On the first day on the trail to the Lake, Helen ate lunch in an abandoned apple orchard, slept in a grove of ferns beside the trail, found some surprise gifts in her totebag, and was awakened by three men riding horses, who thundered by the fern grove but did not see Helen.
Early in the morning, she shouldered her tote, and headed down the trail. She was not sure how far she had gone the following day and how close she was to Janet's farm, but she guessed it was only about two hours away.
