More Near Escapes!

Today I went to Lord Hill Regional Park, that eternal tempter and taunter. It seems that I run into the most trouble at this park - getting lost without food or water, getting stuck in the mud, etc. It's a beautiful park, but it's temperamental. Some parks invite me to them - like the Meadowdale park, with its short hill and long, level trail along a stream. Lord Hill Park, in contrast, dares me to come back. I had what might have been a near miss today, and left the park exhausted and thirsty as usual (I need to start planning my provisions more thoughtfully).

The highlight of the morning was intermittent, occasionally dense fog. It all began peacefully enough, as you can see:

Far into the park though, at the beginning of the Devil's Butte Trail, I heard an odd recurring noise. At first, I thought it was someone singing - but who would be singing at 7AM way out here? As I got a bit farther down the trail, I thought it might be someone in distress calling/moaning for help. But there was not enough urgency to the sound, and it recurred to regularly. Then I remembered: at the park entrance, the information kiosk mentioned that a few cougars and bears lived in the park. Now thoroughly spooked, I tiptoed my way back the way I'd came, noticing a large pawprint on the way. Maybe I was already on edge, but it didn't look like a doggie print. It was also rather recent. Maybe it was just a dog's print, but I didn't stay long enough to find out!

As you can see, God celebrated my escape by making the sun come out!!