mountains, snakes and tarantulas ... oh my

Mount Kearsarge, 2930 feet and mocking me right now!!!

This mountain kicked my ass today.  I don't know WHAT was going on, but I was pathetic.  Maddie, who normally complains that I won't wait up for her, was miles ahead of me.  I don't know if it was because I didn't eat something first; or because I walked 40 minutes yesterday then did an hour-and-a-half hike in the woods or because I had a heavy dinner and a few drinks last night ... but WHATEVER the combination, I was struggling.

By the time I reached the top I felt like I'd climbed Mt. Everest for heaven's sake.  But then I had something to eat and perked right up.  The climb down was a piece of cake in comparison.

But when something like this happens, it means only one thing.  I will be hiking Kearsarge on a daily basis until I can fly up.

OH!  So, we were coming down and this young couple stopped to ask if the dogs were going to bite them, to which we responded absolutely not.  And then the girl (who was dressed in a frilly purple shirt, white shorts and clutching a Vera Bradley bag) said, oh, be careful, there is a HUGE snake down there.  

Down where?  I asked, a huge note of panic creeping into my voice.

Maddie laughed, the boy said the snake was little, the girl insisted no, it was HUGE.  

And my heart was pounding.  Really?  Did they REALLY have to tell me about the snake?

So, I spent the entire way down scanning the ground for the damn thing, sure it was going to freak me out and then I was going to start running like a maniac down the hill.

Maddie said that I should be more scared of bears.  I said bears didn't scare me at all.  Then she posed this question:

If someone was holding a gun to my head and was going to shoot me dead unless I let a bunch of tarantulas climb all over me, or let an anaconda squeeze me, which would I choose?

I said death.

She said no, seriously, which would you choose.

I chose death.

She said MOM, you can't choose death.

I said I saw no other option.  None.  Zippo.  Either of those options were like Sophie's Choice, which child should I give up to the gas chamber?  Impossible.  Shoot me dead.

She said I was ridiculous.

Which would YOU choose?