don’t worry, there are only approximately 9,000 other people hiking that trail too. People on horses. Helicopters overhead. No trees anywhere. Just out in the wide open barren hills of Los Angeles.

I had downed a protein shake as usual after lifting before going on the hike later that day with my wife. It’s a 6 mile hike and it didn’t strike until a couple miles in but I knew there was no hope. Absolutely none. The panic began to set in.

My only concern became finding a landing spot and there was none to be found. The entire place is crawling with people and the trail is visible from everywhere and every angle.

Eventually I found a small area that went back in a small canyon and I swiftly moved through the grass and weeds and just ducked down behind a sagebrush and prayed that a helicopter wouldn’t see me and that I wouldn’t find myself on KTLA 10pm news that night.

I readily accepted the fact that as I trudged off into the grass that there was a 98% chance a rattlesnake was going to bite me square in the derrière or worse, on my other regions, as my shorts were pulled down but it was a risk I had no choice but to accept.