As promised, here's yesterday's adventure:
I had been looking at my schedule, wondering how on earth I had stayed so busy for so long, and understanding one of the reasons for my state of tiredness. Seeing a semi-free day, I decided to go up to the mountain, find a secluded place, and spend some time reading, praying, and just being.
Making my way up the scenic drive, I found a beautiful lookout area overlooking the city. Hopping the ledge, I skipped over to the edge of what looked like a cliff, only to find that the edge of the mountain looked pretty climbable. So bit by bit, stopping to take in the view every once in a while, I made my way down the side of the mountain, sliding, jumping, and crawling till I finally made it to the bottom. It was exhilarating!
Stopping for a break, I pulled out an apple and took a bite, basking in the feeling of accomplishment, enjoying the feeling of freedom. Then, all of a sudden, with the wail of sirens, and a flashing of lights, I turned around to come face to face with the police.
The leader of the group approached me warily, looking around in every direction as if expecting a trap of some sort. He asked for ID, then went on to ask for all my information: home address, school address, phone number, date and place of birth, my business on this part of the mountain, if I was an artist, if I was suicidal, if I was hiding climbing gear in my bag, how long I had been in El Paso, if I was alone, and on and on the questions came.
When he finally finished with questions, the young man stood looking at all the information he had taken down as if trying to find the next piece in the puzzle. After a prolonged pause, I finally took my turn at asking questions, first asking his name, then, explaining that I had checked for "No Trespassing" signs, I asked if what I had been doing was in the wrong. The young man looked at his two companions who just shrugged their shoulders, then turned to face me.
It turns out that they weren't sure who owned the property I was on, so they couldn't tell me if I was going against laws or anything. The reason they had come out was that they had been getting phone calls regarding a stranded hiker, an unsafe climber, and a suicide risk that was climbing around on the side of the mountain; so they had been sent to check it out. Seeing that it was just me, a girl (they were surprised to find that I was 'of age'), they weren't quite sure what to do, but they assured me that they would check things out regarding the land and get back to me.
In the mean time, one of the older cops gave me a ride back up the mountain to my car. So much for peace and quite and time to think...but what an adventure!!
*some writers' licence has been used in the telling of this story
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