After washing away trail grim from our garments, we spread them to dry on the bank and eased up to our necks in the hot water. When Amber switched off the lamp to save batteries, we got another surprise in a day already abundant with surprises. Lichen, growing everywhere on surrounding limestone, lighted the area around us with multi-colored phosphorescence.
"Magnificent," Amber said.
"It's like a fairy land," Mary Ann said.
Their words understated how I felt. Languishing in the luxury of the moment I reclined until only my eyes and tip of my nose protruded from hot water. My muscles relaxed as I breathed the lusty mixture of sulfur and orchids. Sometime later, Amber aroused me from the lethargy of my relaxation.
"I just had a bad thought. What if the whole valley is foggy like this? What happens if we can't find the trail and our way back up the mountain? It could happen, even if we go no further than we are right now."
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