THICK MIST hung like a wet blanket over the calm lake. The early morning held an eerie quiet threatened to be interrupted by mountains erupting triumphantly over the horizon in the distance, but they remained respectfully still. At the water’s edge the mist stretched out and encircled tree trunks as if also curiously probing and searching. But this was just an illusion, for it already knew and had witnessed all.

Snap! Twigs and leaves broke under the pressure of the deliberate steps of hiking boots. Search and rescue poles prodded suspicious piles of leaves and moss but did not reward their masters—a motley crew of volunteers from a nearby town. Three dangerously large German shepherds crisscrossed the woods ahead of them, noses down in concentration. Dew from the long grass blades caught on their beards and squished between their claws. Suddenly an intoxicating scent roused the largest dog’s attention. He barked once and hurried forward with his two comrades and motley crew in hot pursuit.

THE ANCIENT national park ranger slid his toll booth window open and glanced up at the beat-up gunmetal-blue pickup truck. He cut a slice of apple with his pocketknife and slid it into his mouth as the truck pulled alongside his tollbooth. Catching his reflection in the blade of the knife, he couldn’t help but compare the sight of his own wrinkled skin, feathery gray hair, and hooded eyes with the youthful and exuberant guys looking for a park pass.

“We’re here for an overnight,” Dany, the driver of the pickup, stated with a slight French-Canadian accent. He was a ruggedly handsome guy in his early thirties and quite obviously the alpha.

The park ranger noticed the boyishly handsome passenger holding his friend’s thigh. “Little late in the season for you boys, isn’t it?”

“We have our pass here,” Dany said as he reached across his boyfriend. “Can you check the glove compartment, Brad?”

“This is as far as you can go with your truck,” the park ranger interrupted them. “Park it where you like and you’re on foot from here. Any garbage you carry in, you carry out. None of that burn, bash, and bury bullshit.”

“Got it.”

“That’ll be twenty bucks, Sally,” he said nonchalantly, going back to slicing another piece of his apple. Brad snickered as he fished out a bill from his wallet and handed it to Dany. The park ranger snatched the twenty and gestured across the empty parking lot with his knife. “Like I said, park it where you like. You got your choice today.”

Dany slipped the truck into reverse and crossed the isolated lot into a spot next to the tree line. The boys hopped out and began pulling their backpacks out of the truck bed. “Next vacation is my pick, okay, Dany? And I’m thinking a hotel might be nice.”