When Hugh Mathews decides it's time to get out from under his tyrannical father's thumb and away from the life he's been living, he does it in a big way. Packing what he'll need to survive in the wilderness, and with only his dog, Orion, for companionship, he heads into the mountains. When they find a abandoned cabin, Hugh begins the arduous task of repairing it, as well as hunting for food and everything else they'll need to stay alive.<br><br>Soon after, Ansel Jeffries, a nature photographer, arrives at Hugh's cabin, seeking an abandoned mine he wants to photograph. After talking with him, Ansel sees the potential for a story in what Hugh is doing -- and why.<br><br>Ansel convinces Hugh to let him tell it, meaning he'll be living at the cabin with Hugh. When he moves in, will what becomes friendship between the two men grow into more?

Off the Beaten Path

“I’m with you on that, dog. But if they clean up, I’ll have storage containers.”


By then, it was lunch time. As he didn’t have any grease, Hugh decided to cook the fish the old-fashioned way, on a stick. He found a green branch, stripped it of its bark, and inserted it lengthwise into the fish with one end protruding as a handle. He had already lit the fire, so all he had to do was sit in front of it, turning the stick until he thought the fish was cooked enough to eat. By the time it was, Orion was sitting next to him, eyeing it hungrily, so after deboning it, Hugh cut off a portion for him. Despite the fact he didn’t have any salt and pepper, the fish was surprisingly tasty.


Chapter 9