Taking a Risk in the Wilderness
Gaining confidence with risks and small victories
It was reckless, maybe even stupid. At the time it seemed reasonable enough to think a 25-foot crevice in a rock cliff was something I could go up and down. It was only later that the endeavor seemed foolish.
I had not been out in nature for weeks and was relishing the opportunity. I was hiking at a state park centered around a lake near Elk City Kansas. It is a remote state park and was almost empty on an overcast and cool day. I saw only a couple of people in parking lots and none on the trails.
There is a high bluff around most of the lake, many small canyons, some huge boulders making it a rugged place for hiking. The rain had been falling for days and it was still misty and cloudy the day I was there. There was mud in places, and just enough moisture to make conditions slippery at times.
I hiked around the rim of the bluff on one side of the lake, which was about two miles and not terribly difficult. I could see the canyons and huge boulders below and the lake itself beyond the big rocks. The trail below looked inviting.
The rim of the lake was nice. It did not take long to get far enough back into the forest to feel far from the cares of the world. The rugged ground below intrigued me. I could see the…
