<div class="floatleft">(http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/daniellex28/evolved%20char%202_zpsxpnqdkip.png)</div><strong>Name:</strong>Julie Lancaster (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=250173.msg12381790er#msg12381790)<br/><strong>City | Date | Time:</strong>Muir Woods National Monument, California | August 6, 2017 | 10:05 AM<br/><strong>Tagging | Mentioning:</strong>Closed, James<br/><strong>Content:</strong>On Top of the World<br/><hr/><br/>Although she would never admit it, Julie had underestimated the rocky slope a little bit. She'd gladly blame the long journey and lack of sleep for it, but perhaps her body wasn't quite as strong as she would have liked, regardless of how much she'd pushed it day in, day out back in Africa. Which didn't mean that she was about to give up though; if anything, it made her all the more adamant to reach the top. The steep wall was covered in rough, bleached stone with tiny weeds sprouting in between. There seemed to be moss here and there, and more than once did her foot slip, making Julianne reconsider just how sensible it was to climb fifty feet without anyone around to help her should she fall down, breaking at least a few ribs and a limb or two on the way down.<br/><br/>Her hand reached out, finding a sturdy little ridge near the top. Julie was hoisting herself up to the top ledge with a slightly less feminine groan. By then there were several scratches on her upper arms and a tear in the side of her top. Her cheeks had flushed a heated red which could only partially be attributed to the rising temperature, and surely, by the time she had managed to struggle onto her knees and up on more horizontal surface, Julie was drawing laboured breaths and leaning her hands on her thighs, trying to get her heart to slow to a slower rhythm once more. It was then that she heard the voice coming from the ground below; perhaps someone had called her before, but Julie severely doubted that she would have heard it back then. Now her curiosity was piqued, however, and even though she was still breathing rapidly, the girl made a conscious effort to get up on her feet and slowly turn around again. She was still resting her hands right above her knees as she peered down the rock formation, catching sight of a man standing below. He looked athletic, and judging by the attire he wore he'd been out for a run, just like her. Well, not<em>just</em>like her; she reckoned he was a lot more acquainted with these redwoods than she was.<br/><br/>"I'm fine, but thanks for worrying about me," she breathed, a challenging grin appearing on her face to mirror the charming smile he flashed her. Julie was at least a little surprised to find someone else out here, so far away from the proper trails, let alone one who was, to put it as subtle as her mind would allow it, so easy on the eyes. "And I guess you could join me," she continued, the taunting undertone evident in her voice, "You know, if you hurry. I'm  not going to be standing around here all day. There's a lot of forest to see!"<br/><br/>And with that she took a step back, only just remaining in view of the stranger below. The sight ahead of her was nothing short of breathtaking, and even though it took her a moment to tear her gaze from the man, ultimately Julie allowed herself to take in the view of what felt like a thousand of the tallest giants littering the land around her, all of them making imposing efforts to reach for the clouds. Even from this height she was barely at the halfway point of some, while most still towered far above her at dazzling height. Julie couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to climb one of the ancient redwoods, and a shudder of excitement ran along her spine. It was at this point that she became aware of the trickle of water behind her, and although her attention never truly deviated from the guy below - and she was really curious to see just how well he would fare at scaling the rocky slope - Julie did find herself turning briefly to look at the body of water.<br/><br/>The creek seemed eager to run along the higher ground, and it babbled happily alongside the ridge, its bank not twenty feet away. Julie found that it coursed somewhat lazily towards the east, only to disappear off the edge a stone's throw away. How she had not heard the rush of water before was beyond her, but the distinct rush of a waterfall hitting a deeper pool echoed into the forest, causing Julie to jump up in unfeigned delight. Bouncing on her toes, she had trouble keeping herself from heading off to explore right away and it was with a twinkle in her eyes that she glanced over the edge once more. "Hey good lookin', you gonna get up here or what?" she taunted. "I haven't got all day, you know."<br/>