I started up Sunset Mountain and noticed an older man get out of his car, shoulder a very big pack and, leaning into his hiking sticks, head up Cherokee, a steep road, at a good clip. I’d seen him many times over the years, always with the backpack. By the time I made up my mind to speak to him, he was gone. I walked up a different, more wandering way, but caught up with him in the last steep stretches. I introduced myself. He said his name was Danny, said he’d been hiking up Sunset and other area mountains for 24 years. Said he used to be a ranger in Glacier National Park, that he and his partner had moved to Asheville years ago to care for her mother. I told him that he was impressive and he said in a resigned voice, “I do what I can.” At the top we headed in different directions, but not before he said, “Be careful of the crazy bear.” As I headed down Blue Briar Lane, I kept a lookout for the crazy bear, but mostly thought about Danny and how beautifully human people can be.