In my younger days (way younger), I went backpacking with my Dad. We went to lakes in the mountains that were harder to get to; lakes where you wouldn’t find the average camping folks. We had to hike several miles to get to these lakes. It was glorious to be in the mountains, alongside a beautiful lake with trout jumping, birds singing…with no phones, no radios, no cars, no tv…and sometimes no people.

Normally, we wore long pants and long sleeves while hiking even if it was hot because it helped keep the mosquitoes off and kept us from getting sunburned. I didn’t mind wearing shorts around the campsite sometimes but that’s back when I was a teenager and had a decent figure!

Being a teenager (just 15 years old this particular trip) if I was going to wear shorts at any time at all, I was not going to be caught dead with unshaved armpits or legs! Every 2 days, it had to be done, regardless of the weather! So, one afternoon, I gathered up my shaving tools, my towel, soap, and shampoo and headed to a nice secluded place by the lake to take a bath.

There was a bit of a breeze this particular afternoon, and I thought nothing of it. First, I washed my hair. I brought along a large plastic bowl so I could scoop water and not pollute the lake with soap or shampoo when I rinsed. I managed to get my hair washed with no problem. Next, I washed the rest of me and was ready to shave my legs. It was starting to get a bit chilly with that breeze. Still, not thinking about the breeze or the goosebumps forming on my legs, I started to lather up so I could shave.

When I was finished shaving, to my shock and horror, I discovered I had shaved the teeny tiny tips of my goosebumps right off! I didn’t feel any pain at all until I rinsed my legs. I was mortified! My legs were bleeding and I looked like a million mosquitoes trapped me in the tent and had a feast on me! The stinging sensation had me yelling and frantically rinsing, trying to cool off the pain. How could I be so dumb? What did I think was going to happen when I raked that damn razor over those goosebumps?

Obviously, I wasn’t thinking.