Snow White and her scary adventure

We have been having some serious weather lately.  Big storms that darken the skies, deafening thunder, and fantastical displays of lightning seem to have found a permanent home here.I don't mind it.  I enjoy a good storm when seen from the comfort of my home.The problem with all of this rain has been my dog.  She was getting a bit stir-crazy.  A week ago Friday, we had a slight break from the storms.   More rain was on the way, but it looked like I had a little bit of time.  I grabbed my dog and her leash and got in the car.  We decided to go check out a nature preserve with trails nearby.We pulled into the parking lot, and it looked great.  A perfectly cool morning spent exploring outside was going to be good for both of us.  All of a sudden I glanced at my feet and noticed I had walked out of my house wearing my crocs.Whoops.My crocs are 20 years old...and they have ZERO traction left.  None.  They are fine to wear when I'm working outside, but walking around when the ground is wet turns them into a game of when-am-I-going-to-fall-and-break-my-bones.  Believe me, it's hilarious to watch, but not to play.After a quick moment of doubt, I got out of the car.  I'll be fine.We started down the path.  The first intersection had the option to go right and follow a boardwalk, or go left and keep on the paved path.  I chose the right.Big mistake.The boardwalk was still very wet, and I was slipping and sliding all over the place.  Each step had my arms flailing, desperately clinging to my dog's leash.  It was ridiculous.  I took my stupid crocs off, and walked barefoot.  Thankfully, this worked.  We kept walking, and soon came to the dirt trail I had been looking for.  I put my crocs back on and stepped onto the trail.I had walked about 10 steps when I saw a large sign warning me to watch for wildlife.  Ok.  I'm was already on high alert for snakes, but the sign put a new level of fear into my heart.  We kept walking.The trail is wet and piles of leaves are everywhere.  Leaf piles may seem harmless, but I know better.  A few years ago we were walking on a trail in October, and my young daughter was walking through the fallen leaves, kicking them as she went along.  It was so cute and fun...until a snake FLEW out of the leaves, slithering toward me.  I freaked out a bit.  And I've never forgotten how dangerous those piles can be.  My heart rate was steadily climbing, despite my cautious pace.The new storm was moving in quickly, and raindrops fell sporadically.  We kept walking. Every few steps I'd run into one invisible spider web after the other.  You know the kind?  I could never SEE them, but would FEEL them on my face, my arms, my neck, and sometimes in my hair.  It was so gross.  As a result, I began slapping and trying to brush away the web remains I could feel on my body.At this point, I was grateful no one else was around to see my spasmodic hokey-pokey walk.  My dog looked up at me every once in a while, confused at the constant jerking and pulling on her leash.  Ugh.  Sorry, girl.She pulled to the right, and I looked into the trees.  An opossum was running along the ground and my dog was DYING to chase it.  Nope.  No way.  I refused to take even one step into that scary forest.  I was Snow White, and I was DEFINITELY having a scary adventure.  The trees even started looking ominous.  Forget ominous...it was downright SCARY in there!  I started walking faster.I hear something fall from the sky and land nearby.  I look around.  A branch, maybe?  What's up there?  I don't see anything.  Then I hear a man whistling.  What the??  I twist around madly, searching for another person, but no one is there.  The whistling continues and I am pretty nervous.  Next, I hear a loud rustling off to my left.  A stifled scream escapes my lips as I whip around and see a robin fly away.  A ROBIN.It doesn't matter.  My heart is pounding so hard I can feel it in my ears.  I'm no longer walking, now I am walk-running.  I can still hear the whistler, but my speed is putting some distance between us.Finally, I turn a corner and see the paved path again.  Hooray!  We made it.  I got off that freaky dirt trail and didn't look back.  Instantly, I ran into people again.  Mothers pushing strollers filled with babies and old couples holding hands were everywhere.  Whew.The rest of the walk was nice and uneventful.  I did see a great egret and a rabbit, but no snakes and no more scary robins.  Ha!In hindsight, I have to giggle at my scary adventure.  What was happening in my brain to get me so worked up so quickly?  Snakes are scary, and my fear of them is genuine.  But a man whistling?I think I'll stop watching Dateline.