Hug the ones you love! Aka... the day I almost died
The day it all flashed before my eyes…
To seriously ask yourself in a moment “is this how I am going to die?” is a very serious and adrenaline pumping thought process… while not really being able to process it at all in that moment.
Going into these types of potential situations is something I’m used to, but also have prepared for it so actually having to ask myself the question doesn’t have to happen very often.
Hiking in areas buffalo, antelope, and other large animals call home opens the door for some interesting encounters. Most of the time in areas where you’re able to distance yourself safely away from them and enjoy their home with a bit of safety.
On 9/11 while exploring Theodore Roosevelt National Park, I went into Painted Canyon to do just that… delicately enjoy a hike while searching for some animals in a very picturesque area. I knew a family of buffalo was in the canyon, so I was always alert for what might be around a bend, over a hill, or in the trenches they’ve created on muddy days.
It was great trail with some awesome landscapes and a few buffalo sightings from safe distances allowing a unique experience of the buffalo in their habitat where most of the tourists didn’t feel like walking.
What I didn’t expect… was the conversation I was about to have on my way back out of the canyon. While I was climbing up the canyon wall, I paused to allow a horseback tour group to pass by. As they passed, the guide informed me there was a bull buffalo at the top & he couldn’t tell exactly where it had planned to go. We discussed a couple options as potentially meeting this bull while on the narrow trail up the canyon wall was less than ideal (well… as ideal as you can get for this!).
This left me two options… go back down the trail and wait it out at the bottom… if he even comes into the canyon; or go to the top carefully & approach with caution. The best option seemed to be go up and carefully crest the canyon wall to figure out where the big fella was.
Welp… when I got there he was a whopping 20 feet away walking towards me ON THE TRAIL!
Immediately he was unhappy that I was there and started following me as I slowly and methodically got off the path & started looking for safe exit points (hint… there wasn’t one). To my left was a big open field in which he could easily catch me if he charged… to the right was going back over the canyon wall whether on or off trail. All of this thought process happened in less than a minute while not fully taking my eyes off my new “friend” or turning my back to him.
After a quick scan of the ridgeline, I found a spot where there was a group of trees just over the edge of the canyon wall. I slowly started moving that direction while continuing to face the bull and talk to him. For probably 30-45 seconds he kept walking towards me before he finally decided he would rather eat than continue to follow me.
As my heart raced, I waited another minute near the trees to ensure he’d lost interest in me before slowly continuing towards the trailhead. The entire was keeping an eye on him & scanning for places to duck into if he decided to turn and come after me.
While the entire encounter lasted maybe 2-3 minutes… it felt like forever. It was good reminder to hug the ones I love & be sure to check my drawers.