Chattin' on the Mountain
As I posted last week, I've done most of my training for the Coldwater Rumble trail race in Thunderbird Conservation Park. It's close to the house, and it's a great park (well maintained and safe). Since it's free and it's the main hiking area on the NW side of town, there are always tons of people hiking and running. Some people come to the mountain by themselves, but most are hiking with friends or family, and they have a good time socializing while they're exercising. Since I'm on my own, moving by rather rapidly, no one pays me much mind, unless they quickly step out of the way to pass. However, they almost always continue what they were discussing, which means I get to hear snippets of some truly interesting conversations.
Joanne Fluke writes a series of books I really like about Hannah Swensen, a baker who also happens to solve murders. They're light and fun, and each book is named after a baked treat (Blackberry Pie Murder, for example). Hannah runs a bakery, and she often picks up clues by serving her guests; she calls it being the "Invisible Waitress," as folks don't really stop their conversations when you come by.*
Taking my cue from Joanne Fluke, then, here are some recent snippets of conversation overheard by the Invisible Runner:
Two ladies, both in their 60s or so:
Lady One: I just don't understand. It's fine if you have pictures of a baby or a wedding or something interesting, but I don't read Facebook to see that you went to the grocery store. NO ONE CARES.
Two ladies, both in their early 30's:
Lady One: Oh, you should have seen the emails! They were awful!
Lady Two: (audible gasp) What did you say?
One: I told him to come home and see what his Mother said to me! He drove home right away!
Two: What happened then?!?!!?
One: He wanted to talk about it, but I was like NO. I AM GOING FOR MY HIKE. YOUR MOTHER IS NOT STOPPING ME FROM MY HIKE.
Little boy (around age 5) with his Dad:
Dad (moving over to the side of the path, as he sees me coming): Hey buddy, slow down up there.
Boy (seeing me and going uber-park ranger levels of serious): DAD! Move over! There is a lady coming, so we need to MAKE WAY. This is a TWO WAY TRAIL!
Dad (shaking his head and laughing): Okay, buddy.
Every now and then, I actually interact with people, too. A good example of this is the story of how I Saved Some Minnesotans.** I was running along this trail on the mountain that heads from the main entrance to the extreme eastern side of the park. There's not a lot of people out there, and you run behind these huge houses. While the trail is long (if you run the whole thing), it pretty much has one in and one out, and it's very, very clearly marked. As I was jogging along, I came across two men and two women, all in their 50s-70s, carrying bottles of water. I said hello and kept going; I hit my turnaround point and started back, only to get stopped by one of the men with a question:
Man One: Does this trail come to a gate or anything like that?
Me: It doesn't have a gate, but it does dump out into a cul de sac around 51st Avenue or so.
Man: But, you can get off the trail there?
Me: Yes, and you can walk along the sidewalk into the neighborhood that's nearby.
Lady One: Oh, thank you! You SAVED US! We're from Minnesota and we got lost on this trail and we didn't know how we were going to get back to our friend's house!
Me (looking at her all white clothing and flip flops - worn while hiking a desert trail): You're welcome! Enjoy your stay!
Later!
Amy
* Also, the books feature great recipes. Hannah also dates two different men in the books, and in my mind, one of them looks Tom Selleck. WIN FOR EVERYONE.
** Not really.
Joanne Fluke writes a series of books I really like about Hannah Swensen, a baker who also happens to solve murders. They're light and fun, and each book is named after a baked treat (Blackberry Pie Murder, for example). Hannah runs a bakery, and she often picks up clues by serving her guests; she calls it being the "Invisible Waitress," as folks don't really stop their conversations when you come by.*
Taking my cue from Joanne Fluke, then, here are some recent snippets of conversation overheard by the Invisible Runner:
Two ladies, both in their 60s or so:
Lady One: I just don't understand. It's fine if you have pictures of a baby or a wedding or something interesting, but I don't read Facebook to see that you went to the grocery store. NO ONE CARES.
Two ladies, both in their early 30's:
Lady One: Oh, you should have seen the emails! They were awful!
Lady Two: (audible gasp) What did you say?
One: I told him to come home and see what his Mother said to me! He drove home right away!
Two: What happened then?!?!!?
One: He wanted to talk about it, but I was like NO. I AM GOING FOR MY HIKE. YOUR MOTHER IS NOT STOPPING ME FROM MY HIKE.
Little boy (around age 5) with his Dad:
Dad (moving over to the side of the path, as he sees me coming): Hey buddy, slow down up there.
Boy (seeing me and going uber-park ranger levels of serious): DAD! Move over! There is a lady coming, so we need to MAKE WAY. This is a TWO WAY TRAIL!
Dad (shaking his head and laughing): Okay, buddy.
Every now and then, I actually interact with people, too. A good example of this is the story of how I Saved Some Minnesotans.** I was running along this trail on the mountain that heads from the main entrance to the extreme eastern side of the park. There's not a lot of people out there, and you run behind these huge houses. While the trail is long (if you run the whole thing), it pretty much has one in and one out, and it's very, very clearly marked. As I was jogging along, I came across two men and two women, all in their 50s-70s, carrying bottles of water. I said hello and kept going; I hit my turnaround point and started back, only to get stopped by one of the men with a question:
Man One: Does this trail come to a gate or anything like that?
Me: It doesn't have a gate, but it does dump out into a cul de sac around 51st Avenue or so.
Man: But, you can get off the trail there?
Me: Yes, and you can walk along the sidewalk into the neighborhood that's nearby.
Lady One: Oh, thank you! You SAVED US! We're from Minnesota and we got lost on this trail and we didn't know how we were going to get back to our friend's house!
Me (looking at her all white clothing and flip flops - worn while hiking a desert trail): You're welcome! Enjoy your stay!
Later!
Amy
* Also, the books feature great recipes. Hannah also dates two different men in the books, and in my mind, one of them looks Tom Selleck. WIN FOR EVERYONE.
** Not really.
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