Sparkles of berries
Enliven our summer walks
Through our own backyard.
Monday, September 2, 2019
As a professional hiking guide (my main qualifications for that is I’m getting paid.), almost every week I give our guests the rundown on our hiking protocol. Occasionally, I’m also asked to give the “lions, tigers and bears; Oh My!” speech, where we talk about how really safe they are out there and there’s just not that much to be afraid on the trail, particularly when you compare it to the hazards of the city.
But now, as I approach my first solo hike in over 5 years, I’m getting a bit of the eebie-jeebies myself. But it’s got nothing to do with animal attacks. No, as this will be my first foray at sustained high altitude, much of it above tree line, I’m a bit concerned about afternoon thunder showers and the lightening that goes along with them.
In Panama, I got use to big lightening strikes, but we lived down at 5,000 ft. and were surrounded by much higher peaks and plenty of other buildings and trees taller than us, so I never worried about being the shortest distance between the sky and the ground. But out on the Colorado trail things could be much different.
I’m sure just as with the lions, tigers and bears, my fears are greatly exaggerated, but this is giving me a very good lesson in empathy for those who come to us and worry about rattlesnakes.
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