Which brings us back to me, on the trail, huffing my way ever upward. I stop, breathing hard, and look up to see fellow hikers straggling up the hill in a scene reminiscent of Klondike gold-seekers on the Chilkoot Trail. And here we are at the quarry site, a level bench strewn with shards of split rock. The guide gets out hammers and magnifying glasses. Immediately everyone begins picking up pieces of rock.
Fossils are everywhere.
The group's excitement is palpable. We're all kids again, on a field trip like no other. Eventually, our excitement subsides and I realize just how cold, tired and hungry I am. But we still have to hike down. Hearing the siren song of a hot meal and warm bed, we wearily plod over Burgess Pass and downward through the primal forest of towering spruce and pine.