Stranded in the Mountains Read online

  “We’re truly stranded. Someone has to be looking for us.”

  “If they got the helicopter’s signal, if they heard the pilot’s SOS, yes, someone will come looking. Eventually, when the weather clears. By all indications, there’s going to be snow between here and base camp within the next day or two. Chances are good that the weather is keeping anyone from looking for us. We can’t sit here and wait for that. We’ll end up dead. We’re going to rest for the night, as dark’s falling soon. At dawn we begin our walk out.”

  “How are you going to know which way to go? How do I know you really know what you’re doing, that you’re not taking us to our deaths?”

  Daniel stared at Cassie, who’d come to mean more to him than people he’d known for months, years in some cases. In only a matter of—he checked his fitness band for the time—eight hours. “You don’t. You’re right—I could be making it all up. As I see it, there isn’t much choice here, is there?”

  Former naval intelligence officer and US Naval Academy graduate Geri Krotow draws inspiration from the global situations she’s experienced. Geri loves to hear from her readers. You can email her via her website and blog, gerikrotow.com.

  Stranded in the Mountains

  Geri Krotow

  There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

  —Psalm 91:10–11

  To Steve, Alex and Ellen

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Dear Reader

  Excerpt from Wildfire Threat by Cathy McDavid

  Chapter One

  “I’m here for the flight to Saglak Bay.” Cassie Edmunds dumped her heavy backpack and duffel bag on the floor next to a tiny service counter in the small Canadian airplane hangar. As she spoke to the only other person in sight, the middle-aged woman behind the tall desk, she eyed the few aircraft on the strip outside the weathered building and tried to keep her stomach from flipping. Nain, Labrador, made Hershey, Pennsylvania, feel like it was a world away.

  Her head was spinning after nearly twenty-four hours of travel, mostly in planes smaller than she’d prefer. She’d flown from Harrisburg, to Toronto, to Goose Bay, then to this tiny outpost in the northernmost part of the province. Cassie wasn’t enthralled with flight in any form. She preferred both feet on the ground, preferably in her favorite patent leather Italian loafers instead of these clunkier, albeit practical, hiking boots she wore. She was willing to do anything for her grandmother, however, and was grateful that at least she didn’t have to rocket to the moon. But going so far away from home and so much closer to the Arctic certainly felt like space travel.

  She wiggled her toes in the brand-new waterproof purple-and-gray hiking boots she’d found on sale back home. At least she’d be able to keep up with the guide that was taking her tourist group into the deeper, lesser visited parts of Torngat Mountains National Park. She’d sent up countless prayers that against all odds she’d find out where her great-grandmother had crashed a B-17 bomber during World War II. Great-granny Eugenia had been ferrying the plane as part of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) program. All male pilots were sent to the war front, but more flyers were needed to get the planes from production factories to the bases both at home and overseas. Great-Granny Eugenia had been one of the many women who’d stepped up and served the country as pilots. Cassie had never met Eugenia, yet her respect for the woman gave her strength to commit to this long trip.

  Cassie’s Grandma Rose, Eugenia’s daughter, waited back in Hershey for the results of this trip. Yes, Cassie hated flying in small aircraft, but not fulfilling her octogenarian grandma’s wish wasn’t an option.

  “Found it! You’re on the flight manifest.” The woman’s reply brought Cassie back to the present, her kind eyes peering at her monitor. She gave Cassie a wide smile. “Welcome to Nain, then. You’re with Sean—he’ll be taking you along with the other passenger as soon as he returns from his last flight. We’re also waiting for the second passenger to check in.” Her fingers moved quickly over a keyboard. “His flight from Goose Bay is delayed.”

  “I thought I was the only passenger. I’ve chartered a private flight.” And paid dearly for it, with most of her savings. Not that Cassie had any regrets about the cost. This trip would satisfy both her, and Grandma Rose’s, curiosity about their family.

  Grandma Rose wanted to know for certain where her mother had perished during World War II, back when Rose was just a tiny tot. The family had received Eugenia’s dog tags and an approximate location for where the plane went down, sent to the war office by an anonymous witness in Canada, but it was in the 1940s, in the middle of the fighting, and her remains were never recovered. The incredibly remote location of the crash didn’t help, especially in the era before GPS. An exact location for the plane was never communicated, and the impossible conditions that plagued the geographic area for eight of twelve months per year had made it infeasible for Cassie’s family to search for Eugenia’s remains before now. Even the governments of both nations had deemed Eugenia, and her crew, as lost during the war effort.

  When Cassie read about the possibility that several different World War II planes, including three B-17s, had recently been rediscovered by Inuit locals, she began to plan her trip. Cassie had always been fascinated by her family tree, which morphed into becoming an avid genealogist as an adult. This last couple of years she’d managed to fill in the blank spots for many relatives, going back to almost medieval times. But she didn’t have much of anything on Eugenia, who had died before she’d been of an age to consider future generations and save family artifacts.

  Cassie disliked blank spots, whether they were about historical facts or an unlabeled storage container, one of her organizing pet peeves.

