“Come on,” Judy shouted, starting off at a run. “I saw where it dropped!”
There was a mad scramble to see who would be the first to reach the message tube. According to the rules of the competition, the directions, once read, could not be kept, but must be left behind for other patrols.
Plunging through the underbrush, Judy was the first to seize upon the shining metal tube. As she opened it to remove the message which had been folded within, Beverly, Kathleen and Betty crowded close to read the directions.
“Plane crash at 9:48 a.m. on Hermit’s Ridge,” Kathleen discerned the writing. “Three passengers in need of help.”
“Hermit’s Ridge!” Beverly explained. “Where is that?”
Judy already was consulting her map of the region.
“You might know it’s a difficult climb from here!” she exclaimed. “We have several choices of a route. We can take the short, hard climb—no trail. That way, it looks to be approximately a mile and a half from here.”
“What are the other choices?” Kathleen questioned.
“We can follow the main highway three quarters of the way, and then make a short climb on Lone Pine Trail. Our third choice is to descend from here to Rocky Point Path and keep on it all the way.”
“I’m for taking the shortest route even if it will mean a harder climb,” Beverly said at once. “Let’s go!”