When I awoke this morning, I nearly decided to just stay home today instead of going up on the mountain. Something told me that I should go, so I rolled out of bed and even managed to arrive 15 minutes early. Lots of interesting things happened, but the dogs stand out in my mind. Today was apparently the day to bring a dog. That made me sad. I had a lot of interesting conversations and met some nice people, but I still went back to my house alone to wait out the afternoon sun before I go do things starting at 6PM as I am wont to do.
Every time I see a dog off a leash, I feel like a heel. We're supposed to find a nice way to remind people to keep their dogs under control. I know I encountered at least ten groups with dogs. I probably pissed off every single one of them. Maybe two dogs were on leashes, but even when one dog was leashed for some reason another wasn't. I was even on alert while on the way down when I heard crashing through the forest and saw a blur until it got close enough for me to see it was a dog going full bore through the brush. THank God it wasn't a mountain lion. It seemed to work to say that with so many other dogs and the risk of being a snack they should restrain their canine companions. I've watched my dog run around full tilt, and I saw the carefree look in the dogs' eyes, and it was hard to say, but I know it's supposed to be for the best, for everyone and their dog.
We're supposed to be up there to help people have a more enjoyable time, so those conversations are not my favorite. My most common conversations are about the trails, distance, direction, etc. Many people asked me about when trails would reopen (probably summer 2017). Others were very interested in how much further. Fortunately, I've walked that trail enough to know what the mile markers are, so it's nice to be able to say "you've passed the 2 mile marker, and it's 3.45 to the junction, so you have just over a mile to go" and know I'm right. From time to time, I talk about other places to go and random facts. Most of the people are pleasant at least, and some of them are great.
This is probably the best thing I've ever done for socializing since I moved to Vegas. It's totally me, doing what I love, sharing what I know, and getting exercise. Ok, so I haven't made a single friend or met anyone to date, and I might not, but I do have substantive conversations with people from the age of 8 to 71, and I get a chance to see people from all walks of life, at least those with fortitude enough to go beyond the first mile. I see families, parents with children, couples, friends, meetup groups, and lone wolves like myself. I find that we share many things in common. One fellow today even admitted that he at 40 still hasn't found anyone either to add to his life. Maybe I'm not so odd after all. I could do a lot of things, but I may have finally found a way to interact and interface with people like me. We exchange names, phone numbers, and handshakes, and for a moment these people are the most important people in my life.
For the first time this summer since I started paying attention to people I see, I saw some people again that I saw previously. It's a group of four women, probably of polynesia or french indochina descent, who push up the hill slowly and steadily. I've only ever encountered two other people on the trail that I had seen before. There's a guy from Japan that does the same trail at Red Rock every weekend, and I once ran across a girl who turned me down for a date that ended up on the same trail. Today I spoke to folks from Cuba, Korea, Seattle, and Illinois. THere was even someone born and raised in Vegas. It reminded me that people are people, no matter from whence they come, and that there are good people everywhere, maybe even in my own Faith.
It was a beautiful dog day up on the mountain. Armed with my ready reference, I identified wild flowers I didn't know, two of Mt. Charleston's endemic and threatened butterfly species, and several types of birds and rodents. I held conversations with seven groups of hikers for a total of 80 minutes, covered 10 miles, and gave out information. It was a good day. We've actually had a very pleasant July in Vegas, especially on the mountain. I got to sit alone at Rain Tree for 20 minutes and pray to God and listen. I returned home quieted about things that bother me and refreshed but tired. It's been a decent summer.
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