Behind Mt. Baldy Read Online Free PDF

went past in both directions, distracting them.
    After a few more minutes of
marching they came to a clearing on their right. Beyond it was a hill covered
with pine trees. A gravel road branched off to the right and vanished up among
the pines.
    “Here’s the turn-off to Platypus
Lookout,” Graham called.
    “Can we stop?” Roger called. He
was now ten metres behind Stephen.
    “Stop on top. It’s only a couple
of hundred metres. We will just waste time if we keep on stopping,” Graham
replied.
    Roger grumbled but said nothing.
As soon as he reached the bottom of the hill he slowed down. The track seemed
to go up at a very steep angle. After less than fifty paces he stopped, his
heart pounding from the effort. The others had slowed down but they did not
stop.
    Roger swore quietly and began to
plod up on loose gravel. After another fifty paces he stopped again. He looked
up and wiped sweat from his brow. Graham and Peter were vanishing around the
next bend already. After resting for a minute Roger pushed himself on up. Fifty paces. Stop. ‘Heart - slow down,’ he told himself.
Another fifty paces. The gradient began to level out and curve to the right. He
paused again, then plodded on. The next section of
road was level and he managed to keep going, though puffing badly. There was a
gravel pit on the left. Beyond it a road turned off to the left and went down a
steep slope. The road to the lookout went straight ahead up another steep
pinch.
    By the time Roger reached the top
the others had dumped their gear and were having a drink. He plodded across a
gravel car park to join them, feeling light-headed and with slightly blurred
vision. On reaching the others he unclipped his pack and let it fall with a
thump.
    “Ah! That’s better,” he sighed.
He rubbed his shoulders and flexed his muscles. His webbing was also discarded.
“I feel I want to float away,” he said.
    Stephen curled his lip. “You’ll
need to lose another fifty kilograms before that’ll happen,” he replied.
    Roger said nothing, but the jibe
stung.  He bent to take out a water bottle.
    “Let’s find this clue,” Graham said.
He set off at a run, followed by Peter. The hilltop was crowned by a massive
granite boulder the size of a house. Smaller boulders lay studded around it and
a track with steps led up to a lookout on top. The clearing was ringed by pine
trees. The two boys raced up the path, followed by Stephen.
    Roger had a long drink and felt a
bit better. He put his water bottle back and walked up the track. It was only a
short distance but he was puffing by the time he reached the top. A safety rail
surrounded the flat top of the huge rock. The other three were standing looking
out to the south.
    “Find it?” Roger asked as he
joined them.
    Peter shook his head. “Nothing up here. Must be hidden somewhere else,” he
replied.
    Graham was busy orientating his
map. “Not much of a lookout,” he grumbled, indicating the tall pine trees which
almost blocked the view. Roger looked. He could see glimpses of Lake Tinaroo,
also the small conical volcanic hills called the Seven Sisters, and a few other
landmarks he recognized. The view to the north and east was grander but closer;
the jungle covered ridges of the Lamb Range. Just looking up
at them made him shudder. Memories of that terrifying ride over those
mountains in Willy Williams’ home-made airship the previous year flooded into his
mind. He shook his head and looked away.
    Graham looked at his watch.
“Nearly four o’clock. We’d better find this clue.”
    The boys filed back down the
stairs. A dirt foot track went left around the rock.
    Graham pointed along it. “You go
that way Roger. Stephen, you look around the front of the rock. Pete, you and I
will search amongst these trees.” He indicated the nearest pine trees. 
Smaller boulders studded the ground which had a thick tangle of lantana and
other undergrowth on the edge of the forest. Several distinct foot tracks