Elk Hunt Adventure

By Monica Roe and Gregor Forster

For twelve-year-old Coral, having divorced parents means only getting to see her dad a few times each year. So when he invites her on a guided elk hunt—on horseback—in the Colorado mountains over fall break, Coral is thrilled. She's sure that this will be the adventure of a lifetime—and great bonding time with her father—even if she is nervous around horses. The hunt is fun, but soon things start to unravel. Coral struggles to find her confidence and feels strangely distant from her dad, especially when he surprises her with some big news. When a huge storm blows in, turning the mountain slippery and treacherous, Coral realizes she must overcome her fears and feelings of resentment to make it back down the mountain to safety.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
• Release date: Jan 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781666329650

Monica Roe

Monica Roe is the author of Air, as well as Thaw, a Cybils Young Adult Fiction Finalist, and the short story “The Unhealthy Breakfast Club” in the anthology Rural Voices. She is a pediatric physical therapy provider for several remote Alaskan communities and a researcher/advocate for the social model of disability and inclusive rural health. Monica studies public health at the University of Alaska, focusing on disability-inclusive disaster preparedness. She and her family divide their time between Alaska and their apiary in South Carolina. Pay Monica's website a visit for more about her research, Alaska, beekeeping, and other published works.

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Wilderness Ridge: Elk Hunt Adventure by Monica Roe, Illustrated by Gregor Forster

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page

Chapter One: Gearing Up

Chapter Two: Into the Mountains!

Chapter Three: Elk!

Chapter Four: Betrayed

Chapter Five: Worries

Chapter Six: The Storm Rolls In

Chapter Seven: Regrets and Fears

Chapter Eight: Down from the Mountain

About the Author

About the Illustrator

Glossary

Talk About It

Write About It

More About Elk Hunting

Explore More

Copyright

Back Cover

CHAPTER ONE

Gearing Up

This is going to be the best fall break ever! I thought as I stuffed my hunting gear into a waterproof duffel bag.

My heart hummed excitedly. Three nights in the mountains hunting elk with my dad! Sure, it would be on horseback, which was a little scary, but still. I could hardly wait!

Mom came into my room with an armful of clothes. Take extras, she said, tossing me two pairs of thick socks. You never know what weather you’ll get this time of year.

I nodded and tossed the socks into my bag. Mom was right. It was early October in Colorado and still mostly warm, but it would definitely get down below freezing at night, especially in the Rockies.

I hope you cleared some freezer space, I joked. I’m planning on bringing home enough elk meat to last us until next year!

Mom didn’t laugh. Are you sure about this, Coral? she asked. I could see she was trying not to look worried. I can call your father and ask him to choose a different hunt.

No way! I cried. I wasn’t about to miss an honest-to-goodness guided elk hunt. Besides, I added, looking at the time, Dad’s already on his way to pick me up.

My dad’s college friends, Javier and Grace, owned Windy Peak Outfitters, which led guided hunts. They’d been asking Dad to come hunt with them for years. He loved horseback riding.

Finally, we were going to do it! A horseback ride into the backcountry, carrying our gear on pack horses, followed by three days hunting and camping in the Rocky Mountains.

Mom didn’t look convinced. What about that time at Carlita’s birthday party? You swore you’d never get on a horse again.

I groaned. "Mom! That was years ago!"

Sure, I’d gotten scared, but it wasn’t my fault the pony had spooked and taken off. I’d managed