Tree roots, mud puddles, and snakes...Oh My!

Natalie, Kelley and I decided to brave the Carolina North trails on Saturday for our 10 mile run. We debated abandoning the plan in favor of the Duke Forest trails, which we all know better, when we learned that Alison and Kona (her chocolate lab and our trailblazer) had a change of plans, but decided against burning the extra gas and stayed closer to home. I had run the trails earlier that week and realized that, what initially seemed like a winding & disconnected series of trails were really just two big loops with optional off-shoots. These off-shoots always lead back to the main trail, and I thought if we do manage to get lost in there we might deserve it.

As we headed into the woods, the paths we had followed the week prior became quite obvious and soon our conversation drifted to more interesting topics than "Do you remember this [fill in the blank object that would indicate we were on the right path]?" and "I think it's just a little further ahead and then a left." After 20 minutes we had hit our stride.

As Natalie outlined her potential dissertation topics, and I glanced down at my heart rate monitor, I hear Kelley, just a few steps in front of me on the single track trail speak a single word. "Snake," she said, as calmly as though she were answering a question about what she had for dinner last night..."pasta." I looked down to see it stretched across the path right before me.
Ok, so that might be a slight exaggeration...but only SLIGHT. Once we were a safe distance away and I slowed to a pace where I could talk again (there was no question which of the "fight or flight" responses my body was choosing) I asked Kelley if it was a copperhead. Learning that it was not, I realized that Kona was good to have around for reasons other than simply showing us the way through the woods.

If Kona had been at the head of the pack, she surely would have shown that snake who was boss. Unlike I did...who ran as fast as possible... in the opposite direction.

-KJD