Riley and Cooper and Campbell and Reese just loved an 

adventure! And this one didn't seem like a big deal at 

the time. Mama and Papa had given them detailed 

instructions on what to do in the morning and how to 

make it back home.

They had been in these woods dozens of times and 

knew every twist and turn, . . . or so they thought!

That very next morning the group woke up after sleeping under 

the stars - their very favorite thing. Well, sometimes it's not 

everyone's favorite. Sometimes Reese would like to go inside if 

she hears a howl in the distance. But mostly, their very favorite 

thing is sleeping under the stars.

It took them just a moment to realize 

where they were and what was 

to happen next. Um, they all 

wondered to themselves, 

what WAS to happen 

next?

Now that they were really all on their own, they weren't sure exactly 

what to do first. 

Cooper immediately had a plan. Actually Cooper 

always had a plan!

“Ok, we will simply think backwards in our 

minds and retrace our steps. That way we 

will remember and end up back with Mama 

and Papa.” He shared.

His siblings all stared at him.

“Whatever does that mean?” Campbell demanded.

“Well, maybe if we all remember a part of what Papa told us, we can 

piece it all together, you know, like a puzzle!” he responded.

“Ok, that makes sense . . . I think. We’ll try it. Who remembers 

what?” started Riley.

“We were in the woods 

and Cooper started a 

big, big campfire!” 

offered Reese. 

"Oh my goodness, 

yes, and we thought

the whole forest

would burn!" exclaimed

Campbell. 

They all laughed 

at the memory.

“Yes, that’s right! And before that we had been exploring all the rocks and 

crannies of the mountain. How fun was that?” continued Campbell. “Ok, I’ll 

just climb up that tree and see if I spot anything that can give us a clue as to 

which way to go.”    "And I'll climb up over there 

and look around too." declared Coop!

"Oh for heaven's sake,

you guys! Stop messing

around! We need to stay

together." declared Riley 

in her   (ahem)

commanding voice!

Reluctantly, and very 

slowly they climbed

down and joined 

their sisters.

So the four of them put their heads together and came up with a plan 

to retrace their steps. The knew Mama and Papa had given them clear 

instructions on how to find their way back home, but they just had to 

remember what they were!

It was quiet in the woods as they walked along. And 

beautiful! 

The crew really hadn't noticed it yesterday when they 

were running and playing around, chasing each other. 

But today, well, today was different. They themselves 

were in charge and somehow felt just a little bit older. 

Oh, they knew they'd make it back home okay - 

eventually - but a bit of freedom in an unknown area, 

caused them to stick together just a little bit more.

Being in the woods like this reminded Riley of hunting 

with Papa. What a fun day that was!

As Riley, Cooper, Campbell and Reese walked along, 

they began to get hungry. They knew to be careful of 

certain berries, so wondered what they would do since 

they had finished the snacks Mama had left for them.

Cooper knew! He'd go fishing!  

"Uh huh. Right! With what?" asked his sisters.

"Oh no problem. I've done it before. You guys just get 

a fire going. I'll be right back."

And they did - and he did! With his bare hands!!!

It was a good meal and they all were refreshed.

But the little's, well, they were thoughtful and quiet and a  

bit tired. The two of them could be best friends or worst 

enemies but when needed, they stuck together like glue!

There was a clearing ahead and, 

of all things, a jeep! How they 

wished they could drive. But 

nope! Not gonna happen. No 

keys anyway. It was, however, 

fun to dream! 

And it did make them wonder 

what would be around the next

bend.

Before the gang could even say their thoughts out loud, they rounded 

the bend and . . .