One of my favorite Spring/Summer activities is to ride the ski lift and picnic atop a mountain meadow trail. I would list it as my favorite date activity. It certainly sets the stage for a romantic adventure. I have done it at least as many times as I have been skiing or snowboarding, though that is only to say a handful.
On one trip, my date and I had no sooner gotten off the ski lift ride when an old lady approached us hysterically. She screamed out for help as though someone was on the verge of death. We ran to her. People should remember how nature is not to be taken for granted. Without snow and skis the man from England could not get back to the lift when he was done exploring.
He was stranded on top of the next peak. We wondered how he had gotten there, though it proved not as easy to come back down the slippery dirt and rocks as it was to go up. My date insisted on coming with me although she was only wearing flip flops, not tennis shoes. I was stuck between worrying about how dire the emergency need ahead was or waiting to help my date’s wants, while leading her into a possible unknown predicament to come. I didn’t bother to tell her she couldn’t assist me, so we went at her pace. She resisted any extensions of my hand to assist her up steep points.
As it turned out the wife had exaggerated the situation with her urges for us to hurry to her husband’s aid. We scaled the peak to find the man sitting calmly, resting, in no immediate need. I gave him a bottle of water as a precaution. He was happy to let me offer him a hand down the slope.
My date and I proceeded to our picnic. We had a great time, but it was apparent we didn’t get past the physical touch barrier like I had with the old man. She made sure our outing was solely for the fun of it.
