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Jeff thought Julie was joking when she invited him to go hiking with her family.

"Me and hiking don't get along," he said.

"Well," said Julie, "I was kinda hoping you'd want to come and help us out with the kids."

"I guess, if you're doing a hike that's easy enough for Ollie, I can probably hack it too. I mean, if I can't match the pace of a 2-year-old, I probably deserve to die on the side of a mountain, right?

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That Saturday Jeff met the Chavez clan at the trail head. The weather was beautiful, not too hot, and the five of them set out. With Jaben, Julie, and Jeff teaming up, they managed to keep Ollie and Zander from wandering off the path, and from getting too bored or complaining much.

Jeff was actually the first to raise a stink. Although the slope was gentle, he felt like he was getting shin splints, and he asked for frequent rest stops. During the third stop in a 20-minute span, Julie was getting frustrated at her group's slow pace.

"I'm going to walk ahead just a little," she said. "I'll wait for y'all a little ways up the trail."

Julie walked less than 100 feet before she suddenly disappeared from sight. It was as is the earth had swallowed her up.

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