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Show 55 olds learned to handle heavy chain saws. Karen had few discipline problems. "There were times vihen we would walk over to the dormitory and find four or five girls being s i l l y , s i t t i n g on the front porch smoking c i g a r s , " she says, "but vie didn't consider that much of a problem." Just before camp ended the second summer, Karen and the other leaders took all the g i r l s on a week-long backpack t r i p to an area of alpine meadows and small, beautiful lakes. Having worked with them for nine weeks, the leaders thought the YCC g i r l s viere responsible enough to hike at their ovin pace and enjoy the scenery. "We didn't viant them to feel too regimented," Karen says, "although they were a l l expected to stay on the same t r a i l. "By the third day," she continues, "vie viere l i t e r a l l y in the middle of novihere on the high ridge t r a i l . When we reached our destination for the night, the camp director stood beside the t r a i l to make certain everyone had arrived. I vias one of the l a s t to come in. He asked whether I ' d seen two particular corps members, but I hadn't." Karen and the camp director waited in the gathering darkness, straining to hear any footfalls on the path. No one approached. With growing concern, they had to admit that the g i r l s were probably l o s t. Since it was so dark, the camp director decided against sending out crew members to search. That would be too dangerous - the searchers viould only get lost too. With a hand radio he called fire lookouts viho were stationed atop high toviers along the t r a i l , alerting them about the missing campers. The lookouts radioed Forest Service headquarters to request a helicopter at daylight. Everyone spent an anxious night waiting for the f i r s t streaks of dawn to lighten the sky. |