Their Divine Doctor(Divine Creek Ranch 9)(45)

They’d made one overnight stop along the way to Georgia, so they didn’t arrive at their destination exhausted and wound up spending a good portion of their afternoon actually exploring. They’d hiked around Anna Ruby Falls during the afternoon and had done some fishing but had no luck. Emma had thought it odd that they didn’t set up a campsite first, until they led her to the base of the tree and introduced her to their climbing and camping guide, Jenetta.

Emma was friends with a couple who had gone tree camping in California and had told her all about it in colorful detail. It was one of the big items on her bucket list, and when they’d entered the Chattahoochee National Forest, she’d begun to get her hopes up.

Emma turned to Duke and Gage and hugged them both, doing her best to curb her ardor in front of their guide. “Thank you so much, guys.”

“Ready to climb?” Jenetta asked enthusiastically.

At Emma’s eager nod they got into climbing harnesses and hooked up to the lines hanging from the high branches of the oak tree. Emma had basic tree-climbing skills learned in the Girl Scouts and wasn’t surprised to find that Duke and Gage also possessed the same knowledge. Their love of the outdoors was one of the interests they’d shared.

Jenetta instructed them as they made preparations to start their climb. “You’ll need to stay in your harnesses, attached to the lines, for your own safety once you get up there. The temperature is only supposed to get down to the low fifties tonight, so with the insulated gear you brought you should be fairly comfortable. Keep your cell phones handy in case you run into any trouble and I’ll contact you in the morning. Just follow my lead up the tree and rest when you need to. We have plenty of time. Your portaledge is about fifty feet up. Anybody need a pit stop before we start climbing?”

Emma laughed. “I didn’t, until you mentioned it.”

Jenetta giggled and pointed the way to the facilities and said, “It’s better to take care of it now than realize it once you’re up there.”

Five minutes later, Jenetta was helping her into the basic safety harness and then getting her rigged for the climb. Emma was grateful for the safety equipment because climbing without it was not part of the thrill of tree camping that she’d wanted.

Emma paused as often as she needed to on the climb up, taking time to enjoy the view around her. The mirrorlike surface of the lake came into view, and she could see the outlet into the lake for one of the waterfalls in the park. The lake was surrounded by trees in various shades of autumn colors. Duke and Gage checked with her frequently, and although she was doing fine, she was certain she’d feel the climb the following night. She smiled, thinking she’d have to talk them into a rubdown to avoid having too much soreness.

The bright-red portaledge came into view as they reached their destination. Jenetta stopped with them on the sturdy branch above their nest for the night and gave them the basics on the portaledge itself.

“Your portaledge is suspended from that branch,” she said, gesturing to the thick oak tree branch. “But you’re also anchored at all four corners. That will minimize swaying with the wind but don’t be surprised if you feel it rocking, especially if you close the canopy.”

Jenetta demonstrated lowering the canopy to cover their ledge in case it rained or the temperature dropped. Emma doubted that she would feel the cold very much between these two hot-blooded men.

They watched over her as she lowered herself to the portaledge and hooked her safety harness onto it as instructed by Jenetta, and then she removed her climbing rig. She was thankful that the camping service Jenetta represented had a portaledge that would safely hold three people. She would have been willing to do this in separate quarters, but doing it together was the whole point of the adventure.

Gage smiled at her as he lowered himself next to her and divested himself of his climbing gear. Duke followed soon after, and then Jenetta lowered herself and made sure they were harnessed properly to their safety lines, had everything they needed, and that they could reach the supplies tethered nearby. Once all was secured, Jenetta bid them good night and began her climb down the tree.

For the first time ever, Emma ate supper fifty feet up in a tree as the three of them watched the sun set on the Blue Ridge Mountains. They’d picked the perfect season to come on this adventure.

The rolling hills and mountains surrounding them were blanketed with trees in various stages of turning autumn leaves. The hills were a beautiful, undulating palette of red, russet, green, gold, yellow, and brown. In the fading light she could make out the reflections of the trees on the smooth mirror surface of the lake and took several pictures.