Here, Kitty Kitty

During our final hike in Denali National Park, we did a trail which was known to have some muleshoe hares and lynxes.  We knew seeing wild cats is a very difficult thing, as they are very sly and agile.  There also are not very many of them, and Denali National Park has 6 million acres for them in which to roam.  It is unlikely to see one in the middle off the day, yet there are only 3 hours of darkness in Alaska in June so we had hope of seeing one out and about during the day.  We traversed the trail quietly and focused, intent on seeing a lynx.  As we went farther and farther with no sightings, I said under my breath, “Here, Kitty Kitty.”  It didn’t work.

We saw plenty of muleshoe hares during our bus trip in Denali, yet not while hiking on that trail.  And the only lynx we saw was taxidermied in the Visitor’s Center.  Yet the hunt was fun, and the silliness of saying “Here Kitty, Kitty” brought a smile to my face and joy to my heart.  

There is no shame in trying things that have rare odds.  And there is no shame in not meeting the goals for things that have rare odds.  One fun thing on vacation is to try things you usually cannot do, like pretending you are on the “hunt” for a wild carnivorous feline.  Getting a picture of an elusive lynx would have been amazing, yet just being together with my family in a beautiful natural park was pretty amazing on its own.  

Go try something new!  It may be more fun than you think, even if the odds of success are slim.