. You’ve probably got close to fifty actual miles to go. At your pace you won’t be there before dark.”
Katie didn’t like hearing that answer. Not with two vehicles only a few miles behind her. The last thing she wanted to do was stop for the night and let them catch up. She also didn’t like the idea of traveling at night. The road was difficult enough to navigate with the sun shining brightly and it would be three times harder with only the truck’s lights. Deciding she’d better cover as much ground as she could while it was daylight, Katie told Steve she’d call him later and resumed her trek.
The north side of the ridge she had stopped on was the steepest descent she had ever driven, the heavy truck constantly threatening to start slipping sideways. She had no idea just how steep it really was, but was glad for the seatbelt that kept her from sliding forward off the seat. The angle had been sharp, but it was only fifteen minutes before the trail bottomed out into a shallow canyon.
Crossing the level terrain, Katie brought the truck to a stop when she came to the edge of a small stream. The water was no more than thirty feet across, but it was running swiftly and she couldn’t tell how deep it was. Living in the desert it was an almost daily occurrence during monsoon season that someone would try and drive across a flooded wash and wind up stranded and on the news being winched up from the roof of their flooded vehicle by a helicopter.
It was so common, in fact, that Arizona had passed what was called the “stupid motorist” law. If you drove into a flooded wash and had to be rescued, you would have to reimburse the cost of your rescue. Katie knew it wouldn’t take much depth in the fast moving current to push the truck downstream and was hesitant to risk the crossing.
Climbing down, she walked to the edge of the water, but still couldn’t gauge its depth. She briefly considered wading out to test it, but dismissed the idea. The streambed would be full of round, slippery rocks and it wouldn’t take much for her feet to be washed out from under her. Katie stared at the stream for almost a minute, trying to think what John would do.
With a smile at the thought of her husband she ran to the back of the truck and dug out a length of sturdy rope. Securing one end of it to the truck’s front bumper, she wrapped the other around her waist and carefully stepped into the stream.
The water was shockingly cold when it seeped into her leather boots, but she gritted her teeth and pushed on. Five feet from the edge the water was just over the tops of her boots. The push of the current was strong and Katie was having a hard time maintaining her footing, but she pushed on. At the halfway mark the water was to the bottom of her knees and every step she took she was forced further downstream. She started to go back, but realized the water could still be deeper before the far edge.
Pushing on, Katie moved slowly and deliberately, careful to stay balanced and not let her weight suddenly shift and send her plunging into the stream. She walked until she was five feet from the far shore, the depth of the water having receded back to the tops of her boots. Satisfied with her exploration, she slowly turned and began making her way back to