Note to self: What I think is funny might frighten people I’ve just met

We were planning the hike for the Sunday after the conference. I was chatting with a number of fellow hikers. We were strategizing over lunch on which beautiful location might be the best, and for how long. It seems like one of the cool things about hiking in Italy is that many hikes are planned to hike to a hotel or restaurant in the woods, have some lunch then hike back. There was even one hike (that we didn’t choose) that’s actually to a setting where there is a concert, right out in the middle of the woods. Like the little nymphs and fairies are waiting to play us a show or something.

So our little group was getting along quite well, the conversation was relaxed and amiable. One of the people in the group wanted to know what else we should bring: water, sunscreen, snacks, etc. The leader of our hike said yes, snacks are good – if for some reason we don’t make it to our destination and have to turn back then having something to eat might be a could idea. I also observed that this might be helpful so as to prevent us from having to turn to cannibalism. My comment was met with some strange looks. This was my attempt at humor, but I think that maybe you need to make connections with people that have lasted longer that 20 minutes before you can start joking about eating one another’s flesh.