Despite what everyone who was closest to me either genuinely seemed to think, or preferred to believe, this wasn’t my first time in the mountains.
Granted, the last time was a while ago, but I certainly didn’t think that disqualified my experience.
I had survived the first time, and I liked to think that I had garnered intelligence with age, so I should be fine this time as well.
After all, it wasn’t like I was dumb enough to go up there all alone. I had hired a guide and I had no intention of doing anything dangerous. I was taking this trip to enjoy nature and let go of the stress my life had placed upon me in the last year. I wasn’t intending to be consumed by it.
Sure, perhaps my idea to trek the mountain alone, with only a guide wasn’t the best plan but I didn’t have anyone else to go with and I wasn’t going to forgo this opportunity because I was afraid of a little adventure.
Everyone who knew me was as certain of that as I was, so despite Kasandra’s attempts to get me to do something else to relax, no one else had wasted much time trying to talk me out of it.
However, when I saw the man I would soon learn was my guide pull up next to my car in a beat-up truck, looking less than savory, I hoped to God the first impression was inaccurate.
While I didn’t have anything against pickup trucks, or anyone in particular, the strange feeling that plagued me the moment the truck pulled up had me instantly regretting my decision.
I should’ve gone for the more expensive guide… I thought immediately, though I still hoped this wasn’t as bad a decision as it now appeared to be.
It wasn’t that this guide was cheap; he was simply the cheapest. At the time, I had also thought I was getting a good deal, instead of a cheap deal, since this was a little bit of a downtime for the mountain. It was usually hot, so people didn’t like to hike, and it was right at the cusp of the changeover, when the leaves started their fall foliage display, so I thought I might simply be getting a discounted rate.
However, as I gazed upon the man I was supposed to be spending the next week with, I couldn’t help but think I was going to receive a discounted experience too.
The man who hopped out of the truck was tall, lanky, and unshaven. His hair looked as though it had never met a brush and his shirt was stained. His jeans were torn at the bottom and his boots looked far too worn out to be acceptable for the hiking trip.
He looked more like someone I would see living in the mountains, instead of a guide, who was supposed to be well-respected people within the mountain community.
Although, I was determined not to let anything spoil this trip for me, so when he walked toward me, I spoke first in the friendliest voice I could muster.
“Hi! Are you Mitch?”
“Yep,” the man replied, barely looking at me as he dug in the back of his mud-stained, rusty truck bed, pulling up a raggedy pack that didn’t look near full enough for a week’s hike.
Still, there was a possibility he was a minimalist; it sure would explain his attire and first impression; one of the few explanations that wouldn’t want to make me take off in the other direction.
“You Katy?” Mitch looked at me strangely as he turned around and slipped the pack over his shoulder.
“Um…Carrie,” I corrected in a gentle voice, trying not to come across as a bitch, considering the amount of time we about to be spending together. However, I couldn’t quite help but narrow my eyes at the empty beer bottles that were rolling around in the back of the truck, disturbed by the man grabbing the pack.
“Oh…Carrie. Right,” he responded as his eyes obviously tracing over my body in a strange, slightly revolting manner. “Oh…Don’t you worry about that…” Mitch added as he finally returned his gaze to my eyes and saw that I was looking at the remnants of booze, “Just the remainders of a good memory…From over the weekend. I’ve gotta clean this old girl out…”
As though trying to sound endearing toward his truck, in a very odd way, he gave the side a loud smack, which caused the body to rattle.
It was a solid truck, from the look of it, so the force of his thrusting made me slightly nervous.
I tried not to show him that I noticed but I could hardly keep my upper lip from curling in disgust.
“You look mighty pretty for going on a week-long hike,” he answered in a redneck kind of condescending tone.
“I like to be prepared,” I answered, feeling a shiver run down my spine, “So, when should we get going?”
“I guess there’s no time like the present,” he replied, showing me a grin that was obviously missing teeth.
I swallowed hard and again, reconsidered being alone in the woods with this man. Although, I eventually decided that it was probably better to be with someone, as creepy as he seemed, then alone.
Besides, I had already paid him, and he still showed up. I decided that had to count for something. Even if he was dirty and disgusting, he had to have work ethic and honor to some degree. He didn’t take the money and run, so that had to prove something to me. I wasn’t sure what yet, but I was hoping after hiking with him, I would find out…and it would be positive.
So, I shook my head in agreement, trying to also shake off the bad feeling that was gnawing at the pit of my stomach.
I waited for Mitch to lead the way, figuring that if I followed him, it would be safer, and I could keep an eye on him.