04-27-2008, 11:41 PM
When i first moved here, i took one view of the scenic landscape behind my new house and said 'one day i'm going to climb that mountain'. well today was the day. it was a cloudy but very warm Canadian spring Sunday, with the sun just barely peeking through the clouds, enough to warm the skin, a perfect day for a hike. So off I went, without a map, without a compass, without a trail, but with a mission. So I made my way to the mountain the only way one can when he does not have a trail to follow, bushwack! and follow a mountain creek. It took me 4 hours through swamp, creek, fallen trees, ancient forest and some of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. Near the higher elevations, near 4 feet of snow for almost 50 yards. I made it to the top of the mountain, and it was worth it, the view was beautiful.
Anyways you might be asking yourself what the heck does that have to do with a standoff with a neighbors pitbull? well, ill tell you.
Ever since I became a avid hiker, ive had many encounters with hostile wildlife, including, elk, moose, badger, grizzly bear, black bear, and cougar. When I first started hiking I had very little experience in the bush, and I had my most traumatic, frightening experience with dangerous animals. A large grizzly bear, out of no where, charged at me, and I saw him running at me from the corner of my eye. I was lucky to survive, but that is a story for another time. I actually feel pretty comfortable hiking around where I live now, because for one, there is no grizzly, and few cougars, only black bear and veggy eaters, but I still always carry bear mace and a large knife when I venture into the wild alone.
Where were we, yes at the top of the mountain. I went to the other side of the mountains to see the view from there and it was breathtaking. I found a cozy spot to sit down, take in the view, and attempt to do some hyperspace work. I felt very peacefull and relaxed, like i havent felt in awhile. The hyperspace work was going ok, but the stinkin squirrels and birds kept chirping and yapping, I couldnt quite concentrate. Eventually I gave up on the hyperspace work and instead yelled at few things as the sky with a incredible echo, such things as
'kuiper belt aliens if you're out there show your damn selves, this planet needs, you and needs you now!"
After making my way back down the mountain, I put on my some music and was pretty pumped up and amped from the exercize, sun, beauty and adventure. As I was making my way back to my little shelter in the woods, various scenarios were going through my mind as they always do when alone in the bush.
"what do I do if I see a bear, well I must not fear or run, as they sense the strong energy of fear and take it as a sign of weakness and victim mentality and will attack"
and as I made my way closer to civilization I knew I'd be walking through a rural community, many of them having dogs, this scenario ran through my head.
"what do i do if a dog comes at me? what I will do is use the situation as an experiment in fear"
i kid you not this exact situation manifested into reality some 10 minutes later.
I was jogging down a gravel road in the rural neighborhood where i live, there's houses all along this road sporaticly, and it's a public road. In the distance, maybe 70 yards running full speed in the direction i'm jogging is a dog. I was like 'no flipping way'. I took off my headphones and come to a halt. I didn't know it was a pitbull, and I didn't know if it was running at me or running somewhere else at first. The thing came right at me viciously slobbering and barking, a massive pitbull possibly masitiff X. I didn't fear, I looked at it and was like
'no way, not happening back off buddy'
and it backed off a few feet, but still barking like a maddogg killer. Every time I would back away slowly it came at me. But I didn't react at all when it did this, I would just stand still and curse at it, talk to it, I didn't even pull out my bear mace or knife, as this was a exercize in fear. I felt that any hostile or fear emotions on my part could have triggered this mad dog demon to maul me. For five minutes I had a stare down with this thing, it look confused like it didn't know what the hell it wanted to do. The silly things owner, some timid i would guess mid 40's lady, heard all the commotion and stood in her house with her head out of the window, whistling 'come her boy!' I yelled at her like 10 times, come get your dog! come get your god damn dog!. it too her nearly 5 minutes and finally she come out at grabbed her dog. I said....
'ill be reporting this' and walked off with a smile.
it was a successful exercize in fear.
Anyways you might be asking yourself what the heck does that have to do with a standoff with a neighbors pitbull? well, ill tell you.
Ever since I became a avid hiker, ive had many encounters with hostile wildlife, including, elk, moose, badger, grizzly bear, black bear, and cougar. When I first started hiking I had very little experience in the bush, and I had my most traumatic, frightening experience with dangerous animals. A large grizzly bear, out of no where, charged at me, and I saw him running at me from the corner of my eye. I was lucky to survive, but that is a story for another time. I actually feel pretty comfortable hiking around where I live now, because for one, there is no grizzly, and few cougars, only black bear and veggy eaters, but I still always carry bear mace and a large knife when I venture into the wild alone.
Where were we, yes at the top of the mountain. I went to the other side of the mountains to see the view from there and it was breathtaking. I found a cozy spot to sit down, take in the view, and attempt to do some hyperspace work. I felt very peacefull and relaxed, like i havent felt in awhile. The hyperspace work was going ok, but the stinkin squirrels and birds kept chirping and yapping, I couldnt quite concentrate. Eventually I gave up on the hyperspace work and instead yelled at few things as the sky with a incredible echo, such things as
'kuiper belt aliens if you're out there show your damn selves, this planet needs, you and needs you now!"
After making my way back down the mountain, I put on my some music and was pretty pumped up and amped from the exercize, sun, beauty and adventure. As I was making my way back to my little shelter in the woods, various scenarios were going through my mind as they always do when alone in the bush.
"what do I do if I see a bear, well I must not fear or run, as they sense the strong energy of fear and take it as a sign of weakness and victim mentality and will attack"
and as I made my way closer to civilization I knew I'd be walking through a rural community, many of them having dogs, this scenario ran through my head.
"what do i do if a dog comes at me? what I will do is use the situation as an experiment in fear"
i kid you not this exact situation manifested into reality some 10 minutes later.
I was jogging down a gravel road in the rural neighborhood where i live, there's houses all along this road sporaticly, and it's a public road. In the distance, maybe 70 yards running full speed in the direction i'm jogging is a dog. I was like 'no flipping way'. I took off my headphones and come to a halt. I didn't know it was a pitbull, and I didn't know if it was running at me or running somewhere else at first. The thing came right at me viciously slobbering and barking, a massive pitbull possibly masitiff X. I didn't fear, I looked at it and was like
'no way, not happening back off buddy'
and it backed off a few feet, but still barking like a maddogg killer. Every time I would back away slowly it came at me. But I didn't react at all when it did this, I would just stand still and curse at it, talk to it, I didn't even pull out my bear mace or knife, as this was a exercize in fear. I felt that any hostile or fear emotions on my part could have triggered this mad dog demon to maul me. For five minutes I had a stare down with this thing, it look confused like it didn't know what the hell it wanted to do. The silly things owner, some timid i would guess mid 40's lady, heard all the commotion and stood in her house with her head out of the window, whistling 'come her boy!' I yelled at her like 10 times, come get your dog! come get your god damn dog!. it too her nearly 5 minutes and finally she come out at grabbed her dog. I said....
'ill be reporting this' and walked off with a smile.
it was a successful exercize in fear.
