| Wes Boyd's Spearfish Lake Tales Contemporary Mainstream Books and Serials Online |
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| Wes Boyd's Spearfish Lake Tales Contemporary Mainstream Books and Serials Online |
Chapter 27
Epilogue
It wasn’t a bad spring day, although a mackerel sky overhead told Barbie that there was some weather coming. It probably wouldn’t be too bad, she thought, although really it didn’t matter: they’d have to take it as it came, like it or not.
Even though it was the first rig of the season for the team, Barbie thought that things had gone very well. Crystal had really organized the rigging and the loading, and even though there were people on the crew who hadn’t been here the year before, the launch ramp rigging had gone very well. They were just sitting around on the rafts, contemplating the season, and waiting at Lee’s Ferry for the customer bus to show up so they could get things under way. “Just a little different from last year, isn’t it Erika?” she said to one of the boatmen.
“Just a little,” Erika agreed.
“Yeah,” Barbie said. “You and I are the only ones left out of the five of us boatmen that were sitting here this time last year.”
“And thank God for that,” Erika smiled. “In more ways than one.”
Barbie smiled. Terry wasn’t on the Gold Team this year, and that was probably just as well. Barbie knew that Erika and Terry had had a falling out over something or other over the course of the winter. She had no idea what it could have been and really didn’t care, but having the two separated probably would make things a little more peaceful in the weeks ahead. Still, with Andy as assistant trip leader it would be a good, solid team, even if a couple of the boatmen, Erika included, were still a little on the green side for Barbie’s taste.
“Hey,” Andy piped up, “look who’s coming.”
Barbie glanced up to see a familiar person in decidedly unfamiliar clothes coming their way. After all, the last time she’d seen him at this location he’d been wearing a kilt, but now he was wearing a simple green National Park Service uniform, right down to the trademark broad-brimmed hat.
“That’s just what we need,” Clyde, the junior boatman snorted. “The Park Service coming to bug us.”
“Hey, be cool,” Barbie smiled. “They have their jobs to do, too.”
As the ranger got closer, he called out, “Hey, Barbie! How’s it going?”
“Pretty good,” she replied. “All rigged and set to go. I gotta say, that green looks good on you, but I happen to think a kilt would look better.”
“I’m starting to get used to it,” their visitor replied. “But right now, it’s a little hard. Can I see your manifest?”
“Yeah, I got it down here in the drybox,” she replied as she swung around to get it. “The customer bus ain’t in yet, but it shouldn’t be long.”
“Full load?”
“Actually one short, we don’t have a swamper this trip,” she replied as she came up with the manifest and handed it to him. “We’re a little early for school to be getting out.”
“Yeah, well, life sucks, especially if you’re the junior boatman,” he grinned. “That right, Erika?” he grinned.
“Well, yeah, but I’m not the junior boatman after taking those three trips last fall. Clyde here gets to clean the rocket boxes when this trip is over with. So how have you been doing?”
“Not bad,” the ranger smiled. “Like I said, it’s taking a while to get used to how things have changed.”
“How are Michelle and Hance? It seemed strange to not see her at the loading this morning.”
“Well, yeah, she doesn’t get down to Flag much anymore. She’s too busy with the store, but I’d guess you’ll see her sometime this season; she’s going to do turnarounds when Crystal is on the river. She’s doing fine, got right back into shape, and is pretty as ever. Hance is growing like a weed, but boy, is he messy when he eats.”
“They get over it, I’m told,” she grinned. “Then they just make worse messes.”
“Well, he’s a boy, what do you expect?” The ranger turned to Barbie and said, “I count twenty-four PFDs laid out for the customers, and I think I see five laying around for the crew. Do you have your spares?”
“You’d know we do if anybody did,” Barbie said defensively.
“I know, but it’s policy,” the ranger said. “But the fact of the matter is that when I’m down here I’m going to have to stick with the letter of the rules when it comes to Canyon Tours crews. If I didn’t do that it would look like favoritism to anyone else.”
“I suppose,” Barbie shrugged. “Al said you’d told him it had to be that way.”
“Yeah, it’s going to make it a little harder on you, but that’s the way it has to be. The good side to that is that I’m probably not going to be the one doing the ramp check very often, I’m just down here filling in for another guy who had to go somewhere. I’ll admit I sort of volunteered when I saw that you’d be launching today.”
“Well, it’s good to see you again,” Barbie smiled. “We missed you at the season-ending party last year.”
“You would not believe how up to my butt in class work I was. I mean, they teach you a lot more than just how to block a Smoky Bear hat.”
“Yeah, I remember Al saying that it was supposed to be pretty intense,” Barbie nodded. “So, how are you liking the job?”
