Chapter 9 Summary

Having left the constantly talking Morley behind, Ray and Japhy continue to hike, and after several hours, they fall into silence broken only by an occasional haiku. Japhy leads Ray about thirty yards as they climb up the mountain trail. They climb up out from verdant slopes to a field of boulders. Japhy explains that they will follow ducks, small piles of rocks left by previous hikers - including Japhy - to mark the trail through the boulders. Japhy moves over the boulders easily while Ray experiments until he finds a method of hiking that suits him. Ray wonders if they are approaching the top of the mountain, and Japhy tells him they have a long way to go.

Japhy and Ray continue to hike and eventually reach an escarpment where the boulder field ends. Ray sits down, takes off his socks and...