(VIDEO) Field Trip: A Wild Day in the Mountains
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We took our first major wilderness outing since Julie’s last cancer related surgery and since Kevin went on an insulin pump. We both had our doubts and reservations about how we would fare on the trip but our health challenges did not end up being the primary factor that determined how far we made it up the mountain. Instead, a very brief wildlife encounter reminded us that sometimes the smallest of things can have the biggest impact.
On a recent summer day we decided to escape the heat by heading off the homestead for a hike in the nearby mountains. This was our first major wilderness outing since Julie’s last breast cancer related surgery and since I started using an insulin pump. Needless to say we were both a bit uncertain about how we would fare strapping on our packs and hitting the trail.
We chose a hiking spot that we had been to at least a half-dozen times before, not only because we loved the area, but because we knew it so well it would give us a good idea of how our current abilities compared to those we had on past trips. As it turned out, we definitely felt the impact of our health challenges during the hike, but they were not the primary factor that determined how far we made it on that day.
Check out the video if you’d like to see how our journey up the mountain went and to hear about the unexpected wildlife encounter that made us decide it was time to turn back. Sometimes it’s the smallest things that have the biggest impact.
Welcome to Wild Notes. In this series take a walk on the wild side with Kevin to see the natural world from the perspective of a seasoned naturalist. In this first article meet a pair of hunting American Kestrels.