Cattle Crossing

Cows are everywhere in Switzerland, even on the mountains. They kept to themselves most of the time, but for some reason the herd along the Mountain View trail wanted to get all up-close-and-personal when my hike cut through their pasture. I noticed several of the animals had stopped grazing and were staring at me intently, so I verbally reassured them that I was just passing through. As a friend to all cows, I implored them not to squash me with their massive beefiness. However, as I skirted cautiously around the herd, two of the hefty animals began meandering towards me. I veered off the trail and powerwalked directly up the mountain, hoping the incline would deter them; but these were no ordinary cows. To my surprise, not only were they following me, but they too had picked up the pace: first to a saunter, then a brisk trot, and then a full-fledged run... straight at me! By this point, I stopped pretending to play it cool and frantically dashed across the mountain, with the two cows still in hot pursuit. Never have I witnessed such bovine agility! Luckily, my years of trail running paid off, and I eventually made it safely over a fence. I don’t know what would have happened if these deranged heifers caught up with me, but I’m glad I didn’t have to find out!