Kate and the Wyoming Fossil Fiasco

by Janice Hanna

  Megan quickly made the introductions. She pointed first to the girl with the blond ponytail. “Kate and McKenzie, I’d like you to meet Lauren.” She gestured next to the blond. “This is Ginny.” Finally she pointed to the cute little redhead. “And this is Patti.”

  Patti nodded. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Nice to meet you, too,” Kate added. She couldn’t help but smile. Meeting these girls reminded her of that day at Discovery Lake Camp when she first met McKenzie, Bailey, Elizabeth, and the others. Camp was always such a great place to make new friends.

  After a few pleasant words, Kate and McKenzie started unloading their things.

  “Did you bring everything on the list?” McKenzie asked, opening her backpack.

  Kate went through the items, one by one. “I’ve got my sunscreen and sun hat. Comfy clothes. Sleeping bag and pillow. Backpack. Gloves. Hiking shoes. Toothbrush. Toothpaste. Shampoo.” She looked at McKenzie. “Did I forget anything?”

  “Yes!” Her friend looked shocked. “What about your gadgets?”

  “Oh, I have all of those in this bag.” Kate lifted her backpack where she’d put all of the good stuff—her laptop, the digital recorder, the text-reader pen, and much, much more. “I’ve got a GPS system on my phone in case we get lost,” she said. “And I brought my laptop. I hope they let me use it.” She looked at Megan, who flashed a smile.

  “Sure. Those things are fine. We’ve got no problem with technology at fossil camp. In fact, the people who run the place encourage the campers to use all the technology they can to learn more while they’re here. So Internet access is a plus.”

  Kate nodded. “Speaking of the Internet, we hoped to have a video chat with some friends tonight on my laptop.” She gazed at Megan, more curious than ever. “Is that allowed?”

  “As long as you do so before lights-out, it shouldn’t be a problem,” Megan said. “But trust me, if you girls get too rowdy after lights-out, that’s a different story.” She grinned. “I’m a pretty easygoing counselor, but I like my beauty sleep.”

  Kate laughed. Megan didn’t look like she needed any beauty sleep. In fact, Kate couldn’t help but hope she’d look like Megan when she got older.

  “I brought lots of snacks, too!” Kate said, opening another, smaller bag. She dumped out dozens of candy bars, cookies, and chips.

  Kate quickly ate a candy bar and tossed the wrapper in the trash. Then she put all the rest of her snacks away for later. In the meantime, she listened as McKenzie and Megan kept talking.

  “Are you bunking in here with us?” McKenzie asked.

  “Yes,” Megan said. “And Conner bunks with the guys. If you need anything or have any questions, just ask.”

  “So what happens first?” McKenzie asked, glancing at her watch. “It’s five after ten. Aren’t we supposed to be doing something?”

  “Conner is going to meet us at the excavation site at eleven o’clock,” Megan said. “We’ll give the campers some instructions before we break for lunch. There’s a lot to learn before we begin.”

  “I’m sure!” Kate laughed. “I feel like I don’t know anything about excavations!”

  Lauren headed off with Ginny and Patti behind her. As they left their room, Kate glanced over and saw a Bible on Megan’s bunk. She looked at her counselor with a smile. “Megan, you’re a Christian?” she asked.

  “I am.” Megan flashed a broad smile. “You are, too?”

  “Both of us,” McKenzie said. “We met at a Christian camp awhile back.”

  “I’m so glad to hear this.” Megan reached over and rested her hand on Kate’s shoulder. “I always pray that the Lord will send just the right people to fossil camp. Looks like you’re both here for a reason.”

  “Oh, we came to solve a mystery,” Kate said. She quickly explained what had happened with the fake fossils, and Megan’s eyes grew wide.

  “You’re saying the fossil plates that came from Stone’s Throw were fake?” She paused then added, “I wonder if my dad already knows. He’s been acting kind of down lately. This might explain it.”

  Kate nodded. “Our friends, the Camp Club Girls, are trying to figure out who would forge the fossils … and why. And I need to do it before my teacher loses her job!”