“For the most part, fine,” the ranger smiled. “It gets interesting at times. We had a private trip a few weeks ago with sixteen on the manifest, but at some point after it was approved a few more people decided they wanted to go. They still left here with the sixteen on the manifest, but four of the others we wouldn’t let launch here decided to sneak down to join the group at Badger. When we found out about it, well, things got interesting for a while, there.”
“Yeah, there was some gossip about that back up at the Burro last week,” she nodded. “I think the general feeling among the guides was that you’d done the right thing.”
“It still turned into a stinker,” he shrugged. “I mean, some people seem to think they have the right to break the rules. That means that until this blows over we’re going to have to physically count everyone who launches, not just accept the manifest.”
“That won’t solve anything.”
“I don’t think so either, but at least it makes the point that we’re watching a little more carefully. So are you all set to be a trip leader without Al watching over your shoulder?”
“Yeah, I think so,” she said. “It was kind of fun to run with him that last trip last fall. He sure knows a lot of stuff. I mean, I think you taught me pretty well how to be a trip leader, but Al filled in a few things on situations that never came up when I was with you.”
“Well, he should,” the ranger grinned. “I can’t tell you how long he’s been running this river. Longer than you or I have been alive, that’s for sure. But I better get back and let you get on to what you’re supposed to be doing, because I think that’s your bus coming down the wash.”
It was indeed the bus; it pulled to a stop in front of the rafts, just like was done for every trip. The customers filed off the bus, and Barbie went through the check-in, while the ranger stood back and watched. When she finally had every name checked off the list, she headed back over to her raft and climbed up on the drybox. “Good morning, everyone,” she called. “My name is Barbie Tompkins, and I’m the trip leader on this little expedition. We’ll get to introductions, sorting out gear and orientation in a few minutes, but right now we have sort of a special guest present, and I’d like him to talk to you for a minute. Hey, guy, could you come over here? I know you know how to climb up onto a drybox.”
“Oh, all right,” the ranger said a little reluctantly but with a smile as he clambered up on the raft to stand beside her.
“Folks, I’d like to introduce Ranger Duane MacRae of the National Park Service,” she said. “One year ago today, Duane was standing up here on a drybox talking to the customers, since he was the trip leader of this crew, and his girlfriend was the assistant. Now, he’s married to her, he has that green suit on, and has a little boy back at home. The people on this crew who went to the wedding last year, you’ll meet them, will tell you it was the most awesome sight you could imagine. Just for old times’ sake, I thought he might like to say a few words.”
“Thanks, Barbie,” the ranger grinned. “I realize you mouse-trapped me on that, but I guess you owe me a few. Folks, welcome to Canyon Tours and the Grand Canyon. You’re in for an interesting and spectacular two weeks. I’m not going to talk about the things you need to know for the trip, because before I left Canyon Tours I knew that Barbie knew how to do that. I’m not going to talk about rules and regulations, because again I know your crew can handle that. In fact, I’m only going to leave one thought with you.
“I live up in Grand Canyon Village, which is the tourist area on the South Rim. I cannot tell you the number of times I’ve seen someone come sliding into a stop there, look around, and then tell their family, ‘Well, we’ve seen the Grand Canyon, let’s get on the road again.’ I can’t help but feel sorry for them. I spent six years doing trips for Canyon Tours, trips just like you’re starting today, and three of those years leading those trips, so I thought I knew a bit about the Grand Canyon. But then my eyes were opened to the fact that I’d only begun to see it. The river is just a small part of a very big and wonderful and spectacular place. While I hope to be trying to see as much of it as I can for the next thirty years or so, I know I’ll never see it all. You’re going to be getting a nice ride through what the Canyon Tours brochure calls ‘the most awesome scenery on the face of the planet,’ and if you’re even halfway open to it you’ll have a great trip. But don’t come off this trip thinking you’ve seen the Grand Canyon, since you will only have started the process. Listen to your crew, obey the rules, and have a wonderful time. Barbie, you can take it from there.”
“Thanks,” she said as he got down from the drybox. “Really, folks, that was the voice of experience speaking, and we’re here to help you have that wonderful time. Now, my assistant trip leader,” she pointed, “is Andy Roney . . . ”
Once the ranger was on the ground, he walked away from the group and just let Barbie do what she was supposed to do. If things had worked out a little differently, it might still have been him standing on the drybox, going through the orientation and all the other familiar things. But it wasn’t him, and on balance he’d decided that it was just as well. He’d moved on in his life, and, chances are, sooner or later the boatmen here today would reach that point in their lives, too.
But still, he knew that when the time came for the rafts to start down the river, he’d be standing in the shade of the tammies, going with them in his heart.
