They protected you with danger,
those High Sierra Mountains.
Cliffs and snakes, rockslides,
flooded rivers, icy narrow
twisting highways, dirt
roads cut casually into hills,
hours between you and a
doctor or hospital. Chainsaws,
knives, guns, lightning,
freezing temperatures.
Wherever you went,
whatever you did, you kept
caution in your pocket
like a talisman. You quickly
came to equate useless
risk with lack of thought,
not with bravery.
Hans Ostrom 2024
