The Short Story 'Rustlers Roundup" has a "scene" where Finn Mahone guides the female interest across a shale outcropping where the horse's steps had to be counted, and a turn towards a tree landmark to exit the slide.
And I have a ghost of a memory of the protagonist crossing a body of water, led by a castaway, counting steps between turns to avoid dropoffs. Possibly Fair Blows the Wind, Sackett's Land, or To the Far Blue Mountains.



Falcon