R. Crow Associates -- Investigation II -- Entering the Forest
Investigation II
Lost Townie Forest Entrance, well-gated
Misty and cold, midday, 1975. A stranger approaches.
A man exits the car and mutely appraises Mert. Heβs nobody, Mert decides, at least not connected with the power plant, definitely not a park ranger. They chat for a few moments. Heβs got long hair and a blank stare, an uncommitted ex-hippie who smells like marijuana. His name is Steve. After seeming to accept Mert as non-threatening, he quietly gestures with his head toward the fence and uphill to the north. Mert follows.
About a half mile into the pines, the fence has been weakened, and Steve peels back the chain link as Mert slips in. Steve nods and quickly wanders off without inviting Mert to smoke with him.
Itβs late enough for it to be a bad idea to wander around without navigational aids, and thereβs no path in sight, but Mert takes the chance. The fence runs north and south, and he figures if he just heads forward to the west for around 30 minutes, he canβt get too lost... in the Lost Townie forest.
Lost Townie Forest, wandering west
Mert finds himself lost after about 15 minutes. The moody sky is an unhelpful gray blanket. Worse, Mertβs pocket has been picked of his cash at some point during his illegal ingress. No wonder Steve was in such a hurry, the goddamn pothead. Itβs going to take a visit to town to re-up his money.
After an hour Mert finds a discarded hardwood staff in excellent shape. At least itβs more at home in the woods than his crowbar would be, a tool and possible weapon. He whistles a tune to keep himself company and pauses to flip through the contents of the plant managerβs planner.
Right around the date of the aborted hunting trip, thereβs a mention of βss falls/dry cont.β Mert covers everything but βfalls/dryβ and realizes that it may be a location in the forest, rather than a present-tense verb about βss.β
A little while later, Mert finds the fence again, follows it to the weak spot. Every well-maintained forest has one of those public maps, doesnβt it?
Back at the roadβs end, Steveβs car is long gone, along with any hope of getting his money back, but Mert has the beginnings of a lead. At the barred entrance is a map of the Lost Townie forest shielded by weathered plastic, and, better still, a metal box with paper maps for visitors.
Lost Townie is a fairly large forest, with streams and a river helping to feed Spotter Lake, and there are multiple falls throughout, but Mert quickly locates βS.S. Falls (dry)β printed in tiny letters, with a little symbol indicating βwaterfall.β It stands at the entrance to a large section of the forest labeled βSHADY SCREAMS SEASONAL HUNTING GROUND.β A footnote reads βEntry prohibited due to contamination.β Bingo.
Shady Screams is a bit of hike in, but now Mert has a map with trails clearly marked. He re-enters the park, and promptly becomes lost. It becomes late and Mert gets hungry, but at around 4pm he finally locates Shady Screams Falls.