It’s getting colder out, I could see my breath this morning. For the last 35 years that exhale was smoke. I would get winded running for a bus, now I run every morning at daybreak. Yes, I’m proud of myself and not afraid to let you know. I’m that irritating jogger you see in the morning causing you to question your own health.
The Safety Third Compound is located high in the Rocky Mountains and surrounded by National Forest. Because of the VID and restricted human activity, the forest creatures have been prevalent this summer. Now as its getting colder, there’s a scramble to fatten up. The squirrels are grabbing their nuts while the owls grab the squirrels. The deer have devoured my garden and with all the herbs and vegetables they’ve ingested those deer should be delicious.
The bears are also getting ready for hibernation, so they happen to be gorging on berries. My morning run takes me through Bear Country USA or crops of berries, depending on which way you turn your head. I don’t look up enough when I run, trying to focus on the rocks that might take me out. The bears have been pulling down the bushes in order to let me know I should find a new trail. The best berries are always harder to reach. I keep looking ahead to either jump over or duck under the Choke Cherry trees the bears are feasting on. Also littering the trail are large piles of scat. The last two weeks my trail has started to feel like an obstacle course of poop, shrubs and bruins.
My healthy new lifestyle not only has me running from bears, but also eating lots of berries. I tried some of the choke cherries the bears are stuffing themselves with-not a good idea. Bears apparently have terrible palates, because choke cherries taste like scat. Now I understand the importance of breaking into garbage cans looking for old ice cream containers. Sour, bitter, and unpleasant will keep me from any fad Bruin Diet. The Brain Diet is chock full of delicious berries and probably easier on your gut than the Bruin diet. Careful one letter changes so much.
Berries inhibit cell oxidation and help protect brain cells. Berries can prevent age related memory loss improving brain function in adults with mild cognitive impairment. All kinds of berries are super rad! The cognitive stuff along with the antioxidant benefits were a bit surprising. I love um, eat em and have for years but I had no idea there was so much neurological research on all types of berries. I cram a mix of berries in a daily smoothie and the memory benefits are immediate, remember not to add choke cherries.
After choking down my morning berry smoothie I head out for the morning run. Pre-dawn on the trail is quite fun. No one has taken out the early morning spiderwebs yet. Stars are at their brightest while the mountain peaks look black in front of the orange horizon. I have to try and describe the early morning beauty, as it’s enhanced by the unfortunate smoke from wildfires. Another reason to run early, the air quality won’t get much better today.
Dealing with the bears is more likely at this hour as they get ready to sleep for the winter. Bears go into torpor which is not really hibernation but more of a meditation. That’s why they’re so chill in the summer and help put out forest fires. Bears have bad hearing and terrible eyesight. I’m not sure what their excuse is but loud music, motorcycles and concussions have left a ringing in my ears. I’ve run into three bears in the last two weeks and I should have been looking up today. I usually don’t see them standing but this one really wanted those top berries. Hopped up on those pungent berries it didn’t see me until I yelled “agghhh!” which is what you’re supposed to do. Run right at the bear and yell “agghhh!” at least that’s what I did. Seemed to work although when you see just how fast those things can run uphill I might rethink my strategy.
The bears and I are not only getting ready for the colder temperatures but we are eating berries and meditating. I wonder if they do yoga or maybe it’s Yogi?
Safety Third