Day 2 (19 miles)

i could write about other boring things but instead i will let you know that i was attacked by a hawk today. yes that's right, a hawk flew from the sky and approached me with intent to harm. for those people who read my colorado trail blog they will recall that this is not the first time this has happened. my theory is that a mama hawk was protecting a nest close to the trail. molly has theorized that these birds have mistaken my wavy brown locks for a moving nest.

whatever the reason, i felt the familiar rush of air on the back of my neck. unlike last time, the hawk did not actually touch my head with her talons but it was close enough. as with last time she came in for a second attack minutes later, but unbeknownst to her she was dealing with a seasoned veteran of hawk attacks who had his hiking poles pointed right at her upon her approach. she screamed loudly and pulled up at the site of the trekking skewers. as she retreated back to her nest, both man and hawk had learned something about the attack capabilities of the other.

the long hot hiking day ended with my arrival at a beautiful backcountry spring. there is no better drink to celebrate a hawk attack survival than with a cold liter of mountain spring water.