I live near a pretty nice trail in a neighborhood called Duck Creek. That should be a good enough reason for me to make use of the trail for exercise and/or leisure, but alas, I have an aversion to the walking, and another to the outdoors. Furthermore, I have come to hear about, witness, and experience 10 potential dangers of walking the trail. Here they are:
1. TRIPPING - Yes, I have tripped and fallen on the trail. While I'm well aware that it could happen anywhere, I would rather not have it be on the trail, where passersby may view this ordinary blunder and have a good laugh without stopping to offer a hand up. More than anything, it just hurts my pride - and I try to avoid places and situations where my pride might get hurt.
2. Sweater WEATHER - It's too cooooooold for you here and now . . . love the way that song sounds. Anyhow, weather is another factor that will keep me off the trail. It isn't usually a danger, but there are those occasions where it has been. Mostly, I'm just never satisfied with the weather I guess.
3. Speedy CYCLISTS - This might sound like another item that ought not to be listed as a danger, but I would advise thinking twice on that. Have you seen the cyclists in this city? They seem to think they own the road - and all the land actually. My own brother sometimes rides like a madman and he has had a fall or two. Even for the best, it can be so easy to lose control. There's no telling who or what will be hit in such an instance, so I try to stay out of the way.
4. DOGS unleashed - My mother has a fear of dogs since she was chased by one as a child, and I think I inherited that fear. Walking the trail last Friday I experienced a chase of my own. Can I just thank the responsible owner who left their dog unattended outside without a leash? No, actually I think I should thank the woman walking the trail behind me who was able to lead the dog away from me by distracting him with her own two dogs.
My heart was pounding and I was screaming for help, since the pursuant dog looked a lot like this in my head.
I probably looked crazy, because in actuality the dog was approaching me like this. All the same, it wasn't letting up and I promise you it started to pick up speed as I did my best to back away.
via yob.deviantart
5. Angry BIRDS - Kinda like the dogs, the birds on our trail will chase you persistently. Our neighborhood and trail are called Duck Creek for a reason. The birds you've gotta watch are the geese. Can you imagine how insane I look running from a goose? Try instead to imagine being chased by one. They'll come at you full speed, long necks extended, wings outstretched at their sides, making one of two horrible goose sounds - a serpentine hissing sound or their usual miserable honking sound.
6. Poo Poo - Another bird issue. It's a common problem wherever you find birds and sky, but it seems particularly hazardous on the trail. Ducks are pooing on the ground, and all the other birds are pooing from the sky. Not one spot on the trail is safe.
7. COYOTE ugly - Some coyotes really don't look all that bad, but then there are the rest. I saw one from the safety of my car one morning while passing the trail on my way to work. I would have been terrified to encounter it on the trail and I know that it could very well happen.
Do you remember Wile E. Coyote? Oh and good news - coyotes don't typically eat humans.
8. Slithering SNAKES - I guess I'm not much of an animal lover at all. Snakes however, ought to be on everybody's list of dislikes. My siblings once saw a snake on the trail and whenever I think of it, I'm glad it wasn't me - I'd probably never walk there again. They still bike on the trail frequently.
9. Murky WATER - Every now and then the water in the creek has a certain glow and it can look quite pretty, but most days it is murky and I question what lies beneath the surface. I've seen enough curious misfits floating above it. Also, if by some odd circumstance I ever fell in, I'm not sure how I would fair, since I don't exactly know how to swim.
10. STRANGER Danger - Yes, I know that strangers are everywhere and that not every one is out to get me, but there is always the chance. There is a part of the trail that winds behind houses where many things could go unnoticed (like a girl screaming for help as she is kinda-sorta chased by a dog). In a time where people seem to go missing without a trace every day, I have to bear it in mind and beware of such surroundings.