The situation was made to order. The backpackers seemed preoccupied with the glacier ice. The approach, as long as the unsuspecting civilians remained in place, would be straight forward. Yet, it would be difficult to cross the open snowfield without attracting attention. The Colonel had to pat himself on the back. Asking his men to "steal" a snatch of conversation, was sheer inspiration. His students would need luck to do so within the time allotted.

That unexpected bit of luck arrived via horseback. Murphy and Thompson were stuck in the bottom of a small crevasse, unable to move the last 50 feet to the shelter of a boulder, without giving the game away. They could hear the murmur of voices, but not individual words.

Richards had achieved a bit more success than his classmates by employing an old Plains Indian approach. Before the red man owned horses, they had stalked buffalo herds by crawling on hands and knees while wearing a commonplace wolf pelt. Shrouding himself in parachute white, Richards had slid across the snow, masquerading as a lump. He was almost to a position where it would be possible to hear conversation, provided the unsuspecting backpackers attention was diverted for a moment.

No one had expected Smith and his pack string to come along, but the airmen were quick to take advantage of the backpacker's surprise. All three 'hunters' were close enough to witness Jed's "Howdy," as he motioned for the girl bringing up the rear of the pack string to hold it up a bit, it being his habit to stop and talk when meeting someone else on a wilderness trail.

"Nice weather we're having," Jed tossed out as an opening gambit to the two, suspicious looking hikers.

"It certainly is."

"Which way you fellows heading?"

"Oh, just to Mirror Lake."

"You're nearly there," Jed happily suggested, while taking in the pattern their lugsole boots made upon the snow, and wondering why they supposedly were heading to a spot they had just left.

Curious, Jed asked again, "Ah, you must be doing the Round the Mountain Trail?"

"Uh, yes."

"Then you heard about the bridge being washed out," Jed stated, while thinking up a suitable name, "at Blow-out Creek."

"Why yes we have. Thanks for being concerned."