Hiking, Wild Animals, and Nuns (again)

I've thought about it. I like hiking.  And the good news is the scenery is so lovely that it's a bonus if you are out of shape because you get to sit and enjoy it a lot. Plus there don't appear to be any wild animals to be alarmed about. Just nuns out for a walk. Nothing alarming about that. 

Hiking wear for Nuns. Who knew?

In Connecticut, in my town, on my street and sometimes in my backyard, you can find...coyotes, turkeys, deer, bobcats, a mountain lion (not him- he's been in someone else's backyard though), flying squirrels, and feral cats.  We had one peeking in our front window when we first moved in (its head was huge) and the occaisional unleashed dog wandering through. Though you can be sure if it's unaccompanied, it will be in my living room and named before I've had chance to shout,"No"! My  kids move fast...I'm pretty confident somewhere within the town radius there must lurk a bear or two. And my neighbor saw a moose on the way to work one day. That was only about five miles down the road.

Once a stray dog wandered in the front door and roamed around the house. Think he was hungry. Problem was my three week old baby was in the dining room napping (she was just about the size of a Sunday dinner ham). He sniffed a few times. I freaked and threw a bagel out the front door. He followed the bagel.   Another time, a stray cat managed to get in my car and take a nap. I didn't happen to notice this cat until it started crying while I was driving to work.  Then I had to pull over and call work explaining I was late because there was a stray cat in my car who wouldn't get out.

Here, I've seen exactly three cats.  Plenty of dogs but all on leashes.  And lots of fenced in farm animals...cows (remember the running cow?) and sheep.  There are deer in a deer park close by. Bears in a bear cage in Bern. Wait- I did see a deer while I was on the funicular going up Zugerberg one morning. Must be more of those. I did hear a story about a man hiking who put his hands behind him to rest and wouldn't you know his hand landed on a pair of mating vipers. Several bites later...I heard he lived. Vipers.

This is all good news,except for the vipers, as I'm wild animal phobic.  I don't want to meet them. Any of them. Makes hiking more enjoyable if I don't have to worry about being eaten. My younger sister has held all kinds of crazy jobs working outside. One was in the Rockies working on trails. She had to be careful where she stepped to avoid rattle snakes. She also had to eat 6,000 calories a day to do the job she was doing.  Her and Michael Phelps.

So maybe it doesn't matter if nuns pass me or very small dogs beat me up the mountain.   As long as I don't need Swiss search and rescue, I think I'm doing okay.