Pay Attention to Your Fears

I live at the base of a steep mountain. It's quite a cardio climb, with a few switch backs in the paths. Cody and I climb to the 1st bench, enjoy the view and start back down.

The whole mountain range is vast with paths going in all directions. Most people hiking the mountain have dogs because the leash law doesn't apply there. There's a fair percentage of bikers and another group of bronzed runners. Each has their own agenda.

When I reached the 1st bench there were 3 young men milling around the bench. One was sitting on the bench empting the pebbles from his shoes. Another, nervously walking around the bench and the 3rd man was sitting about 15 ft away on a rock. He was black, quite heavy, huffing and complaining about the climb. I don't mention color as a racist statement but a person of color really stands out in Montana.

The man on the bench got up and I sat down. The two white men were talking and I finally realized they were talking to me. They were asking me questions; things like, "did I live in Helena, etc." It was at that moment that I really studied them and although they didn't look like vagrants, they didn't match any of the usual categories of people who hiked the mountain.

Suddenly I was seized with an instinctual paralyzing fear. Even Cody was acting weird. She was circling us in a manner I've never seen before. I could feel their eyes almost penetrating through me. Then the tall, thin one came quite close to me and said, "If you live around here, you must live in a really nice house."

With that odd statement, my fear rose to immediate panic. I'm alone with evil men, miles from help. I had a cell phone ...... but ..... All I wanted was to leave, to run down the mountain, but I also knew I couldn't show them I was afraid. Then I remembered the old cliche, that the best defence is an offense and I turned the situation around and started asking them questions. I asked if they lived here, were they on vacation, did they like hiking , etc, all the while slowly edging my way to the path. They were reluctant to answer but the tall guy said they were from California. I tried to keep my voice cheerful and chatty, like a garrulous old woman and said I had to go.

They then did another odd thing. They went over to the black man and they all sat down in some tall grass where you could only see their heads. They were watching me and talking in low voices. As I started down the steep part, a pretty woman appeared coming up the path. She would have to pass right by these men and I wanted to warn her without getting their attention. As she approached me, I said, "say" rather softly. She kept walking. I repeated it two more times but I think I saw a blue tooth in her ear. She didn't hear me, but she kept walking straight towards those men.

Cody and I went down the steep, gravelly path as fast as we could. Now my fear was for the young lady. Should I call the police? Yeah..... and tell them what? "There are three men on the mountain and a woman is walking by them?" They'd say, "Crazy old lady." That would be that.

When I got home, I called a friend and told her the story. Then she told me a story. From my description, they were the same men she saw at the laundromat when her machine had broken. Helena has a pre-release facility of around 200 beds and I'm sometimes hearing of them walking away or hiding in people's homes. She further said about the laundromat, the energy of the three men was so dark that everyone unknowingly moved to the opposite side of the room. She knew they could have only 3 passes per day and every one of their hours had to be accounted for. Someone would have had to drop them off at the mountain and pick them up if they wanted to hike.

She asked if they looked like they just got out of prison. Silly question. How would I know what anyone looked like who just got out of prison. She said they behave differently because they're not used to being social or interacting with others. Yes, this must have been what I picked up on and what made my fear alarm go off.

I had another friend who had been on the review board when the facility first opened. He would mention it when any of his men escaped. Other than than, I never even thought of the place, being here. Just because the 3 men had spent time in prison, it didn't mean they were planning to do physical harm to anyone. Most likely, they wanted to rehibilitate and live a life again.

My message is this. DO pay attention to those sudden flashes of fear. Your body instinctively knows and is trying to protect you. These men obviously did carry traces of a dark, evil past, or they would't have been in prison. Pay attention to the signals your body receives.