NovelOnlineChapter 164 He stood at the base of the rock, with Leanne perched above him. The height of that boulder made her the more elevated of the two, a physical metaphor for their current. dynamic.
Curtis craned his neck slightly, his gaze locked on her with an intensity that seemed almost religious in its fervor, especially given the dim light filtering through the dense forest canopy.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtLeanne turned her head away, continuing to forge ahead.
Before long, their odd little group expanded to four.
Jeremy took the lead, with clueless Devin wedging himself between him and Leanne.
Curtis slowed his pace, casually trailing behing Leanne. After a few steps, Curtis asked, "Heavy?" Leanne didn't catch his words. "What?" Without waiting for her to respond, Curtis reached for her backpack and gave it a heft. "What's in here? Bricks? Are you planning on building a house at the summit?" "Water and a camera." Leanne reached out. "Give it back." Instead, Curtis slung her pack over his shoulder and nudged her forward. "I'm helping you, and you're not even happy about it. You should be thrilled to haveas your pack mule." She couldn't immediately cup with a counter-argument to his twisted logic, which frustratingly, seemed to make ssense.
Whenever they approached a steep incline, Curtis would offer a helping hand before she could struggle. Sometimes it was at her waist, sometimes her elbow, and occasionally he'd steady the backpack. He always seemed to make the climb easier for her.
Leanne didn't want his help. "I can walk on my own." His response was either placating or teasing; it was hard to tell. "You're doing great," he said.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmLeanne clenched her teeth in silent frustration.
The next tthey approached a difficult spot, as he reached out, Leanne spun around defensively, blocking him with her hiking stick.
Curtis gave her a look, grabbed the stick, and drawled, "Thanks, I could use the support. I'm beat." גוד 11:30 MChapter 164 Leanne coldly pulled it back. "If you can't keep up, go back." She planted the stick firmly on the ground, used a nearby tree trunk for additional leverage, and hoisted herself up.
Echo Summit had a well-developed trail, and three-quarters of the way was relatively easy 100 to navigate. Upon reaching the camp base, the early arrivals had gathered.
"Why are we stopping?" Leanne asked.
Skyler explained, "The park ranger mentioned there's still sleftover ice on the trail from the recent snowfall. The steps up ahead are slick, and it's not safe to go on. If we want to reach the summit, we'll have to take a detour." Joy volunteered with enthusiasm, "I'll lead the way. I've been through here before." There were multiple paths to the summit, but the smaller trails were less maintained compared to the main tourist paths. In such situations, it was safer to stick together.
The groups merged and continued their ascent.
Visit our social media platform to read fascinating stories every day and connect with the community!
