Barefoot by Daisy Burton

Author:Daisy Burton [Burton, Daisy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781691851973
Published: 2019-10-14T16:00:00+00:00

14

Boulder had a fantastically relaxed and independent vibe to it. Sal wandered with Marsh around Pearl Street Mall, which was full of vibrant art galleries, cafes and shops and drank in the culture of the place. Although they were only there for a couple of days after they’d arrived in the USA, she wanted to see as much as she could. They both wanted to experience the Flatirons, too. Sal was powerfully drawn to them from the first time she saw them, but jet-lag had hit hard and she hadn’t been able to face hiking.

Their last day there was Valentine’s Day. Although Marsh had never been the romantic type, he seemed to be making an effort this year.

“Reckon we need to do the Flatirons today, Pumpkin,” Marsh suggested. “How about we get a picnic and have a wander? We don’t have to do a full hike. There’s a café down the road that does picnics and snacks ‘specially for day trippers and hikers, and they look great.”

She eagerly agreed, and they went to the café. They loaded a packed lunch, energy bars and water bottles into a backpack, together with a bag of raw peanuts for the native squirrels. Soon they were on their way to catch the shuttle to Chautauqua Trailhead.

Once they got there, Sal was tempted to stay and relax on a bench in Chautauqua Park to eat their picnic, but it was quite chilly. She reminded herself that they’d come to walk, and walk she must. After grabbing some maps and useful information from a Trail shop, they set off on the Loop Trail, which was both the shortest and the easiest trail to walk. Marsh was always a fast walker with his long legs, but he knew she’d have trouble keeping up, so he tempered his enthusiasm.

“Come on, let me carry the backpack, please.” Marsh asked, although it sounded more like an order than a request.

Sal was touched by this. Marsh was hardly the gentlemanly type and she always wanted to pull her weight, but she was tired and gratefully handed over the bag. As they walked through the forest, she swore she could smell something sweet, like chocolate or ice cream. At first, she decided that it must be jet-lag playing tricks on her olfactory system, until Marsh remarked that he could smell vanilla. She checked the guide.

“See? It says here, that these trees are Ponderosa Pines and that they can give off a sweet smell, like chocolate or vanilla.”

The trail was only two miles long, which would usually be no problem for Sal, but she was definitely not feeling herself. With the freezing cold, a headache and the tiredness she hadn’t been able to kick since she arrived in Boulder, she was feeling pretty rotten. She’d been relieved when a hotel receptionist she’d got chatting to had said it was likely to be the altitude affecting her. Altitude sickness, she was told, caused headaches, tiredness and nausea, so she made sure she was drinking lots of water on the walk and she ignored her symptoms as best she could.

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