hot, dirty, miserable. laroche leads the indians through waist-high black water. he points out a turtle on a rock.
as laroche supervises, randy, russell, and vinson saw through tree branches supporting lovely flowering orchids. they unceremoniously stuff the flowers into bulging pillowcases.
the sky is overcast. mike owen leads kaufman through a cool swamp, which is completely dry. the two men walk easily on peaty ground. kaufman, slathered with sun screen and covered head to foot in unnecessary protective clothing, tries to be interested in owen's lecture.
laroche and orlean step off the levee into black water. they sink to their knees. the ground is soft; it's a struggle to pull their feet up to walk. things slither past in the water. something big runs by in the distance. bees, and dragonflies hover. gnats and mosquitoes bite. birds screech. frogs croak. laroche points to a yellow flower.
the sun is high. fires smoulder. a tow-truck extricates one of the crashed vehicles. state police cars, ambulances, ranger trucks abound. kaufman is wrapped in a blanket.