  “Wow.” Megan drew in a deep breath. “You really have a mystery on your hands, don’t you.” She paused once again. “But maybe the Lord has brought you here for more than that.”

  “What do you mean?” Kate asked.

  “I mean a lot of kids come here to dig for fossils, but they end up digging for something else instead. Maybe there are some life lessons the Lord wants to teach you while you’re here.”

  “Could be.” McKenzie nodded.

  “And who knows … maybe He wants you to do a little digging in His Word while you’re here, too,” Megan said with a twinkle in her eye. “Did you bring your Bibles with you?”

  McKenzie nodded. “I did.”

  “I use an online Bible,” Kate said. “I can read it on my phone or my laptop.”

  “Well, do this then,” Megan said. “Every morning when you wake up, spend a little time digging in the Word before you pull out your chisel and dig in the rock. I have no doubt the Lord will reveal more than fossils to you while you’re here.”

  “Good advice,” McKenzie said.

  “We’ll do it!” Kate added.

  Somehow the idea that the Lord had more in mind only made this adventure even more exciting.

  Digging In

  When the campers reached the excavation site, McKenzie glanced at Kate and grinned. “Look, there’s that guy we met earlier.” She nodded to Joel.

  Kate looked at his jacket, hiking boots, and hard hat. “Man, he looks like he’s ready to go. I can sure tell he’s done this before.”

  “Looks like fun,” McKenzie said. “And check out his backpack. It’s huge. Must be loaded with equipment.”

  “Maybe he knows something we don’t!” Kate mumbled. She looked at the rest of the campers, trying to size them up. Most were about her age. A couple were older though, including Joel.

  He looked her way, smiled, and then stepped in her direction. “This is always my favorite part … listening to Conner and Megan explain about the tools and safety gear.”

  “You really do come here a lot,” McKenzie said, looking puzzled. “You know everyone by name?”

  He grinned. “Yeah. I want to be a paleontologist someday, so I’ve been coming to fossil camp every summer

  since I was ten.”

  Kate thought about his words for a moment. If he had been coming to the camp for several years, maybe he could help solve the mystery of the fake fossil plates. She asked, “How old are you now?”

  “Fourteen.” He paused. “Well, almost fourteen. My birthday isn’t until September. But even after I’m too old for this camp, I’m going to keep coming because there’s so much to learn. No matter how much I study, I always find out more when I come to camp. Fossils are so exciting.”

  Kate sighed. “I don’t know anything about fossils.”

  “Me either,” McKenzie said.

  “Just hang out with me,” Joel said as he grabbed his backpack.

  “Yes, Joel is the person to learn from,” Megan said, drawing near. “He’s discovered some of the best fossils at the quarry over the past three years. If you want to see them, visit our display area.”

  “Really?” Kate stared at him with new appreciation. “So you’re famous!”

  His cheeks turned red. “Famous? No. But maybe someday I will be.” He smiled in Conner’s direction. “Like Conner. I want to be like him.”

  “You want to be like him?” Kate’s eyes narrowed as she thought about this.

  “Yes, he’s the best here,” Joel said with an admiring look on his face.

  “Hey, what about me?” Megan pouted.

  Joel grinned. “Sorry. You’re great, too, Megan. It’s just that Conner is so talented, and he’s discovered some of the most valuable fossil
s on the property.”

  “It’s true.” Megan nodded. “Conner really knows his stuff, so if you girls have any questions I can’t answer, I’ll send you to him.” She smiled. “But remember what I said about Joel. He knows almost as much as the counselors, so you might start by asking him your questions. And in case you didn’t notice his stuff in the museum the day you arrived, you might look again.”

  Joel’s cheeks turned even redder. “I’d love to help. Just let me know if you need anything.”

  “Thanks.” Kate thought about that for a minute. Before long, suspicions set in. Perhaps Joel wasn’t just a camper. Maybe he was a spy. She gazed at him, her eyes narrowing. Yes, maybe he had been sent from some other quarry to scope out the place. She would have to keep an eye on him over the next few days to see if he acted strange.

