The Schmidt's Ranch Escapade is a story of adventure, mystery and intrigue that takes place around the end of the decade of the sixties. Helen and Allen, characters from Life's Tangled Trail go to the mountains to recover from the loss of their son in Vietnam and to decide rather to retire or continue working for their own future. There they are introduced to new adventures in the wilderness of the American West including a confrontation with a grizzly bear, an amazing adventure down a wild river and finding out who is behind the theft of their neighbor's logs. The mystery is intensified by the appearance of a young hermit, Grove, who saves their lives at their first meeting. They find him to be exceptional in his outdoor skills, including tracking, logging, river running and other life skills. The youth applies his skills to help those in need but also to infuriate the local sheriff. Despite the exceptional qualities of this youth they find he needs to overcome personal challenges that led to his becoming a hermit in the first place. Helen discovers that a broken heart and a rocky relationship can lead a man of many talents to leave the security of society to go out on his own to live in the wilds. This exceptional attributes and training of their new acquaintance welds a bond of friendship between them that continues even after the mystery of the missing logs is solved. Together they take on the challenge of a river, chasing thieves, finding a valuable treasure and recovering logs that were stolen by a gang of elites from the county seat. They work with Grove and good new friends to find out which unscrupulous elected officials are involved in stealing the livelihood of the loggers. In the mist of all the mystery and adventure, the young hermit, Grove, learns from the example of the seasoned couple how a girl's tears and gorgeous, colorful sunrises and sunsets can work together to build a relationship that can last forever. Join us in the adventure, mystery and intrigue involved in solving the Schmidt's Ranch Escapade.