Page 33 of chapter one part 7
At last they arrived! It was far more beautiful than they had expected. They thought that it was going to be just like any other city park. They had no idea that it was a state park with camp grounds and camping and fishing and BBQ grills! Debbie had them form a line and exit the van as she guided them to a nice sitting area with lots of trees and room for everyone. They were soon greeted by a friendly young man who Debbie introduced as the parks director. And their park guide for the day. His name was Toby. He was dressed in a way that you could tell he was very familiar with the park. He had on hiking type cargo shorts with plenty of pockets, a knife holster with a knife, a rugged vest and no shoes! His hair was a dirty blonde color and was wild and crazy as if he had never combed it. He had deep blue eyes like a wolf. And though he was a white man his skin was much tanned like an Indian. He was young and athletic and full of energy as he spoke and explained the rules of the park. He explained that he was so used to being barefoot all of the time that it wasn’t necessary for him to wear shoes. He showed his toes and explained how he uses them to grip grass to keep from slipping and to grip tree bark when climbing trees. He demonstrated by climbing a huge redwood tree. Everyone was amazed at his skills and some kids tried to climb the same tree but weren’t able to get anywhere. A few minutes later, Debbie gathered everyone’s lunches and placed them in an ice chest that she locked in the van while the kids and Toby waited. When Debbie returned, she advised the kids that they were all going to go on a nice hike through the woods and on a very popular hiking trail. She advised the kids that they would need to follow all of the rules. Toby explained that since he is their guide for the day, everyone will be expected to follow his lead and obey all of the rules for their own safety. Toby had everyone form a single file line with Debbie as the leader and one of the oldest kids at the end of the line. Toby stood at the group’s side so that he could make sure that everyone was cooperative and safe.