serpent

up the airy mountain, down the crooked lane...ahaha I was flipping channels the other day and heard a snippet of bible-thumping preachy speak from a man who looks like he just excaped from azkaban...he said something to the tune of "jesus can help you become a better fisherman of men's souls, or at least help you make up for your poor habits.." and i thought about "poor" as a habit.

on fridee i went on a sojourn up lambs canyon trail, and plucked sun-ripened rosehips from their treacherously thorn-ed branches. i also dodged epic piles of moose poo, elk prints the size of dinner plates (spaced at 7-foot intervals) and for the first hike this summer/fall, i did NOT encounter a slithering symbol of change on my path. the last time that happened was in tahoe on the trail to mt. tallac, when i saw a rather skin-colored and hence suggestive animal on the trail, with a nub of a tail and humanish skin. i was deterrrmined to enjoy myself but remained somewhat disturbed after sidestepping the creature as it glistened (moistly) in the sun. it paled (literally) in comparison to the dragon i bested on the grandeur peak trail a few days before. this thing had gills, a ridged/webbed forehead, jagged eyebrows, and a murderous disposition. i was running uncontrollably down the switchbacks--bored with the slow, downhill plodding--when i came ankle-to-fang with this beast of the desert, coiled and scheming when i rudely interrupted its flow...he (i believe it was male) hissed and stared deeeeep into the recesses of my fear faculties...i backed up, and it followed, jaws still gaping and eyes in turbo-kill mode, rattle on hi-vibe...S-ing his way toward me, debating on whether to strike...in a twist of accidental mercy, the creeper slinked off into the grass (traveling uphill). once spared, i skied down the gravelous mountain like charlie with his golden ticket.