FEAR NOT - for I am with you

There have been many mornings (before the sun comes up), that my walking partner Tina and I , are trekking up a forest mountain. And I am so sure that there is a mountain lion lurking in the brush. It is a real fear to me. I have been known to carry a steak knife in my sweatshirt - just in case. Tina laughs at me because she wants to know how a paring knife will do damage to a creature with razor sharp teeth. I know the knife gives me a false sense of security. It wouldn't be so bad if I could just negotiate with the mountain lion before it attacks. "Here Kitty, Kitty. Just bite off from the inner thighs! Please don't go for my neck!" But here is the funny thing about it. Tina and I were walking yesterday, huffing and puffing up a hill. Tina says, "Look at that wild turkey." And I'm thinking... that's not a turkey. All of a sudden it starts flying, circling low above our heads... just waiting for one of us to drop dead on the hill so it could peck at our flesh. Before I know it she is behind my back, like I'm going to save her from a buzzard. I really think its her fear that the bird was going to mess up her perfect placed hair. What a team! So, when we hike Half Dome, I hope we don't experience any wildlife encounters. It just may put us over the edge!