I bumped into a wierd state of affairs right now. A few of you may profit from analyzing it and considering by way of doable response outcomes ought to an analogous encounter occur to you.
Since I moved to Texas, I’ve come to actually love the entire outside recreation actions down right here versus what’s obtainable in my residence state of Ohio. I really like being exterior and there are countless mountaineering alternatives inside a brief drive from my home.
One in all my favourite native hikes is at Balcones Canyonlands Nationwide Wildlife Refuge. It’s lower than a 30 minute drive from my house. The park isn’t crowded on weekdays and gives a really bodily demanding loop hike. The hike is about 4 miles lengthy on a rocky single observe path. A lot of elevation acquire and loss. The loop takes about two hours to hike and is a good exercise. After I’m on the town, I attempt to do it a minimum of as soon as per week.
It rained quite a bit right here yesterday. After I awakened this morning, it was very cloudy. Temperatures had been within the mid 70s with a pleasant breeze. For the reason that temps have been pushing 100 levels for the final two weeks, I believed it could be nice to hit the path and benefit from the non permanent respite from the relentless solar.
I ate some breakfast and drove out to the wildlife refuge. There was just one different automotive within the car parking zone. It regarded like I used to be going to have the path principally to myself once more.
The start of this loop path is the roughest half. It’s about half-hour of straight uphill mountaineering with numerous switchbacks. The path is lower than two ft large.
As I used to be panting whereas mountaineering up the countless hill at the start of the trek, I caught a glimpse of one other hiker heading in the direction of me strolling down the mountain in the wrong way I used to be mountaineering. As our paths converged, I noticed that the particular person coming down the path in the direction of me was a younger, engaging girl in her mid-20s wearing exercise apparel (shorts and a tank high) strolling a mid-sized canine.
The path was not large sufficient for each of us. I noticed her earlier than she noticed me, so I ended, took a step off the path to permit her to move, and stated “come on by way of.”
That is the place issues received a bit unusual. She stopped about 15 ft away from me and didn’t transfer any farther. She didn’t say something. I seen she had an unsheathed fastened blade skinning knife in her proper hand and her canine leash in her left.
The knife she held in her hand regarded like this, however with a wood deal with.
I regarded on the knife and stated “Is all the things OK?”
She regarded shocked, caught the knife in a leather-based sheath tucked into her waistband, and started telling me how she had simply heard a “mountain lion” screaming on the path above her and needed her knife out within the occasion it attacked her or her canine.
Very odd. Whereas theoretically inside the pure vary of a mountain lion, nobody I’ve ever identified has seen one round right here. I didn’t hear any screaming (feline or in any other case).
I let the lady stroll previous me and I continued up the hill. I didn’t see the lady once more, nor did I see any proof of a mountain lion or a mass homicide scene.
Take into consideration what you may need achieved in case you had encountered the lady with a knife. A few different particulars:
-The path runs up the facet of a small mountain. If both of us had moved greater than about 5 ft on both facet of the path, we’d have had a really lengthy fall/slide to the underside. The one escape is both up or down.
– A lot of the park is in an space with none cellular phone service.
– I’ve by no means seen any regulation enforcement park rangers on the web site
I used to be carrying weapons, however I didn’t make any try to attract them. I had POM pepper spray in my pocket, a Spyderco Endura knife clipped within the waistband of my mountaineering shorts, and a .22 magnum S&W 351C revolver carried in a sling bag throughout my chest. I additionally had an aluminum trekking pole in my hand.
The state of affairs was odd, however I didn’t really feel threatened. The girl with the knife regarded barely scared and perhaps a bit embarrassed about being seen with a big knife in her hand.
I’m not shopping for the mountain lion story. My guess is that the lady armed herself after realizing an unknown man was approaching her on a really distant path. I don’t blame her. Bear in mind, that is Texas.
Nothing occurred, however I like to make use of occasions like this to research my efficiency to be higher ready for extra harmful occasions of an analogous nature sooner or later. Put your self in my spot and ask your self some questions:
– What would you do in case you had been to come across an individual wielding a big knife with no apparent purpose on a distant mountaineering path the place nobody is round and you haven’t any cell service?
– The girl with the knife was a petite younger girl in her mid 20s. She wasn’t giving off threatening vibes. Would your actions change if the particular person approaching you on the path was a raveled man supplying you with “loopy eyes?”
– Would you draw a weapon in both case? Which weapon would you select? Might you draw it or place your hand on it surreptitiously?
– What sort of language would you utilize to verbally de-escalate the state of affairs and to shortly persuade the particular person you aren’t a risk, however but you aren’t a scared sufferer both? I actually like utilizing “Are you OK?” in a state of affairs like this. It frames you as somebody who cares concerning the particular person’s properly being, but in addition let’s them know you have got noticed the weapon and you realize what’s occurring. The particular person’s reply offers you extra details about the situation.
– She may have answered that query a number of methods. Would your response be any totally different if she had stated: “I’m superb. My canine’s leash received tangled in some briars and I used to be simply chopping them off” What if she had answered “An alien area craft simply landed on the high of the hill and a bunch of little gray males have been chasing me?” How would your response change if she had stated “I used to be attacked by a person on this path final yr and I’m by no means going to permit that to occur once more?”
-If she had informed you that she had simply been attacked, what degree of help (if any) would you present to the lady? Would that change if she had been attacked by a human versus an aggressive animal?
– In what methods may the lady be setting you up for an assault if this was a ruse?
– It was a really slender path with none room to maneuver a “secure” distance away from the armed girl. Have you considered the way you may maneuver as a way to optimize your security as the 2 of you move one another? What if she hadn’t sheathed the knife? What if the knife was nonetheless in her hand as she approached you?
– She claimed that she heard harmful wildlife and/or screaming within the space you might be approaching. Would you proceed onward, or would you climb again down the hill to the car parking zone (a couple of 25 minute stroll)? Would you try to stick with the knife-armed girl or create separation?
Regardless of the lady’s weird actions, I didn’t really feel threatened at any time throughout our temporary encounter. In de-briefing my very own efficiency, I believe the one factor I might have achieved in a different way is to maintain ascending till I used to be out of her line of sight. I might then decide a hid spot within the brush to take a seat and wait about 10-Quarter-hour. I’d try this to confirm she didn’t have any unnoticed companions and to make sure she didn’t resolve to observe me.
Take a couple of minutes to place your self on this situation. Critically take into consideration every of the questions I posed and provide you with your greatest reply. You probably have any additional questions, begin a dialogue on my Patreon web page.
I requested AI to provide you with a photograph of the lady I described within the story. There are a few particulars that aren’t completely appropriate, however I used to be pleasantly shocked. You may get the story’s vibe by imagining one thing just like this.
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