Page 46 of Line of Sight

I paused at the sign for the Precipice Trail, gazing up at the mountain before me.

“You done this before?”

Thank God. Mark was a talker.

“Nope. Some friends have been telling me about this one for a while now. Thought I’d better see what all the fuss was about.”

“Hey, wait a second. Don’t I know you?”

I feigned ignorance. “I don’t think so.” I’d worn a baseball cap that I normally wouldn’t have been caught dead in, something that hid my face. But there had always been the chance he’d remember me. I turned to look at him.

Yeah, that was Mark. Brown eyes, dirty blond hair, and permanent five o’clock shadow. He wore a tee, shorts, and sturdy boots from which protruded thick socks.

He frowned. “I’m sure I know you from somewhere.” Then his eyes widened. “Weren’t you at UMass? Class of ’95?”

My mouth fell open. “Oh my God.NowI remember. You were a science major, weren’t you? Biochemistry or something like that.”

He beamed. “Yeah, that’s right.”

“I take it you’ve done this before?”

Another beaming smile. “So many times, I’ve lost count.”

“Is it true we go up more than a thousand feet?”

Mark nodded. “Most of it on vertical iron-rung ladders. Plus there are razor-thin rock ledges with drop-offs so steep they’ll get your heart clapping, the adrenaline pumping, the butterflies bouncing…. But man, the views from the top. You can see right over to Frenchman Bay and the Gulf of Maine.”

“Seeing as this is my first climb, I came prepared.” I gestured to my day pack.

“What have you got in there?”

“Crampons, ice screws, rope, ice hammer, carabiners….” A total lie. Okay, so there were two carabiners, but there were also cuffs, a scalpel, a hunting knife, gloves, and my raincoat.

I didn’t saywhatI was prepared for, now, did I?

He laughed. “You won’t need any of that. This is a nontechnical hike. But you’ll find lots of iron ladders built into the granite, and you’ll need your hands for that part.” He cocked his head. “You’re not afraid of heights, are you?”

“No,” I assured him.

I wasn’t afraid of anything.

“That’s good.” He gazed up at the mountain. “One thing I love about this hike? The ladder sections. They’re uneven, they’re frequent, and they keep me on my toes. Oh, and before we get going? Closer to the top, you need to be careful, so no getting distracted by the view. Just focus on grabbing those iron rails.”

I smiled to myself.I won’t be getting distracted.

And Mark wouldn’t be reaching the summit of Mount Champlain either.

He’d be dead.

“Okay, the first section is the boulder field. This can be tricky, but follow me and you’ll be fine.”

I glanced at my watch. Five thirty-eight. Sunrise in about a minute.

Time to get my ass in gear.

We clambered over the first uneven boulders. I was ready for them. I’d done it the previous day, looking for the perfect spot.

And there it was, a wall of rock, the horizontal iron bars set into it, not in the form of a ladder but some distance apart. The first rays of the sun broke through the trees around us, the beginnings of a beautiful day.