Liz's emotions were buzzing all over the place. What's going on with me? Her inner sense told her, it is imperative that we investigate the chainsaw racket. Linda's always up for a new adventure and there hasn't been anything but the mirages glaring back at us from the road snaking endlessly ahead of us.

In answer to Linda's question about what Liz wanted to do,  Liz said, "What do you want to do?"

"I kinda want to keep going and yet, I want to look to see what it is. What do you wanna to do?" 

"Kind of the same as you. I guess we might as well investigate. When have we ever refused a challenge?"

Linda shrugged, "Hmm. Can't think of any. Besides, it'll be a break in boredom."

As they stepped off the trusty pavement, each grabbed a solid branch to serve as a walking stick. Linda said, "I prefer the straighter backed ones. I feel more secure with that kind."  

She scanned the trees lying among shreds of bark and bows and branches; some still with their leaves on them. Centered in the rings at the end of each log, was a tattoo-like darkened image. One had the face of a clown or Kachina doll.  Another, a presumed prized possession; a dark horse lying down.

Beside that one, was a log with a medicine woman carrying a healing staff. "Look at those, a dog face, a chicken, and an eagle. Many of these are similar to the images I posted on Facebook that I photographed in my own neighborhood of trees cut down. You may have seen them." 

"I wondered earlier and now, if these images have some connection to the elders, or braves, along with women or children cut down, as they fled to Canada. The colonial soldiers, stealing their lands, home, and dignity, chased them in a cat and mouse game of life and death."

Linda was enticed with the figures she could make out in each of the logs. I'm getting my camera out too." Pulling it from her pack, "This is fascinating. No one will believe it. I can't wait to post these." 

Liz was teary as she sent up prayers to the Creator for all of them and soon was flooded with mixed emotions of sadness, anger, a sense of helplessness, and confusion. "This stuff is still going on after over 12,000 years. That's how long ago it is recorded that the Abenaki were in Vermont. I have no idea how long the Crow Nation has been here. Probably longer."

The cameras were put away and Linda began scoping out the best way back up the hill.

Liz laughed as she announced, "There're berries up there, for a little reward for us making it to the top. So, we've got a good yummy motivation."

"And you know food is a great motivator for us," chuckled Linda. "Good thing we chose sturdy walking sticks."

The hike back up the embankment was quite taxing; but they took it a little at a time, resting every few steps. "It didn't look this steep going down," huffed and puffed Liz.

Then Linda laughed with the little bit of breath she had left. "That's because the trail we came down on is over there," pointing ten feet away. "We actually are on your trail you started with. The trail we decided to skip, because of its treacherousness."

Either a raspberry sound or a note of frustration, came from Liz's direction. And then a gallows laugh. "Now, here we are; climbing up it." 

Linda suggested, "We might as well continue; we're more than half way and I'm sure you along with me are bound and determined we are not going back down to start over."

Liz attempted to take a good deep breath. "Absolutely not. Maybe we should rest a bit though."

****************

"Those berries up there, are calling our names. A little bit farther. There they are, just where I remembered them."

Linda rolled her eyes and they both laughed. They immediately began to munch fistfuls of berries. "I'm really hungry. It's been a long time since we had those berries and bread from Kai Zita." groaned Liz. "These are yum."

"Yuh, they are," Linda said with a busy mouth of berries.

As they spun around, Liz saw they were very near the road. "Hey, there's the road. That came up fast!" 

They both had ADD, so couldn't remember from what direction they had come.

 Linda may have been a little less directionally challenged; so she was the final decider. "I think by that by heading to the left, we'd be ending back at the car, but going right will get us closer to finding the sign Kai Zita told us would be the last segment of this trek."

Liz paused, tapping her teeth together, "I worry how many more adventures we are going to have before we reach our destination." 

Taking in the panorama where the fog thinned through the trees, Liz's heart soared. She wondered if what she was seeing was real, or merely a fantasy vision through the mist.