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that ducked behind a tree when he turned. Yet now all he could hear was the rustling of leaves and a creaking like old bones as the tree limbs rubbed against one another. |
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"Are you listening to me?" Kyna asked. "I was telling you about why the trees back here still have their leaves." |
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"Every word. Thoreau couldn't have said it any better." |
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She punched him on the arm. "Ready?" |
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They hiked up and down the backbone of the crest, passing through glades where cascading rays of sunlight turned a sea of drifting dust motes into rivers of gold, and along the edges of precipices where one careless step would have sent them tumbling through thousands of feet of empty air. Along the way they passed dozens of small earthen knolls that Kyna claimed were Indian burial mounds and more of the ancient rock art galleries than Cyrus cared to shake a stick at. And Kyna stopped and took a photo of each and every one of them. |
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An hour later they came to a fork in the trail. The left branch curved up toward the summit, but they took the right path, the one that the trail marker indicated led down to the ski lifts. |
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And indeed, the trail did take them down. In three miles it dropped over two thousand feet. Before long they cleared the back side of the forest and found themselves traversing a field of thick, shin-high brambles that had been stunted and weathered by the thin mountain air. A little after eleven-thirty they reached the ski-lift parking lot and a few minutes later joined five couples that had driven up from the city to have lunch in the lodge's dining room. |
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The restaurant was one huge banquet room that had been built by skiers for skiers. The walls were hung with crossed skis, snowshoes and posters of sun-bronzed Nordic giants in Day-Glo snowsuits and five-hundred-dollar antiglare snow goggles wedeling down over an endless series of moguls. A waitress with enormous hair seated them at a table with a fantastic view of Santa Feforty-four miles to the northeastand shoved menus in their laps. Cyrus asked for a double helping of quiche and Kyna had shrimp salad and a diet soda. When the waitress brought the check, Cyrus asked how long |
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