rcwild
07-02-2010, 09:32 AM
Walk out my front door and hang a left. In less than 100 yards you will be in the foothills of some 10,000 foot mountains. My exercise routine now includes hiking through the foothills three times a week.
I rarely see anyone, but the maze of trails is obviously popular. ATV tracks, mountain bike tracks, horse tracks, people tracks. The trails are nice, but I prefer cross country, following the drainages, cutting through the trees, climbing the ridges just to see what's on the other side. Might seem odd, but I want to get to know the area by features, not trails, and I enjoy being alone to experience the quiet of the early morning.
Off the main trails, the only tracks I see were left by animals, mostly deer ... except for that one set of human tracks. Athletic shoes. Size 10. Maybe 10 and a half. I've been wondering what he's doing out there off the trails. I find his tracks in drainages, cutting through trees, up and down and along the ridges. It makes no sense. What's he doing out there so early in the morning and why is he wandering around off the trails?
I encountered his tracks again this morning and decided to follow them. He climbed a steep hill out of the little canyon. Along the ridge for a half mile, then down into another drainage. After another half mile, I left his tracks to climb up to a trail that leads back home. At a Y in the trail, I encountered an elderly man. He reached the Y just before me and waved hello. Now about 15 yards behind him I glanced down and saw those tracks. Athletic shoes. Size 10. Maybe 10 and a half. I started hiking a little faster to catch up. I couldn't believe it. They were his tracks. I asked him if he had been hiking in the drainage to the south. Yes. Had he hiked along the ridge to the southeast? Yes. And in that little canyon? Yes.
83 years old. He prefers hiking cross country, following the drainages, cutting through trees, climbing the ridges just to see what's on the other side. He is getting to know the area by features, not trails, and enjoys being alone to experience the quiet of the early morning.
Inspiring.
I rarely see anyone, but the maze of trails is obviously popular. ATV tracks, mountain bike tracks, horse tracks, people tracks. The trails are nice, but I prefer cross country, following the drainages, cutting through the trees, climbing the ridges just to see what's on the other side. Might seem odd, but I want to get to know the area by features, not trails, and I enjoy being alone to experience the quiet of the early morning.
Off the main trails, the only tracks I see were left by animals, mostly deer ... except for that one set of human tracks. Athletic shoes. Size 10. Maybe 10 and a half. I've been wondering what he's doing out there off the trails. I find his tracks in drainages, cutting through trees, up and down and along the ridges. It makes no sense. What's he doing out there so early in the morning and why is he wandering around off the trails?
I encountered his tracks again this morning and decided to follow them. He climbed a steep hill out of the little canyon. Along the ridge for a half mile, then down into another drainage. After another half mile, I left his tracks to climb up to a trail that leads back home. At a Y in the trail, I encountered an elderly man. He reached the Y just before me and waved hello. Now about 15 yards behind him I glanced down and saw those tracks. Athletic shoes. Size 10. Maybe 10 and a half. I started hiking a little faster to catch up. I couldn't believe it. They were his tracks. I asked him if he had been hiking in the drainage to the south. Yes. Had he hiked along the ridge to the southeast? Yes. And in that little canyon? Yes.
83 years old. He prefers hiking cross country, following the drainages, cutting through trees, climbing the ridges just to see what's on the other side. He is getting to know the area by features, not trails, and enjoys being alone to experience the quiet of the early morning.
Inspiring.