“Find what fits you,” Henry said. “Grab one set to wear and one to carry. I’ll get that bivvy.”

Max moved quickly, trying on clothing made of merino wool and polyester. In ten minutes he had two complete sets of clothing along with gloves, a wool cap, and a down coat that balanced warmth and weight. He wore one set of the new clothing and brought the spare set to Henry, who helped him roll it all into tight little packages and stuff it into the backpack.

“You said you owed Lyle,” Max said. “If you don’t mind my asking… for what?”

Henry paused but didn’t look up, as though contemplating whether or not to answer Max’s question. Then he said, “I’ve known Lyle most of my life. We grew up here in Ely—used to skip school to go hunting up in the Boundary Waters. A few years back, my granddaughter got beat up at a party. Our sheriff here in St. Louis County didn’t seem to take it seriously, so I asked Lyle if there was anything he could do. A couple weeks later, he dragged these two boys in—confessions in hand.”

“How’d he manage that?”

Henry buckled the backpack shut and again hesitated before answering. “He never told me. All he said was that he did what needed doing. I didn’t care. He got results.”

“The end justified the means.”

“If you want to put it that way.” He pulled the tie-downs tight, cinching the pack shut. “Lyle’s like that—always has been. If he sets his mind to a thing, he stays on it until it’s done.” Henry lifted the backpack off the counter and bounced it gently in the air to feel its weight. “I’d say about thirty-five pounds. Not bad. Is this your first hike into the Boundary Waters?”

“Can you tell?”

“Lyle knows his way around up there. He’ll take care of you.” He handed the pack to Max. “There’s paracord in the pouch in back, and a Leatherman. Those come in handy. You need a headlamp?”

“I suppose,” Max said.

Henry went to a display case and picked up a small light about the size of a nine-volt battery on an elastic strap. “Had some newbies get lost up there this fall. Sent out planes and choppers with infrared cameras, but still didn’t find them for almost a week. One of ’em died. It’s a lot of country—beautiful—but if a person gets in trouble… Well, it can be about as godforsaken a place as they come.”

“A million acres, right?”

“A million point three—and that’s just on our side of the border. I don’t normally second-guess Lyle, but… heading out in the middle of the night like this, I can’t help but wonder if you boys thought this through.”

“It was kind of a last-minute decision.”

“You know…” Henry walked to a nearby display case. “If it was me, I’d take one of these babies.” He picked up what looked like a small walkie-talkie. “It’s an emergency GPS communicator. Push this button here and it sends out a distress signal. If those newbies had taken one… well…”