take your umbrella and start blogging

Consider this: it’s a cold and dark winter night. You’re in a beautiful mountain forest breathing-in deep inhales of crisp air, and breathing-out much too fast. There is a narrow and winding trail that leads from where you are to where you’ll be spending the night, it’s a few kilometers long and it goes through the forest, up and down on mountain slops and over running creeks and little rivers.  There is also the road and you do have a car. Every night you take the easy and safe way home and think about the time you’ll finally face the fear and laziness and for once, just once – take the path which is less logical but exciting, challenging, dark and.. oh, there’s also a wild mountain lion in that area.

 So what will it be?

To be honest – that cougar triggered the whole idea of venturing off, alone into the night. I was OBSSESED with that wild animal. I felt I just HAD to see it, that facing it would mean facing all my fears. Even just making the attempt to get some “face time” would mean I did my part. I don’t know how I got such a silly idea into my head, (go figure artists) but there I was, equipped with three flash lights ( and a set of spare batteries), a whistle (don’t know, I thought it made sense at the time) and an umbrella (to be used as a walking-stick/ magical way to make myself appear bigger in case I really do meet the monstrous kitty). And of course, a brave heart and a camera.

To summarize and conclude the adventure:

1. I run into two types of wild animals: a deer family which was quite terrified to see me, and one small, very, very cute, mountain mouse.
2. Hiking in the wilderness, alone, in complete darkness is O.K. but not something to do every Tuesday night.
3. Hey, if you want to do something – go for it, take your umbrella and start blogging!

hiking in the dark.
"OMG, WHAT WAS THAT NOISE?!?!"