  Conner joined the conversation. “Several paleontologists have taken an interest in Joel’s work,” he said. “Just ask Megan’s father, who owns the quarry.”

  Megan nodded. “Some of the fossils Joel has found are really valuable. You can see them in the museum with his name next to them.”

  McKenzie’s brow wrinkled. “But I thought we got to keep any fossils we found,” she said. “Isn’t that part of the purpose of this? To go home with real fossils?”

  “Some you can keep and some you can’t,” Megan said. “It just depends on what you find.”

  “The fee we paid for the camp only allows us to collect common specimens,” Joel explained. “If we discover something rare, it belongs to the state of Wyoming and has to stay here in the museum.”

  “Wow,” Kate said. “I didn’t know that.”

  He nodded. “That’s right. And they take it very seriously. No one steals any fossils from Stone’s Throw.”

  Kate wanted to say, “Oh yes they do!” but held her tongue. Surely someone here at Stone’s Throw Quarry was stealing the real fossils and replacing them with fakes. But who? And why?

  She didn’t have much time to think about it. Conner called the group to the side of the hill and got everyone quieted down as he spoke.

  “Welcome, everyone. In case you haven’t already heard, my name is Conner Alexander and I’m a counselor here at Stone’s Throw, as well as a paleontologist. I used to be a camper just like you.” He grinned. “So, you never know, one day you might end up working here, too.”

  “I hope so,” Joel whispered. “That’s my goal.”

  “Hmm.” Kate grew more suspicious than ever. Maybe Joel was just pretending to like Conner. Maybe he wanted to work here so he could steal the real fossils and replace them with fakes. She grew more nervous as she thought

  about it. Just as quickly, she scolded herself. You don’t even know Joel! Why would you suspect him of anything?

  “Everyone pay attention.” Conner clapped his hands. “We have a lot to discuss. I want to go over all of our rules and talk to you about what you will wear on the excavation site. We want everyone to be safe.” He opened a large crate and pulled out a yellow hard hat and a bright colored jacket. “You campers will wear these at all times.”

  “Ooo, a hard hat!” Kate took the bright yellow hat as Megan handed it to her and plopped it on her head. “Ouch. Man, that really is hard.”

  “Safety equipment is so important here at Stone’s Throw because you never know when we’ll come across falling rocks,” Conner explained. “And staying with the group is critical, too. We don’t want to run the risk of anyone getting lost.”

  “We’re also giving you these backpacks to carry your tools in,” Megan said. “Any you might have brought from home probably aren’t strong enough to hold your accessories and any rocks you might pick up. Remember, many of the rocks will be dirty or muddy.”

  “Ugh.” McKenzie sighed. “So much for staying clean.”

  “Take a look at your tools now,” Conner said.

  Kate looked inside her backpack, pulling out a hammer and chisel. “Wow. Cool.” She suddenly felt like a real paleontologist.

  “Make sure the hammer you’ve received is the right

  weight for you,” Conner said. “It can’t be too heavy or too light. You’ll use it to pound on rocks.”

  Kate decided hers was just right. Not too big. Not too small. She felt like Goldilocks.

  “Next, carefully pull the chisel out of the bag,” Conner instructed.

  Kate gingerly lifted the chisel from the backpack, her eyes growing wide as she examined it. “Wow.”

  “Most of your work will be done with this chisel,” Conner explained. “You will use it to remove fossils from the surrounding environment. A large chisel, like the one you’re holding now, will be used for most of your work. But there’s a smaller chisel in the bag to help you handle the more precise work. It will come in handy, too.”

  “Why?” A younger camper asked.

  “A lot of fossils are still buried in stone under many layers of rock. In order to get to them we have to very carefully remove the stone. It’s a long and tedious process. I’m warning you now that if you are impatient, these next few days will be very difficult for you.”

  “I’m pretty patient,” Kate whispered. “So I should be okay.”

  McKenzie shrugged. “I hope I am. I guess we’ll find out!”

