Crickets sang to each other as the sun slowly sank below the mountains, while birds found their places high up in the trees. A line of eight campers slowly made their way down an old trail, armed with flashlights and glow sticks. A metal water bottle landed on the ground with a loud clang, and the kids all giggled as Bucky reached down to pick it up. He unzipped his backpack and put it inside, running to catch up with the others.
The small group stood at the edge of the lake, where one of the larger canoes waited for them, along with the paddles that stuck up in the sand. Bucky looked up at their leader, Bryce, who held up a hand to stop them all. “Fill in all the spaces,” he said. “I’ll be up front, and Jacob will be in the back. Is everyone for sure packed and ready to go?”
“YES!” the campers shouted out.
“Then let’s get going!”
Bucky climbed into the canoe near the front. Felix joined him, grinning from ear to ear. The canoe rocked back and forth as the other kids climbed on, and the lake water splashed up onto the side of the boat. Bryce joined the two boys up front, and nodded to Jacob. With a quick lurch, the canoe moved forward into the lake. One of the girls fell forward, and she got up, giggling. Together, the kids moved their paddles through the water, crossing the lake as quietly as they could.
The moon shone over the lake, rippling away with every stroke the paddles took. Bucky watched the water carefully, wondering what monsters hid beneath the surface. During the day, it was just a lake. But at night, Bucky believed anything could be down below. Andy claimed they saw the Loch Ness monster one day, but the next, it was a fish person who waited to steal away campers at night. Bucky shuddered, and kept his eyes on the distant shore.
In a few more strokes, the canoe hit the other side, and Bryce jumped out. He pulled it up on the lake shore. Two by two, the campers climbed out, whispering in excitement as they looked around the unknown area. Flashlight beams shone around the trees, and an owl hooted in the branches. A loud screeched echoed through the trees, and Bucky jumped, clutching his flashlight a little tighter.
He followed the group up into the trail, keeping his flashlight on as they started their ascent into the mountains. Felix stayed in front of him, pointing his flashlight up ahead to light the path. A small chipmunk darted across the path, ducking behind a bush. The brush around them rustled, small animals hiding inside, looking for a safe place to hide for the night. A snake slithered across the path, and Bryce stopped the group, letting the snake pass by. “I hate snakes,” one of the other boys whispered to Bucky.
“Me too,” Felix said.
Jacob stopped the group, and they gathered around on a small overlook. A waterfall tumbled down from the side of the cliff, pouring down into the river below. They took a small break, eating snacks and drinking water. In the distance, a few small orange lights flickered back and forth. Bucky could see the lights of the cabins, along with the campfires set up. He grinned. The rest of his cabin was probably sitting around a campfire, eating s’mores. Bucky waved Felix over. “Look,” he said, pointing at the camp. “It looks so small from up here.”
“Like I’m a big giant, and I can easily just step on it all!” Felix said. He let out a deep laugh. “But I think I would spare camp.”
“Of course you would,” Bucky laughed. He sipped his water and threw it back into his backpack. They joined the hike again, turning flashlights on. As they walked up the mountain side, Bucky shone his flashlight in the trees, hoping to spot more owls, or even a monster hiding behind the trees. One day, he would find the elusive Bigfoot, and add it into his notebook of impossible things. His notebook was tucked away inside his backpack, waiting to add the newest discovery of Camp Wilderocke in its pages.
A fox darted through the trees, and a few of the campers squealed in delight. Some reached for their cameras, but by the time they got them out, the fox was already gone. Bryce and Jacob led the campers up to another clearing, with an old campfire and logs around it. They sat down for another break. “All right,” Bryce said. “The peak is just a few minutes above us. If anyone wants to stop here, you can. Jacob will stay with you. Everyone else will go with me!”
“What’s it like at the top?” one of the girls asked.
“You’ll just have to find out!” Bryce said with a smile. “It’s the most amazing thing you’ll see all summer.”
“Even better than the meteor shower?” Bucky asked. He kept track of the meteor shower that happened every other summer. It was his favorite thing to log in his notebook, other than mythical creatures and impossible things.
“That’s another hike,” Bryce said. “Is everyone ready?”
Every camper nodded their heads. Bryce paved the way, and everyone followed him up. The air seemed to press down on them the higher they climbed. The trees were spaced out more and more, showing off brush and a few animals scurrying away from the group of kids. They stopped at the very top, where a few stone piles and a sign waited for them. The kids scattered around, looking all around. “Don’t look out there,” Jacob said. “You won’t see much.”
“Look up,” Bryce said, pointing up to the night sky.
Bucky looked up at the sky, and slowly sank down to the ground, turning off his flashlight. One by one the other campers joined him, and they were surrounded by darkness. All around them was a dazzling array of stars and planets, a piece of the Milky Way he had never seen before. Stars twinkled high above them, and for a moment, something slow moved across the sky. “It’s the space station!” Bucky called out. He waved to it, grinning from ear to ear. He could easily point out a few of the planets, and for a moment, he wished he had a telescope. This would be a perfect place to look for signs of alien life.
He looked for his favorite star, spotting it just below the moon, and sent a quiet message home to his family, hoping they could hear it across the stars.
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