I'm born and raised in upstate New York and have been hiking since I was four years old.

Beyond hiking, I'm an avid kayaker, fisher, and hunter. I'll tell you

this to set the tone that I'm familiar with outdoors and have encountered everything from black bears to white-tailed deer from a very young age.

I've never had any fear of the forest and when I was an awkward teenager I sought refuge in the dense forest surrounding my home in Richmond Hills of New York.

Some of you may know the area by its notable ski resort Bristol Mountain. This story, however, takes place in the Blue Ridge Mountains,

just outside of Asheville, North Carolina. I apologize in advance because this will be a long

one in order to convey the necessary details.

I was about 25 years old at the time. I'm now 31, but I remember it like it was yesterday.

At the time I was in a very strained living situation

with my ex-boyfriend John.

It is important for the sake of this story that you understand that he was a simply terrible person.

He was quick to anger, verbally abusive, and just overall a miserable wretched human being.

In a last attempt to find some positivity in this situation,

I came up with the idea to take a trip to the mountains.

I'd never been there before and I was eager to get away.

We packed up my tiny car, a Nacura Integra, with supplies and my best friend Lola, a pure white lab husky pit bull mix.

My dog was only about six months old at the time and had more energy than the

Energizer Bunny.

Lola was not very well behaved. energy than the energizer Bunny.

Lola was not very well behaved yet, and I was still very much committed to her training.

Remember this.

After a six hour drive from my current residence at the time, outside of Raleigh, North Carolina,

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