In chapter 3 of More Adventure of the Great Brain J.D., his brother, T.D. (the Great Brain) and S.D., and their father, Papa, decide to go on their annual camping trip. When they get to their spot where they always camped and fished, it is crowded because Papa told everyone it was the best place to fish. But then Papa makes a horrible decision to go to an unexplored part of the mountain. While they hike to the unknown part of the mountain, Papa decides to make a shortcut that can endanger all of them because anything could happen: a bear attack, they could get lost, or they could get injured. As they hike along, following the camp wagon and horses, no one notices (but J.D.) that Tom was carving his initials into the trees, so he can prove they were the first ones there. Like T.D states: “Someday they might build a road up this canyon, and I can prove we were the first ones who ever went up here.” This is a very smart idea by the Great Brain because that move could save their lives. To carry all their stuff they brought a few horses but while going uphill it became too steep and the horses are dragged down. While one of the horses, Bess, was okay, the other horse, Dick, broke his leg so they had to shoot him to end the pain. I think their father started getting really nervous and thought it was all his fault when they try making camp after the mess. I think instead of him helping build the camp and think about surviving he sits on a log and almost cries because he thought they were doomed. He believes even if he survived, his wife, J.D’s mom, will kill him for getting the kids lost: “Your mother will never forgive me for trying to take a shortcut and endangering all our lives”. He calms down after hearing that T.D. marked the trails so someone could find the path they took and then find him. “The look of despair on Papa’s face gave way to one of hope.”
After two days, Uncle Mark shows up, but Papa seems to be mad at him. “What in the name of Jupiter took you so long?” After a while though, they both calm down.
Papa’s decision endangered his children and took shortcuts that were also dangerous and led them to being lost, but T.D was smart because even though he marked the trees, (and though he doesn’t say it – was his only motivation for marking the trail to earn his fame for blazing it? Or did he do it out of a sensible maturity and care?) it saved them. If T.D. wasn’t with them they could’ve been lost and maybe have all perished. Because of the Brain, J.D. and his family were saved from being lost in unmarked territory.