  She knew it was a slim chance she’d see the actual aircraft her great-grandmother had piloted, but she’d be able to return home and let her family know that she’d paid respects for the entire family. And, deep down, she had faith that she just might glean more insight into Eugenia’s last flight.

  With that in mind, she wasn’t about to allow a miscommunication to keep her from getting to the Torngat Mountains Base Camp on time, as planned.

  Cassie pulled out her phone and pulled up the original airline ticket. She flashed a wide smile at the woman. “Here you go. I definitely paid for a private charter.”

  The attendant took her reading glasses off and gave Cassie a frank look. “We often need to adjust our schedule this time of year. As I’m sure you know, the park is only open for five weeks, and the demand is high. Sean’s been flying nearly round-the-clock this past month, allowing for the crew rest required by law. Don’t worry, honey. He’ll get you there in no time once he’s back.”

  Cassie bit her lower lip as she tried to maintain her go-to no-worries-here expression she presented to her business clients. A professional organizer by trade, Cassie struggled to keep her attitude positive when she wasn’t helping
a client re-do closets overflowing with unused, tag-still-on clothing, or a garage packed full of toys that their children had outgrown a decade earlier. At work, Cassie was in complete control. Out here in the world of remote travel? A prickly flush crept up her nape. She had zero control over the outcome of this trip, no matter what skill set she thought she possessed. If not for her faith, she’d have never left Pennsylvania.

  “I understand, ma’am, and I appreciate your help. Is there a place I can wait, then?” She looked around the space, noting the decided lack of seating. Wi-Fi was probably a luxury, too.

  “Yes, go through the double doors over there and you’ll find a selection of vending machines.” The woman looked at her watch. “If you hurry, you might catch the cook and get something from the café grill, too.”

  “Thank you. I’ll be back in a bit.” Cassie’s stomach grumbled. Once through the doors she found other people walking around, also in search of a late lunch. To her dismay the tiny dining counter had a closed sign, but she was able to use her credit card to snag a coffee with milk, and a packaged muffin.

  “Not much to choose from.” A warm male voice wrapped around her as she waited for her coffee to brew and she turned to its source. A man stood next to her, his blue eyes pleasant. He was a solid foot taller than her and appeared to be close in age to her thirty years. His tan skin emphasized laugh lines at the corners of his eyes, and were those dimples? She couldn’t stop herself from reciprocating his smile as she held up the crushed muffin.

  “This is my lunch.” She pulled the full paper coffee cup from the machine and immediately winced. “Whoa, this is hot!”

  “Here.” He took the cup from her and set it atop the machine, easily reachable with his height. “I had to let mine cool a bit, too.”

  “Thank you.” Gratitude swelled in her heart. In the middle of nowhere, kindness from an unknown person was a special blessing.

  “Didn’t you eat on the flights up here?”

  She blinked. As nice as this guy was, she didn’t want to admit to a complete stranger that she couldn’t eat inflight thanks to her motion sickness.

  “I’m sorry—it’s none of my business. Enjoy the rest of your trip.” The stranger took her cup from atop the vending machine, handed it back to her, and turned to walk away.

  “No, wait!” He turned back, looked at her. She took a step toward him. “It’s not you. I get motion sick and by the last flight up here, I didn’t want to risk eating anything.” Her cheeks burned but something about being in the middle of nowhere allowed her to let go of her usual reticence. Working with unpredictable clients called on her to be in control, the calm note amid often chaotic family dynamics. Her patrons often juggled raising children, caring for aging parents and maintaining career demands. But she wasn’t facing a stressed-out parent. She was looking into the kindest eyes she’d ever seen.

  “I get it.” Genuine compassion made his deep voice all the more soothing.

  “You do? You get motion sick?” She had a hard time associating such an athletically built man with any kind of physical weakness. In Cassie’s family health was everything. Since she was a young child, she remembered hearing Grandma tell her that “your health is everything.” To admit she wasn’t feeling well wasn’t easy for her.

  “Not so much anymore, as I’ve learned to manage it better, but sometimes it can creep up out of nowhere.” He shrugged. “It’s not a moral defect by any means.” His bright smile chased her worry about the next and last leg of her trip north away. Her still queasy stomach reminded her that she’d come close to tossing her breakfast on the previous flight, but this man’s upbeat approach soothed her nerves. Maybe she could make it without getting sick. Take some photos of the breathtaking scenery she’d seen on the internet.

  “Thanks, I needed to hear that.”

  “Sure thing. By the way, I noticed you from Goose Bay, though. Mine just got in. We were running late.”

  Cassie opened her mouth to reply but the doors to the hangar burst open and a large man with a brown leather flight jacket held up a clipboard. “Edmunds! Sturges! Departing to Saglak Bay!” The pilot’s deep voice boomed in the small space and she almost dropped her precious meal, coffee and all.

  “I’m here!” She couldn’t risk missing this flight.

  “Sturges here.” The man she’d been talking to answered in unison with her. Cassie looked at him, realization dawning.

  “We’re on the same flight to Torngat Mountains National Park?” This was the passenger she’d been thinking not-so-kind thoughts about only minutes earlier?

