You Don't Have to Try to Kill Me to Break Up With Me! (Lake Serene 1986)

I was hot and cranky after hiking straight up
the face of a root covered cliff for two hours.
Just image climbing straight up a ladder for
1,500 feet which has been coated with WD 40.
I looked down at the rock-slide surrounded lake
and was not impressed. The jagged rock-slide look
has never been my favorite.
What was that noise? A helicopter rose from the
edge of the lake below the narrow cliff-side trail
and my mouth dropped opened as I saw the body-basket
dangling beneath it.
I sat on on the sharp rocks and dangled my feet off
the trail and put my arms out for my tiny black
skipperkey dog Susie. Terry handed her over and
I cuddled her and said good-bye to her.
I knew I would not survive the waterfall-mist
slick root ladder backwards descending to the trail head.
Miraculously we made it down at sunset and I stomped
ahead of Terry along the logging road.
Smoke poured out of my ears I was so angry.
He caught up to me and said, "I'm sorry Gretel,
please speak to me. I didn't know it would be so dangerous."
I just glared at he until my rage boiled over
and I shouted, "You don't have to try to kill me
to break up with me!"
I didn't speak to him for two months.
When I finally forgave him because I got hungry
and he coaxed me into going to Ming Palace
he kept apologizing.
A few weeks later he came to my tiny cinder-block
apartment with his hiking book and was looking for
our next hike. As he sat on the couch with the book
he said, "Listen to this: 'Lake Serene hike was closed
after several deaths and is schedule to reopen in the future."