BAD TRAIL MIX
Teenage Fugitives in the Wilderness
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Suddenly, Gofer stopped in his tracks. So fast that Nick and Andy had a chain reaction and crashed into him. Gofer still kept the brakes on. The other two saw the reason for the sudden halt. A huge rattlesnake was standing up. It looked about three feet tall. The rest of the snake was coiled, rattle chattering. "Easy!" Andy shouted a whisper. "Move back really slow." Nick backed up first and ran back a few yards after he was clear. Andy backed up a few feet and carefully picked up a stick. "Come on, Gofer! Back up slooowly!" whispered Andy. Gofer started, then froze. His face was ashen and his legs were trembling. "Gopher, come on!" Just then the big snake moved. It made a strike at Gofer. Andy leaped ahead. He whacked the snake with his stick, just as it came frighteningly close to Gofer’s leg. "Run!" hollered Andy. Color returned to Gofer and they both jumped backwards. They quickly put some distance between themselves and the rattler. Gofer bent over with his hands on his knees, catching his breath. "That was too close," panted Andy. "Thanks man! That was a home run you hit," said Gofer, still shaking. "Guess that batting practice last year finally paid off," Andy grinned. "We should get outta here. There’s usually more than one of them." They caught up to Nick, who was very quiet. "Wow, Dude!" was all he could say, as he looked at Andy in awe. The trio hiked until dark and exhaustion overtook them. "Hey, Man, I think we should skip eating and putting up the tent. Why don’t we just sleep under the stars?" groaned Nick, as he dropped he dusty pack to the ground. They were in a clearing large enough for a campsite. "Only one problem," said Andy. "I like open camping too, but not in rattlesnake country. They like to crawl into your sleeping bag to get warm." "OK, bad idea," said Nick with a shiver, thinking of the snake. "Yo, I say we skip supper," voiced Gofer. "We’re too tired to cook, and this way we save a meal for later." "Sounds like a plan to me," said Nick. "Just remember, I sleep with the gun." They pitched their tent in record time, tossed in their sleeping bags, and crawled in. Andy noticed one serious mistake, but decided to let it go. He was getting weary of giving camping lessons to his kidnapper. Around 3a.m. Andy woke with a start. He was being nudged through the sleeping bag by Gofer. There was a sound coming from the outside of the tent. It sounded like someone with really bad manners eating something chewy. "What’s that noise?" asked Gofer in muffled tones. "Oh no!" whispered Andy. "I think we’ve got a bear!" "What!" Andy had to put his hand over Gofer’s mouth. "What’s up?" asked Nick out loud as he woke from a deep sleep.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
Andy Fleming is sixteen and in love . . . with the wilderness. BAD TRAIL MIX is a fictional account of Andy’s expedition into the backcountry with a group of juvenile delinquents. Andy prepares to deal with the challenge of leading troubled, streetwise boys on the excursion. He also has to deal with his personal grief over the recent death of his mother. The reader will see what is supposed to be a rehabilitation venture turn for the worse. Andy gets to see a different side of his crew and it ". . . chilled him to the bone." He has another challenge in dealing with a ruthless correction officer named Buehl, nicknamed Bull, by the crew. The street punks soon have enough of Bull and tensions boil over. Andy is kidnapped by two crewmembers that attempt a risky cross-country escape. On the wild trek, Andy gains an understanding of the boys’ problems. The reader shares the hair-raising misadventures that only the wilderness can provide. The boy fugitives deal with animal encounters, severe weather, and a forest fire. All the while, they are pursued by the relentless Bull. The youthful adventure is set in the breath-taking beauty of the Rocky Mountain high country. The survivors of the ordeal are not identified until the final chapter.
About the Author
L.E. Heldreth is the fifth generation of his family to occupy the family homestead in Ohio, where he lives with his wife and teenage son. The home has been in the family since 1853 and is currently a tree farm. He has academic degrees in biology and anthropology, and practiced dentistry for twenty-three years. Lynn has backpacked for over twenty years, and has led wilderness expeditions in the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains. His trekking (backpacking, cross-country skiing, and canoeing) has taken him to the backcountry of Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, New York, Indiana, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Oregon, and Canada. Through the military, he has trekked the rainforests of Honduras. His desire in writing this book is to inspire today’s youth to love and respect the great outdoors. Trekking teaches the virtue of doing more with less and self-reliance. Lynn’s favorite quote is, "If it is to be, it is up to me". He is currently sidelined due to his long battle with Lyme Disease. "The most dangerous animal in the woods is the deer tick." His hope is to overcome the debilitating disease and return to hiking the backcountry that he loves so much.