  He nodded. “Appears so. I suggest you finish your meal now. This aircraft will be too small to enjoy it.”

  “Thanks for the heads-up.” Her skin tightened across her face as she forced a smile. Cassie already knew it was going to be a helicopter and wasn’t thrilled with the reminder. She walked ahead and checked in with the pilot, who introduced himself as Sean. He gave them both ten minutes to gather their belongings, use the restroom, and for Cassie, to eat. She sat atop her solidly packed duffle bag and tried to enjoy the stale blueberry muffin and cooling drink that in her opinion had zero relation to actual coffee. The man traveling with her walked up, set his much larger backpack down.

  “I’m Daniel Sturges.” He held out his hand.

  “Cassie Edmunds.” She tucked the last bite of muffin into her mouth, wiped her hand, and shook his. Firm, strong, competent. The adjectives ran through her mind unbidden.

  “Nice to meet you, Cassie. Is it your first time visiting the Torngat Mountains?”

  She nodded. “Yes, but I’m not going as a tourist. Not really. I’ll be with a group but I’m not here for the polar bears or other wildlife.” Why was she talking so fast? More importantly, what was it about Daniel that made her feel she needed to tell him everything? “I’m—I’m on a research trip of sorts.” Friendly banter was one thing, but telling a complete stranger about Grandma Rose’s big wish, and Great-grandma Eugenia’s war tragedy, was something else.

  Take a breath, say a prayer. She couldn’t stop her smile at Grandma Rose’s advice, always a comfort to her heart. Cassie took a quick moment to send up her heart thoughts to God.

  Daniel was quiet for several minutes and she wondered if he’d noticed her eyes were closed, if he’d realized she was praying. Why did she care what he thought about it? She opened her eyes and caught him smiling at her.

  “So tell me, Cassie. Are you on a historical type of tour, by any chance?”

  “Kind of.”

  “How interesting.” His immediate enthusiasm whisked away her concerns and suddenly she wished they were in the helicopter, where the engine noise would preclude conversation. Daniel’s astute gaze gave her an unsettled feeling under her rib cage, made her question each and every word she spoke. And she’d only just met him. It wasn’t as if he was the only nice guy she’d ever met. Daniel exuded the kind of confidence that she’d rarely experienced. It had to come from a deep sense of self, of knowing what mattered. Grandma had it. Quiet joy, and peace. No matter what else was going on, good or bad.

  Or maybe jet lag was kicking in and she was overthinking everything. It was a hazard of her need for orderliness.

  “Edmund, Sturges, let’s go!” Sean the pilot stood a few feet away and didn’t bother to look over his shoulder as he made for the exit to the runway.

  Phew. Her chaotic thoughts about Daniel couldn’t continue, with this last flight to focus on.

  Keep telling yourself that.

  “That’s our signal.” Daniel offered to help her with her small duffel and hiking backpack but she shook her head.

  “I’m good.” A sense of accomplishment swelled in her core. She’d taken particular care to pack as minimally as possible, so that she’d be able to manage her own luggage. After studying the tour company’s website and consulting her hiking friends who’d gone on sim
ilar wilderness trips, she’d chosen a backpack with an attachable duffel bag. Cassie had everything she’d need for the next two weeks, including several protein options in case her hunger was greater than what the tour promised to provide.

  Remember why you’re here.

  As much as she appreciated Daniel’s friendliness, she wasn’t about to concern herself with getting to know him any better. Not when her immediate focus had to be on not getting sick on this helicopter ride. After they landed, the tour would require her every thought, and lots of prayers.

  She took her time leaving the hangar, purposefully trailing behind Daniel and their pilot. Cassie wanted the few minutes extra to regroup, to say a silent prayer of gratitude that she was about to see her dream come true. There wasn’t any room to worry about a stranger’s opinion of her, nor did she want to waste any energy in the wrong direction. She didn’t know a whole lot about where she was going, save for her research, but one thing Cassie was certain of was that she was going to need all of her strength to get through the next two weeks.

  * * *

  “Hey, Sean, can I talk to you for a minute?” Daniel stood with the pilot on the tarmac, Cassie heading toward them from the hangar but still several yards away.

  “Make it quick. We’re fighting the weather everyday up here.”

  “Is there any way you can fly over the Nachvak Fjord on the way to Base Camp?”

  “That’s a bit out of the way for me, pal.” Sean spoke with ease, probably used to personal requests on charters.

  “Okay, I thought I’d ask. I’m hiking it with a guide over the next several weeks and it’d be worth seeing from the air first.”

  “Let me guess, you’re going to be the one to find one of the planes?” Sean grunted.

  “Maybe. One of the B-17s in particular.”

  “Buddy, many have tried. The news reports and the drone photos made it look like it’s easy-peasy to get to the wrecks, but in fact they’re still incredibly remote, even for up here. There’s no direct way to them, and no time of year that is one-hundred percent safe to go. More power to you, though. Time and the weather here make searches more difficult than any of us would like. It’s challenging to retrace any route, depending upon the weather. But a one-time, hiked-in path? Forget it.”