Extreme Athlete
Am I an extreme athlete? I have been jokingly asking myself that question. In Twin Lakes Resort a man walked up to me and said "I'm an extreme athlete too." Now I thought that was pretty funy, but I needed a ride. I remember a couple of days later argueing with Eagle whether or not we were indeed extreme athletes. It was pretty houmorous if I recall correctly. A couple of chuby kids dreaming about ESPN's Extreme Games.

Here is my arguement that I am an extreme athlete. I participate in the sport of backpacking or hiking. Todays top two headlines.

No charges in wilderness survival-school death
California hiker mauled by mountain lion leaves hospital

How many sports have their participants Mauled by Lions? It is not even hiking season and we have death and a lion attack. I walk through places like this. I know some one that was attacked by a bear, was only a few miles away when it happened. Rattlesnakes, deserts, glaciers, snow covered passes, cliffs, fording rivers, lions, bears, scorpions, ticks, snow, sleet, rain, fog, hail, spiders, giardia, high altitude pulmenary edema, are some of the things that you have to deal with on a Pacific Crest Trail thru hike. Some pretty extreme stuff.