Total & Complete
One hundred yards from returning to the parking lot, I encounter my first fellow hiker. It’s 11:00 a.m. and I’ve been on the trail four hours. I note that fellow hiker’s carrying a rusty handsaw, unlike the brand new, badass switchblade I’ve been wielding all morning. Perhaps he’s intent on clearing the trail too. When we meet, he doesn’t want to talk, but I won’t let that be. “Howya doin’”, I snap, forcing eye contact. When he finds out I just finished clearing the entire trail, he can’t hide his disappointment. I just took all his fun away. You gotta get up pretty early to out hike me. My four hours at Wildcat Mountain Preserve have been exhilarating in many ways. First & foremost, my efforts to give back have felt fantastic. Walking the three mile loop trail and clearing it of debris after a winter storm has brought a tremendous sense of pride and accomplishment, especially so since slippery conditi...