Hayden, Junior Ranger

Hayden was born in the small town of Lake Tahoe at the edge of the Toiyabe National Forest. His father was a retired forest supervisor who took tourists on hikes throughout the Lake Tahoe basin. He named his son after a famous composer. Hayden could remember how he hiked the basin many times as a child, listening to his father’s classical music. That was five years earlier and he was turning twelve this year.

Hayden, and his sisters, Katie, and Sophia often would wait at the beach for their father to pass by on his hike with the tourists. When the tour was over, the children were there to meet him and walk home. The season was getting cold and soon the trails would be a blanket of white snow. The mountains and forest would close until the next season.

Hayden and his sisters followed their father into their yard, but first, they stored their gear in the shed and took off their dusty hiking boots before they could go inside the warm house. Hayden’s father kept a pair of knitted slippers in the mudroom and the children had matching slippers in their cubbies. Inside their home, the floors were cold tiles, and the slippers warmed their feet.

That evening, they were eating their dinner, and Hayden said to his father, “I passed my Junior Ranger Exam, and I was wondering if I might go hiking with you next season?” Hayden’s father agreed to take him on his tours, but Hayden would have to work out and gain better endurance.

Hiking the Lake Tahoe Basin was not an easy trek. After dinner, with excitement over the news, Hayden disappeared into his room to call his friends.

The first thing every morning, Hayden was working out with his friends. He would work hard to do more than anyone else. Usually, Hayden was the last to finish his exercises. It was getting cold at night and Hayden was very sore every day. The family would sit around the fireplace and Father would tell Hayden about the trails or the rest stops he would need to know about for the tourists. It was not long before Hayden was asleep under his covers and his father would have to turn out the lights.

Snow covered the mountains, and the trees looked as if they had fluffy white coats. Saplings would grow underneath the tree’s canopy, and it was getting harder to make it around town. Many days, the only way to get around was by wearing snowshoes or cross-country skis. Hayden and his friends would go skiing every day, and Hayden would volunteer to pull the gear up the hills for the extra training. His friends would never argue with him over that chore.

All winter Hayden trained, and his father would prepare pouches of brochures and maps for his hikers. He would have hundreds of pouches prepared by the time springtime came around. The holidays were approaching and soon it would be Christmas. For Christmas, Hayden received a new pair of hiking boots, a compass, and a funny-looking hat. Hayden could not wait for the winter to be over. Every night, he would check on his new boots and compass sitting in the mudroom. The hat was in his room. He still thought it looked silly, but he knew it was a part of his uniform.

Sometimes at night, Hayden’s father would evaluate him on his knowledge of the trails. His father was impressed that Hayden remembered so much. Hayden liked the way his father would play games with the information; it made learning fun and easier to remember. The girls did not fare as well, but they gave it their best try. Sophia would answer everything with one of her made-up horse names and by the end of the game, everyone was laughing and having an enjoyable time galloping around the house.

By March, Hayden and his sisters had celebrated their birthdays and the last party given. Hayden had received a pair of hiking gloves and a set of golf clubs. His sister Katie was happy she received her favorite book series, and Sophia was galloping on her life-sized pony, Butterscotch. Soon the snow was melting, and Hayden could go outside and play golf with his friends. Hayden enjoyed going out to exercise and build his strength. With the trails clearing up, Hayden was hiking more each day, and he was feeling more muscular.

One day, the children returned from an early walk. It was a beautiful sight to see the evergreens blooming and the snow trickling down the mountains into the lake as natural waterfalls. Hayden knew his father would leave soon for the trails. In April, the family celebrated spring break. Hayden took time out from his play to review the lessons his father had left for him while his father was away to prepare his stops on the trail.

Hayden’s father left him a note that explained his duties closer to home. Hayden was excited because he knew that soon he would hike with his father. Often, he would drop to the ground and pump out ten push-ups, and his friends would drop beside him and try to race Hayden. His strength had grown over the winter, and he was ready. This routine went on for days before he heard his mother on the phone and found out his father was on his way home.

One evening, his father had just returned, and the family was enjoying a pizza for dinner. He asked Hayden, “Do you feel you are ready to go on the tour tomorrow?” Hayden shook his head excitedly because his mouth was full of pepperoni pizza. He tried to answer, but it came out in a loud mumble. Hayden’s parents laughed as he made quick work of his dinner plate and asked to go pack. His father suspected Hayden was in his room doing pushups because Hayden had packed early all winter.

In the morning, Hayden’s mother made breakfast for everyone and packed a sack lunch for the trail. Hayden and his father left early, and the girls waved goodbye as the men made their way to the shack where the tourists were gathering. Hayden eagerly tried to pick up all the packs, but his father made sure they were splitting the load. They took the tourists up the trail for a few hours, and after a while, they stopped to rest at the halfway mark. Hayden’s father was attending to the hikers. When Hayden finished handing out bottles of water, he looked down the mountain to see if he could spot his house. Hayden could not believe how beautiful it was on the trail.

As the day grew later, Hayden saw the tourists were getting closer to the end of their trail. They would soon set up camp and have dinner. Hayden’s father made his way to the camp and unloaded the supplies for dinner. It was not long before they were all sitting down for dinner. All the tents were built now, and Hayden’s father was stoking the fire.

The stars were glowing. The moon looked like a thumbnail and Hayden’s father identified constellations to the tourists. After stories, and too many S’mores, Hayden had thought of the day’s adventures. He was so happy his father took him along the trail, and he lay there with his arms behind his head. Hayden fell asleep under the evening sky.

The next morning, Hayden woke up to a beautiful sunrise. He lit the fire and prepared the supplies for his father to make breakfast. After they had eaten, the tourists helped clean up the camp and made sure that the area was clean, just the way they had found it. They hiked slowly as the trail was full of dew, and they could see the glistening on the tree trunks and branches. As they made their way down the trail, Hayden could see that the houses down below were waking up as the chimneys were expelling smoke one by one.

After a long day, Hayden finally saw the end of the trail approaching. They had the best hike he could remember, and it was ending. The sky was growing darker, and they finished their walk, saying goodbye to the tourists. One by one, the people drove away. This was an exciting hike for Hayden, and suddenly it was over. Hayden’s father walked up to his son and said, “You did really well today. You can be my Junior Ranger anytime, and I am proud of you son, thank you.”  

Hayden smiled. He would remember this hike for a long time, and one day he might take his children.