Danger Not Withstanding.....

The California coastline has long been the source of interest to geology students and nature lovers alike. The same can be said about the Oregon coast, Washington coast, East coast, etc. We temper our curiousity with a healthy dose of respect, but we are nonetheless curious.

A search through the internet uncovers the many stories of hikers who have made what most of us might think are the unimaginable treks through nature in search of something most of us can't understand. There are tons of articles about bringing babies in backpacks, how much you can expect your children of various ages to carry, and how far you can expect them to walk. There are discussion about safety issues, most of which are borne out of experiences of other hikers who took the initiative before you. I even came across one story about an avid hiker whose very young son suddenly ran after a lizard and came very close to plunging over the edge of a cliff. Had his daughter not reached out and stopped the fall, a tragic accident would have occurred.

We find the various vantage points from which we see things from a different perspective, and we go on classroom outings (such as the one at the right) in order to appreciate the land we live on.

We are protected from some of the dangers that might be encountered, but for the most part we are left alone to come and go without incident.

Accidents are not intentional. They happen. In spite of all our best efforts, we sometimes discover that the choices we make did not turn out to be the best ones. The family who went out on a hike and had just paid to follow the nature path in Utah, surely didn't mean for the little three year old girl who was with them to fall off a cliff, but she did. And her rescuer lost his life trying to save her.

The parents who took their kids to Yellowstone National Park to explore the area surely didn't expect a walk along the boardwalk to lead to a trip that threw their son into the caustic, hot pond.

Surely we warn our children about the dangers we perceive. While I might take Billy out to walk across the rope bridge that crosses the gorge over the Grand Canyon, his brother would be the first to stick his head and body through the ropes! And Billy is the youngest one, it just so happens he is intuitively cautious and minds. His brother is quite the opposite!

In spite of our best efforts to do the right things and moderate our activities according to the circumstances, accidents happen. When we think we have it all under control and turn away for just a moment, accidents happen. I can only pray that all of us are spared from the great suffering very bad accidents have brought to the lives of others.