They had done it.

No one said they would be able to do it but they had done it.

That long, hot slog up the hill in the Georgia heat had been murder, but there was no way that the girls were going to chicken out. Not when the last wish of Rory’s grandfather had been to have his ashes carried to the top of Curahee and scattered in the river near the mountain.

Rory, Tess, Katie, Alex and Sunshine had gone early in the morning, just as the sun was coming up and the mists were rolling over the Georgia foothills. School had let out the day before, giving the girls all the time in the world to do what they needed to do. The drive wasn’t long, however it would have been shorter if Katie hadn’t insisted on stopping for a bear claw and a coffee. The whole way there was an absolute blast, miles and miles in the back country full of old cotton fields and farms, Luke Bryan blaring from the radio and the girls screeching the words out like a bunch of screaming parrots.

Finally, they were there.

Up and up they went, following the twisting, turning paths that were littered with sticks, stones and divots that could easily trip a man. Rory had to wonder how Pop-Pop had made it up the hill every day during training. She wished she could have asked.

When they made it to the top, the girls were in awe of the sight. The rolling hills were shrouded in the coiling mists of early morning, the sun bright and yellow hanging overhead. The air was still cool from the night before but in a few hours it would be hotter than hell.

When they finally decided to leave the girls took off, barreling down the path at full speed, belting out the words to the running song Pop-Pop had taught them when they were in middle school. By the time they reached the bottom of the hill, they headed for the river, perching themselves on a large log over the water.

“You ready Rory?” Tess asked.

Rory nodded. Out of her bag she pulled the silver urn that had been engraved with her grandfather’s name: Joseph T. Rostenkowski, 7/23/1921-3/24/2011.

She unscrewed the lid and took a handful of the ashes, scattering them into the river. Tess, Katie, Alex and Sunshine each took their turns, scattering and sprinkling the dusty, grey ashes into the cool river.

“We’ll miss you Pop Pop,” Rory said. “We hope you can rest easy now.”

Shouts of “Curahee!” Filled the air as the girls bid farewell to Rory’s grandfather. He had been to hell and back, jumping into Europe twice, nearly freezing to death in Belgium but living out the rest of his days to the fullest. At last, he could rest easy.