“The smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities.”–Ayn Rand

I thought of this quotation when I read The Big Hominid’s post about the collective loss of a sense of humor amongst many of the fellow travelers on the left. It’s sad really but I remain firmly in the mode of “if you can’t take a joke, fuck you!”

Now, here’s a funny story for you. Yesterday I’m out walking My Bitch to get an accurate distance check for when I set trail as a Hare. I’m about halfway through my hike cresting a hill and I encounter a couple of hikers on the intersecting path. An odd couple indeed. I mean, I rarely see anyone on trail, and when I do it’s usually a Filipino wielding a machete. I always try to reassure myself it is for whacking bamboo and not my head and thus far I’ve been right about that.

Anyway, this was an older white couple wearing flip-flops. They asked me if this was the way to Baloy Beach. I bit my tongue to avoid saying “you can’t get there from here” although technically that’s correct. Instead I told them I was taking the trail back to Alta Vista subdivision and Baloy is an easy walk from there. So they followed along. The guy was familiar in an “I’ve seen him around in a bar town somewhere” kind of way, although I’d never spoken with him. We talked as we walked and he told me he was a Czechoslovakian, a country that no longer exists. Now he lives half the year in Canada and the other half here. I had assumed the white western woman with him was his spouse but she told me they had met here in the PI last year. I’m not sure who comes to the Philippines to meet an old ugly western woman, but hey, whatever rocks your boat.

I asked them what they were doing on the mountain and was told they had been visiting friends on Rizal Extension and they were told this was a “short cut” back to Baloy. Hmm, well technically it is shorter in distance than walking the road, but that assumes you know where you are going. The couple had been advised to “stay to the left” as they walked to find their way. Same instruction I had been given and it took me like five tries before I could ever successfully find my way. I’m thinking to myself, some friends you got there.

I assured them they were in good hands and I would see them safely to Alta Vista as I had walked this path many times. And then I managed to get us lost. Not sure how that happened, but the trail does tend to take on a different look what with leaves and stuff falling on it. Or maybe I wasn’t paying attention. I felt like an idiot though. Now, I wasn’t “lost lost”, just not on the right trail. And the trail we were on was new to me. And where it came down the mountain (on the opposite side of Alta Vista) it was very steep and treacherous looking (big drop off on one side). My company didn’t have on appropriate hiking footwear either. Plus the woman was complaining about her knee hurting. Damn it, but retreat seemed the best option.

I told them to rest in the shade while I backtracked to look for the right trail. I did find it about half a click away, and went back to fetch the old folks. The gal was moving real slow at this point and taking frequent breaks. I gave her my walking stick to use which seemed to help. About 30 minutes later we arrived at Alta Vista. And in a small miracle, an empty trike was passing by, so they loaded in and headed off to home. What a relief to be rid of them!

So, I downloaded a new measurement app on my phone and it shows my trail at just around 6K. That’s good enough for the walkers. This morning I went out and walked an extended version for the runners that adds an additional 3K. If they don’t like it, too fucking bad.

I also learned that on flat ground I walk right at 5K an hour (59 minutes to be exact). In the hills yesterday I slowed to around 16 minutes per kilometer. So my trail should be just under two hours. That ought to work.

What else? Well, I’m still enjoying views like this from my upstairs patio:

So now it is time for me to head out for the Friday dart league. I may not have everything I want but I have everything I need. Life is good enough for me.

I will hazard a prediction. When you are 80 years old, and in a quiet moment of reflection narrating for only yourself the most personal version of your life story, the telling that will be most compact and meaningful will be the series of choices you have made. In the end, we are our choices. Build yourself a great story. –Jeff Bezos

UPDATE: Well, shit. I just used “Lost and found” as a title back in January. Oh well. At least it was about my journey of discovery on My Bitch.