Hiking is one of my favorite things to do, next to camping that is. I hike at the same park I take care of the birds at. I have been going there since I was a very young child. My mom made sure I have a great understanding and respect for nature. From that grew into love. I love being in the forest. Listening to the wind thru the trees, seeing the birds flying by. I have found that in a forest you can be more yourself then any where else on earth. Atleast that is the way it is for me. I can go into a forest and all my cares dissapear. I get very relaxed and comfortable. I think I could talk to anyone in a forest.



I used to take my dog out to the park, she and I would hike by ourselves. One day I realized this was really stupid and dangerous. I miss it tho, the peace of just walking along with her. It was great. We could go where ever we wanted, take as long as we wanted, do what ever we wanted and no one said yay or nay. It makes me mad that I can't do that, that others can't as well. That there are people out there who prey on others who do things like that. It's so unfair and I know that helps not, but it still make me mad. I should be able to go where I please, on my own or with others and not have to worry about who's around the corner waiting to see if I am alone. See, my dog is little. She would scare no one. So even taking her never helped. Anymore I don't get to hike as much as I used to and I miss it. We even have a large area of woods at work. However I won't hike those by myself anymore either.



I had a scare on my birthday of last year in those woods. I decided since my birthdays were usually bad (the last one wasn't, as a matter of fact, it was great!) I was going to take a walk in the woods and see if I could get it to go a better way that year. So off I go into the woods and up a huge hill. Well I was going to try and make it to the top, which I eventually did, but not that day. My legs were hurting so I decided to turn around and head back. As I was coming down the hill I noticed off to my left, there were some animals. I got very nervous cuz we have some very large coyotes in our area. There are 85 active dens in the valley were I was. Without my glasses on (I hate wearing them!) I couldn't make out what kind of animals these were. All I could tell was that they were big and brown. Several things went thru my mind, one of which was think maybe they were dogs, which would not be any better than hungry coyotes. I slowly started down the hill never taking my eyes off them. Half way down the hill I finally realized what they were and found I had nothing to fear. They were deer. lol I about lost it when I realized they were no threat to me. And it did start my birthday off right. :-D



These are actual comments left on Forest Service registration sheets and comment cards by backpackers completing wilderness camping trips:

"A small deer came into my camp and stole my bag of pickles. Is there a way I can get reimbursed? Please call."

"Escalators would help on steep uphill sections."

"Instead of a permit system or regulations, the Forest Service needs to reduce worldwide population growth to limit the number of visitors to wilderness."

"Trails need to be wider so people can walk while holding hands."

"Ban walking sticks in wilderness. Hikers that use walking sticks are more likely to chase animals."

"All the mile markers are missing this year."

"Found a smouldering cigarette left by a horse."

"Trails need to be reconstructed. Please avoid building trails that go uphill."

"Too many bugs and leeches and spiders and spider webs. Please spray the wilderness to rid the area of these pests."

"Please pave the trails so they can be plowed of snow in the winter."

"Chairlifts need to be in some places so that we can get to wonderful views without having to hike to them."

"The coyotes made too much noise last night and kept me awake. Please eradicate these annoying animals."

"Reflectors need to be placed on trees every 50 feet so people can hike at night with flashlights."

"Need more signs to keep area pristine."

"A McDonald's would be nice at the trailhead."

"The places where trails do not exist are not well marked."

"Too many rocks in the mountains."