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

“That’s it, but better than nothing,” Hugh said after Ansel helped him out of the cellar.


“We can add this to the collection,” Ansel told him, handing him a pot. “It was in the fireplace.” It was made of cast iron—pot-bellied with three legs. “My bet is, they left it behind because it weighed too much.”


“Their loss is our gain. Let’s get this stuff back to the cabin before we go hunting.”


“No kidding. I’m not lugging this pot around for the next few hours.”


They stopped by the stream on the way back to clean the pot and the jars in the fast-moving water, since it looked like it was going to start raining soon. It did, just before they reached the cabin, so they put off their hunting trip.


Chapter 29