Page 13 of Trail to Trouble

“That sounds like quite the sight to see,” Alyssa replied.

“That it is. It’s unique. Not that the falls drop too far, but it is fun to see.”

Hannah savored her last bite of bacon as long as she could, then drank the rest of the strong coffee in her mug.

Following suit with Hunter, she rose, fully intending to help him clean up the breakfast mess.

“I can do this while you ladies pack up your tent.”

With a glance over her shoulder, she realized he’d already packed up.

“Okay.”

It didn’t take long to roll up their sleeping bags, reassemble their backpacks, and pack up the small tent.

They loaded their gear into the canoe, as he’d shown them yesterday, and she and Alyssa climbed into it. Hunter was about to push them off when the bright morning sun caused Hannah to realize she wasn’t wearing her sunglasses.

“Wait!” she exclaimed as she turned her head to look at Hunter.

He stilled. “What’s wrong?”

“I need my sunglasses.”

“Where are they?”

She didn’t recall seeing them in the outside, zippered section of her backpack when she dug through it a few minutes ago. She had worn them yesterday. When did she last see them? Maybe they were on the picnic table or the bench.

“I don’t know for sure. Let me check the table,” she said as she hopped out of the canoe and ran back to the picnic table.

No sunglasses.

She looked at the benches.

No sunglasses.

Hunter looked too. Even by the pit toilet.

“Are you sure they aren’t in your backpack?” he asked.

“I’ll check again, but I went through it when I packed up, and I didn’t see them.”

Back at the canoe, she rifled through her backpack.

No sunglasses.

“When do you last remember having them?” Alyssa asked.

“I may have set them on the table after we got back yesterday.”

“Hmm, maybe a raccoon walked off with them,” Hunter said with a chuckle.

Though he was just joking, Hannah didn’t laugh. She felt demeaned.

“Hey, I’m just kidding.”

“I know. But it’s not like me to lose things. Though I will say that I thought I heard a bit of commotion outside the tent last night when I first climbed in.”

Was it possible one of those little masked bandits scurried off with her sunglasses?