choices

I have been encountering more automobiles and motorcycles on the wilderness trail lately. Today the police surrounded one and towed it away. Even so, it seems a bit hazardous lately. I am not sure what has prompted this rash of wrong turns. The paved trail does not look like a road.

There is an alternative. There is a dirt trail a hundred feet or so off to the side. I take it sometimes, but it also has hazards. It is narrow. So narrow that in some places one runner needs to step off the trail to allow another runner to pass. It also has another hazard - snakes.

This time of year the snakes are out in the morning trying to get their daily meal before the excessive heat arrives. I also try to get out early for the same reason. Occasionally we cross paths. Yesterday I startled a king snake, leaped over it, and then stopped to apologize. The snake did not seem to perturbed and santered across the trail. Today I encountered a rattlesnake. This snake was not going anywhere and dared me to approach. I did a u-turn and switched over to the paved trail.

This has happened before. This time of the year the snakes are out in the morning. The brush has grown right up to the edge of the trail. So, I will let the snakes have their trail until fall.

I think this is the wise thing to do. I am powerless over the snakes. I respect their right to coexist and know the trail would be overrun with mice if not for the snakes. I can adapt and change.