  As Kate looked at her tools, she thought about Mrs. Smith and wondered what she was doing today. How Mrs. Smith would have enjoyed this adventure! Kate could just picture her now, chiseling the stone in search of fossils to put in the museum. How fun!

  As she held the chisel in her hand, Kate was reminded of Megan’s words. Not only would she dig for fossils this week, she would also dig deep in her Bible to see what she might discover there, too! Of course, she wouldn’t need a chisel for that!

  Conner continued his teaching, and Kate did her best to pay attention. “There are a couple of other tools in the bag that will come in handy,” he said. “You won’t always need a hammer or chisel to remove the fossil from its surroundings. You might just need an instrument called a steel point. And of course a brush will come in handy. You’ll use it to clean dust and other debris from the fossil.”

  Kate held up her brush and examined it closely. “Hmm.” Things were getting more interesting by the minute.

  “There are a handful of other items in your bag,” Megan said. “A magnifying lens, of course. And a tiny container of superglue to secure broken fossils. Only use the superglue in case of an emergency. We’ve also given you foam sheets to wrap your samples in, and elastic bands to secure the foam sheets so that nothing gets broken. You will also find a couple of small boxes to carry tiny samples, as well as plastic bags. Any questions?”

  A couple of the kids raised their hands, but Kate was too excited looking at her chisel to ask any questions. She pulled out her tiny digital camera and took a picture.

  “I see that Kate has her camera,” Megan said.

  Kate looked up, embarrassed.

  “That’s okay, Kate. We encourage you to bring a digital camera so that you can take pictures of the specimens as you find them.”

  “Whew.” Kate smiled. “I thought I was in trouble.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out the tiny digital recorder. “Is it okay to use this to record my thoughts when I find something?”

  “Of course!” Megan nodded. “Really, the only way you can get in trouble around here is by going off away from the group.”

  “Or going into the private rooms in the museum,” Conner added, suddenly looking a little nervous. “There are a few areas where only quarry staff can go. Just keep an eye out for the No CAMPERS ALLOWED signs and you’ll do just fine.”

  “Can we make phone calls?” Kate asked.

  “Yeah, what if we need to call our parents or something?” McKenzie asked.

  “Just make sure you let us know first,” Megan said.

  Conner nodded. “Yes, and if there’s something important enough for your parents to know, we need to know first, especially if you’re not feeling well. And speaking of
which, I guess it’s about time we went over our safety requirements so that you can stay healthy and safe while you’re with us.”

  “I want to check to make sure you’re all wearing proper footwear,” Megan said. “Boots are best.”

  She examined everyone’s feet. Kate giggled as she looked

  down at her hiking boots. They didn’t come in very handy back home in Philadelphia, but here, they were perfect!

  “Your boots are excellent for this environment, Kate,” Megan said, giving them a closer look. “Walking boots protect campers from ankle sprains and keep you from slipping on wet surfaces.”

  “Wet surfaces?” McKenzie looked up at the sky. “It’s not even raining.”

  “No, but where we’re going, some of the terrain will still be covered in morning dew or will be damp from yesterday’s light rainfall. We can never be too careful.”

  “Now, let’s talk about eye and hand protection.” Megan held up a pair of safety goggles. “Safety glasses must be worn any time you’re hammering rocks. Splinters can be very dangerous.” She held up a pair of gloves. “These will keep your hands from getting blisters while you’re hammering. There’s nothing worse than blisters when you’ve still got work to do. Trust me.”

  Kate thought about what Sydney had said about wearing sunscreen and drinking lots of water. Thank goodness she had come prepared. Looked like she and McKenzie were going to have to be extra careful this week. Fossil camp just might turn out to be a little dangerous!

  She listened closely as Conner and Megan gave them the rest of their instructions. As she did, Kate couldn’t help but think about the Camp Club Girls. She wondered what they were doing right now. Was Elizabeth readingthat Bible story about Jacob and Esau, trying to get some answers? Had Alex learned anything from her documentary? Would Sydney have any advice about the quarry? Was Bailey pouting because she didn’t get to come to fossil camp?

  If only she could talk to them right now!

  “Kate, would you like to be the first to try out your tools?”