Our way forward could only be half guessed across the almost vertical gash of loose dirt and stone, the aftereffects of a major landslide. The slide had erased what little path there had been and I couldn’t see a safe way across. Just a little way down the slide path from us, the loose stone stopped and the open air began. I sniffed the wind.

“What do you think?” Merla asked.

“I don’t smell or hear anything. What do you see?”

“The path is totally gone, but I can see a way across, not easy, but doable. Let’s go. But, please, be careful!”

Merla picked her way first. I followed close behind, trying to place my feet exactly where hers had been, knowing she had a sense of the path that I couldn’t match. It wasn’t easy and, with the sun beating down on me, I began to…