“Bruce?”This time, I don’t shout, keeping my voice just above a whisper.
Silence.
No dog and no growling.
I take another step, my movements noisy with the crack of twigs and the crumbling of dead leaves.
And then, even over my self-made racket, I catch the sound again.
A low, threatening growl.
There’s an animal nearby, and it’s not my easygoing mastiff.
“Shit.Shit, shit, shit.”Chanting the curses aloud, I slowly turn in place, searching for the owner of the noise.
But the storm clouds have blocked out the sun, and the woods now sit in a perpetual twilight.I’m surrounded by looming trees and thick, shadowy brush.Plenty of places for an animal to hide.Anything could be stalking me, and I won’t know what it is until their teeth tear into my throat.
A wolf?Maybe.
Or a bear?Do bears growl?
Whatever it is, I’m screwed.
What weapons do I have?
A leash.
Yeah, great, I’ll just hook it to the wolf-bear’s collar and take it for a soothing walk.That’ll definitely circumvent any possible death by mauling.
“Stop being sarcastic and think,” I mutter to myself, trying my best to push away the rising tide of panic.
People go hiking in Colorado all the time.This isn’t the first instance of someone stumbling across a wild animal.There are ways to survive.
I just need my brain to focus enough to remember them.
With frantic thoughts, I try to scroll through my mental Rolodex and come up with what little wilderness knowledge I have.Bears are supposed to leave people alone in the fetal position.So, my best bet is to curl into a ball on the ground and hope it does nothing more than sniff me.
That is, if the animal is a bear.
What if it’s a wolf?
Lying on the ground will make it easier to tear me to shreds.I should climb a tree to get away from a wolf.
But bears can climb trees.
Another growl is overwhelmed by a thunderclap, and for a moment, I think my heart gives up in fear.When it restarts, the pounding has adrenaline coursing through my veins, demanding I make a decision.
I choose the only logical solution I can fathom in the heat of my fear.
I need to climb a tree, and once I’m up high enough, I’ll get in the fetal position.
Is that even possible?
Will it work?
Time to find out.
This time, when I scan the shadowy forest around me, I look for a tree that will serve my purpose.The wind picks up just as I choose one.I grasp the rough bark of a low branch, pressing the soles of my sneakers against the trunk as I heave myself upward.Hooking my heel on the limb, I’m able to mount the thing with the grace of a hippopotamus using a balance beam.
