Recently retired from the California Department of Education, Andrew Laufer is writing a book about his life including periods as a butcher's helper, food service worker, construction laborer, animal research assistant, seasonal fire fighter, and janitor. In his youth, he hitch-hiked up and down the coast and out to Colorado numerous times providing context for hundreds of short stories.
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Running in the Hills
Young adults or reckless children? Ages 16 – 21
Running in the Hills
Young adults or reckless children? Ages 16 – 21
Even though young adults are warned time and again to be careful, they still do reckless things. Perhaps to prove their independence, or to even the score with others or to just get away with it. Maybe young people risk life and limb because they feel immortal and not mature enough to comprehend the risks.
Yes, I admit that I was too immature to be safe a time or two between the ages of 16 and 21. Surely, it was the most dangerous time in my life. I’m blessed to be alive. I know I’m not alone. Yes, brothers and sisters, we were all foolish, and we’ve made it to where we are despite ourselves.
Twice, I found myself careless in the hills, once in California and once in Oregon. In both instances I was running down hillsides in the dead of night at full speed. The first time, I was at a place called “The Moon” by the locals, a barren landscape in the hills near San Rafael, California. The youth partied without being bothered by the law. On this night we were playing war games. No weapons, but we practiced hand-to-hand combat to capture our opponents. While trying to avoid capture, I raced downhill at full speed and was jolted to a halt by a barbed wire fence. I was stunned and, on my ass, before I knew what happened. I decided to call it a night and contemplate my good luck for not being decapitated.
As an aside, the law did stop where our cars were parked. Being a captive, I was sent to the cars and had to ditch into the bushes. Even though they were shining their spotlight on the bushes where I was hiding, they didn’t see me.
In Oregon, I was a little older but not much the wiser when my friends and I were sitting on the top of a ridge around midnight when my roommate Paul had the bright idea of bolting down the forested hillside. Wide eyed and listening for any sign that he survived, we suddenly heard a “yahoo!” from down the hill. That was all it took and off to the races we went, in the dark of night. In an instant, about halfway down the hill, I found myself flying head over heels through the air after hitting a hidden log. I hit the ground headfirst and was, amazingly, unscathed. I lost my glasses which, though disappointing, was a good excuse to take pause and walk the rest of the way down the hill.
Was it fun? Yes. Was it reckless? Most definitely. Would I do it again? Hell no. Thankfully, most of us learn about self-preservation if we live long enough.
~ Andy Laufer
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