My Worst Fears... Realized.

The smiling girl in the photo above is my good friend, Shannon. Shannon is one of my closest Denver friends. We interned together in the fall, and shared Casa de CAMPUSPEAK for five wonderful months. Shannon is from Hickory, NC and is currently employed by the Marriott, and one of the constant sources of entertainment and laughter in my life. Exhibit A: Hiking 101, just last night.

Shannon has been consistently on my back to take up her ambitious exercise regimen. She wants the company, I guess, or at very least someone far less in shape than she to boost her spirits and give her motivation to keep up the good fight in weight maintenance and cardiovascular health. And yesterday, I caved.

In my defense, I was having a rough day. $30 Tim McGraw/Faith Hill tickets for last night's concert in Denver narrowly slipped through my fingers, and my heart was broken. I had a long day at work, a fairly grueling interview with Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and by the time I got on the interstate after 6pm I was feeling crestfallen and a tad lost. So when she proposed a walk- "Just a walk, promise", she reassured me- I went along. Momentary lapse in judgment, clearly.

Refer back to my previous post about the overwhelming fear I struggle with as of late, regarding all varieties of snakes. So you can imagine my intense fear and panic when once on the 2.5 mile trail- and far enough in that we couldn't very well turn back and feel good about it- I was greeted by "CAUTION: Rattlesnake Infested Area" signs. I'm sorry, a reptilian infestation? Absolutely not.

My friend Shannon, who is from the east coast like myself, evidently doesn't spend nearly as much of her time watching Animal Planet as I do... probably because she is generally out running. Shannon was none too concerned about the infestation. I think that this is because she was mixing up rattlesnakes with the typical Virginian/North Carolinian snakes like grass snakes and black snakes. Not a pure venomous rattlesnake.

To make a long story short, we kept walking. We did encounter two men on the trail who warned us that they had spotted one just off the trail a half mile or so ahead, but we never came face to face with one. Thank God. Because I am fairly certain that I would have shit myself. But the point is: I faced it. I walked nearly three miles through land that was known to have a snake population. Amidst the dozens upon dozens of snake holes. The pathside brush that, if I were a snake, would have been an excellent hiding spot for unsuspecting hikers.

I fear nothing. Snakes are no contest for me. I...am...awesome.

(Disclaimer: This in no way signifies a resolution to my overwhelming fear of snakes. I still would absolutely shit myself if a snake slithered in my direction... or not. I would even shit myself if I merely spotted one in the parking lot when I was standing on my second floor balcony. But I came. I hiked. I survived. And that, my friends, is what matters.)