Charlie Foster is the April winner of the “WHAT’S FUNNY ABOUT HIKING” Contest with this gem:
“My wife and I were in our favorite spot in the Adirondacks. It was in September right after Hurricane Irene. Before we left I knew we were going to get some left over wind and rain from the storm. We have been through worse storms where I had to use my chainsaw to cut trees to get out so we off we went ready to brave whatever Mother Nature would throw at us.
Around Tuesday morning the wind and rain started. As the afternoon wore on the storm increased. The tarp was blowing but I have seen it move more. We finished supper and sat around the fire as the storm blew around us.
“We went to bed as usual but with expectations of the storm getting a little worse. I woke up around 3 in the morning to the sound of the tarp flapping in the breeze (wind around 40 mph).
“I knew if I didn’t get up and secure the corner of the tarp that, let loose, it would do more damage to itself and the items under it. So, bollicky bare-assed I went out to do a temporary fix to the tarp.
“I tried several times to grab the flapping corner. Finally I latched onto it and a gust of wind came in and filled the tarp. I held onto the tarp tighter so I wouldn’t lose it. The tarp just lifted me off the ground. I didn’t know whether to let go and watch the tarp fly away or hang on tighter and let the tarp lift me higher. I didn’t know how high I was going to go as I was already 10 feet off the ground.
“I did hang on and the wind decreased enough to let me down slowly. I tied the corner of the tarp in a knot and tied it off with the corner line. What a wild ride that was, and I got a free shower to boot.”
An autographed copy of Avalanche and Gorilla Jim is on its way to Charlie.
If something humorous ever happened while trekking, please send it to http://albertdragon.com/?page_id=174 and share it with your fellow hikers. You may be the next winner.