Total Distance: 8.6 miles / 14.0 kilometers
Starting elevation: 10,160 feet / 3,097 meters
Elevation Gain: 3,100 feet / 945 meters
Difficulty: Strenuous
Time: 4 hours - 10 hours
Begin at: Summit Trailhead

Ranger Tip: Wheeler Peak is best done in summer and starting early in the morning hours, right around sunrise or before. Hikers should be prepared for a full day even if they only expect a few hours.

       “Dammit, Eve,” Matt barked. “Slow down. Are you trying to have a relapse?”
       That one word stopped her in her tracks. No. She never wanted to return to that brink of nothingness.
       Breathing hard, she leaned forward, putting her hands on her knees. Matt sighed. She heard him fiddling with something but didn’t look up until a wholly unexpected funnel of cool water broke across her neck. “Oh!” she exclaimed, wiggling her shoulders in response.
       When she straightened, the water diverted to her chest. The trickles between her breasts brought an extra shiver when she noticed where Matt’s gaze was riveted. Her nipples puckered from something far different than a chill. “Okay. You’re right. That probably wasn’t smart."
       She took a deep breath. Their eyes met. Matt wore a sleeveless gray t-shirt. Perspiration ringed the neckline where his sunglasses hung. Their lightweight backpack was looped carelessly over one shoulder.
       “No, it wasn’t.” He passed her the water bottle. “Probably not any smarter than coming here today. I thought it would be cooler in the jungle, but without the coastal breeze, it’s like a freakin’ oven.”
       Eve brushed back wisps of hair sticking to her face then took a drink. She closed her eyes and squirted an extra blast on her face. She shook her head, thankful she’d plaited her hair in a French braid.
       “It’s beautiful, though.” She handed him the plastic bottle. “I’m glad we came.”
       She arched to release some tension in her lower back and legs and looked around. The jungle had surprised her—a living, breathing entity on the prowl, overtaking even the most accomplished of civilizations in time.
       “And I apologize for being such a diva. I’m probably living up to every expectation you had of me—just another prima donna celebrity.” She was afraid to peek for fear he’d nod yes.
       When she finally got up enough nerve to look, his lips were curved in a gentle, loving smile. “You aren’t anything like I expected. Which, unfortunately, is the problem.” Eve’s heart started behaving foolishly again.
       “I really have been acting like an idiot, Matt. You’ve been nothing but up-front and honest with me. It’s been my experience that most men say yes first then remember all the reasons they should have said no.” She tried to shrug off her disappointment. “Let’s forget about everything and just enjoy our last day in paradise. And it’s New Year’s Eve, too. That’s gotta count for something.”
       The shadows cast by the thick canopy of jungle made it hard to read his face, but she thought she read disappointment along with resolve. “Okay, but can we do it slowly?”
       “Sure...right after you get me to the top of the pyramid.”

       Matt’s head rolled back and he groaned. “Eve, you promised. Ground-level tourism. Period. That’s why we’re here instead of Tulum. I knew you’d want to climb the pyramids to see the ocean.”
       Eve wasn’t positive she had enough energy to make it back to the car, let alone climb a pyramid, but she wasn’t above teasing Matt a little. She took his hand and tugged him along the path. “Please, Matt. We can do it slowly. I’ll stop every two feet and drink water.”
       His hand felt big and sweaty, but his strength seemed to replenish her dwindling supply. They rounded a bend in the path. A group of German-speaking tourists met them and enthusiastically pointed in the direction of a small wooden sign bearing the name Nohoch-Mul—Coba’s centerpiece attraction. “We’re close, Matt. Please.”
       Matt grudgingly followed, but Eve could sense his disquiet. He approached the ancient site like a man facing a hangman’s noose. Finally, she took pity on him. Time to end the joke.
       “Oh, dear. That’s way bigger than it looks in the guidebook.” She did an abrupt about-face and plopped her bottom on a wide, carved step. “You were right. I can’t do this.”
       His left eyebrow twitched suspiciously. “Really?”
       She nodded. “The whole point of this trip was to get away from publicity. Can you picture what would happen if I made it to the top then passed out or something?”
       Matt heaved a sigh of obvious relief and sat beside her. “Smart move. I seriously doubt if I could carry you down.”
       But you’d have given it a good try, wouldn’t you?
       Eve swallowed a bitter taste in her mouth. Maybe she had turned into a diva. Somewhere along the way, she’d started thinking about herself alone. Me, me, me. I have to get away from Barry’s media blitz. I want to go swimming. I want to go sight-seeing. I want to make love to Matt.
      He was right to put on the brakes. He was exactly what she needed to stay grounded.
       A smile tugged at her lips. Me, again.
       “What are you grinning about?”
       She heaved a sigh and leaned back, resting her elbows on the rough stone of the step behind her. “I’ve decided you were right to give me a little comeuppance last night.”
       He started to protest, but she stopped him with a touch on his shoulder. “I don’t know if it comes from being a celebrity—” she made little air quotes “—or from being sick, but I was starting to think this was all about me.”
       She snorted. “Talk about being out of touch with reality. There is a real world out there. And it’s spinning around quite nicely without worrying about poor little me. Jeesch.”
       Before Matt could say anything, a heavyset woman in white walking shorts and a strawberry-colored T-shirt let out a high-pitched squeal and pointed at them.
       “That’s Eve Masterson. Look everybody. I found her.”

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