Chapter Twenty One
The road through the Pass is the main artery for trade between Madoc and Cardri and is wide enough to accommodate three wagons side by side. The surface of the road, while not perfectly smooth, is firm and level with minimal ruts and potholes.
As they leave the entrance to the Pass behind and follow the road around the bend, the panoramic view of the gorge unfolds before them. They pause a second to take in its grandeur. On either side the gorge rises up to dizzying heights with the river cutting through the middle. Cascading down the side opposite that which the road meanders along, several waterfalls add additional splendor. The road follows the river for nearly a mile before beginning it’s ascent up to the higher elevations. With many a twist and turn, it occasionally vanishes from view only to reappear once more further up the mountainside. Straining their vision to its utmost, they can barely make out where the road ultimately disappears into the cloud cover further down the gorge.
“We’re going there?” James hears Miko exclaim incredulously.
“It’s not so bad,” he reassures his friend. “Caravans come this way all the time, so I’m sure we will have little difficulty.” Nudging his horse forward, James continues down the road forcing Miko to keep up with him or be left behind.
Before the road begins its ascent from the river, they come upon a fellow traveler driving a wagon loaded with goods. “Excuse me sir,” James says as he comes abreast of the wagon.
The man turns his head toward the pair. “Yes?”
“How far is it to the other side of the Pass?” asks James.
“Two days on horseback,” the man says. “Most caravans make it in about four to five days, depending on the load they’re carrying.”
“Is there any place along the way to stop and eat?” Miko asks the man.
“No son, there isn’t,” he replies. “However, there is a way stop near the top where travelers are able to rest for the night before making the descent on the other side.”
“Thanks, mister,” James says.
“You’re welcome,” he replies.
James nudges his horse and they resume their quick pace once again, leaving the man and his wagon behind.
“Are we going to spend tonight at the way stop?” Miko asks, once they have pulled away from the trader.
“I would think so,” James replies. “If we make it that far before it gets dark that is.”
Once the ascent begins, the road climbs at a steady, though at the moment, not an overly steep pace. It continues running along the right side of the river, following the water’s path as it flows through the gorge. At times the river roars to life when making its way through an area of rapids.
As they progress deeper and deeper into the Pass, the mountainside to the right of the road becomes increasingly vertical as its vertical slope increases. Waterfalls grow plentiful as the warm summer weather melts the snowpacks in the upper elevations. At one of the larger ones James notices that someone had built a culvert or drainage system beneath the road to allow water to flow under it to the river without eroding the surface.
Being a city boy, Miko had never seen waterfalls like these and is quite impressed by their beauty and power. He pauses by one as he dismounts to fill his depleted water bottle. When he places the bottle in the waterfall, he quickly snatches his hand back when the fall’s water hits his skin.
“What’s the matter?” James asks, startled at his reaction.
Miko turns and looks at James, “It’s cold!”
Laughing, James explains, “Of course it’s cold. The water is coming from snow melting high up in the peaks.”
“Oh,” he replies, feeling slightly embarrassed at not having known that. He grits his teeth and places his bottle back into the falling water and fills it. Then he secures it back to his saddle and remounts. Looking at his hand, he finds that his fingers are a little red from the coldness of the water. He’s intrigued by the water cascading down the side of the mountain and watches it until they have traveled far enough that it disappears from view.
They continue along the road, passing the occasional wagon or traveler as they progress further up the mountain. It isn’t long until they begin to hear a steady, loud roar coming from up ahead.
The mountainside on their right abruptly falls away, revealing a tall narrow gorge with a majestic, powerful, three tiered waterfall. The water, after collecting in a pool at the base of the falls, crosses under a bridge and cascades down the mountainside to the river below.
The sound of the falls is deafening as they cross the bridge spanning its outflow. Its thundering reverberates through them as they pause a moment to marvel at this wonder of nature.
“Ain’t that something?” James hollers at Miko as he tries to be heard over the roar of the falls.
“Yeah!” he hollers back. While they sit there on the bridge marveling at one of nature’s wonders, the spray from the waterfall feels good as it helps to alleviate the heat of the day.
“James, look!” exclaims Miko as he points to the pool at the base of the waterfall.
Taking a closer look, James spies three deer drinking from the pool. He nods his head, acknowledging having seen them, then indicates they should continue down the road. As they leave, Miko turns his head several times trying to capture in his mind the marvel of the waterfall and the deer below until the scene finally disappears behind trees and rocks.
The travelers encountered are few and far between, all being either on individual wagons or part of small caravans. None are very talkative as they have far too much on their minds, what with worrying about conditions on the other side of the mountains, and whether or not they will find safety there.
The further into the Pass they go, the more the road climbs away from the river. Though still able to hear the rapids as water crashes over rocks below, it has been steadily growing fainter and fainter as they progress to the upper elevations.
Upon reaching where the road widens into a scenic overlook, they decide to stop for a short break to give the horses a chance to rest and have a quick bite to eat. After getting off his horse, Miko moves to the edge of the overlook and gazes down to the river below. Having never before looked down from such a height, he is almost overcome with a sudden fear of heights. Assailed by vertigo, he backs away quickly until there are several yards of road between him and the edge.
“You okay?” James asks as he hands him a portion of their rations.
Taking the food, Miko nods his head affirmatively, “It’s just that we are so high. I didn’t realize we had climbed so far.”
“It is deceiving,” James admits. “While you are climbing, it doesn’t seem like your ascent has been all that dramatic, until you look down. Then it sort of hits you all at once. I remember it happened to me once when my family took me to Yellowstone.”
“Your family took you to go see a yellow stone?” asks Miko confusedly.
“Not a yellow stone,” corrects James, “but a place called Yellowstone. It’s a place where people go to get away for awhile and have fun.”
“Oh,” replies Miko.
After the break, they remount and travel for another hour before coming to a section of the mountain that levels out for a ways into a plateau. The plateau extends for several miles from the gorge until it ends and the mountains resume their rise. About a quarter mile off the road further back on the plateau sits a large structure, looking in ill repair. It stands four stories high with windows only in the uppermost section of the walls. A large door looms open and is slightly ajar.
“Must be an old keep,” James guesses. “Maybe a garrison was once stationed here.”
“Could be,” agrees Miko. “It doesn’t look as if anyone has been in there for a long time. Wonder if it’s haunted.”
“Don’t tell me you believe in ghosts?” James asks, slightly amused.
“Of course not,” asserts Miko. “It’s just that the place looks creepy.”
