Good one, Mark!!! Four and three quarter stars.
        When i was out in the Wierd Wired West this July (ie, California), i
had an opportunity to tackle a great trail in Yosemite - a truly
mind-blowing place, i must add! - 4 miles only, but almost 1000 feet
added height per mile. It was Switchback city, so on the way back, i
ignored the little sign at the top which sternly warned against leaving
the trail. This nice, innocent-looking path seemed to offer a shortcut
across several twists of the main route, so i boldy went where a bunch
of folks had gone before - but after a few hundred feet it dwindled away
and vanished amongst the incredibly tough little bushes with the red
bark they grow there, and the trail was nowhere in sight.  Next thing i
know, i am out on a ledge, 100 feet of nothing underfoot, a sheer cliff
overhead, hanging on by my fingertips - literally!!  It was then that i
espied the cutest little land snail, inbetween my hands.  Naturally, my
first impulse was to capture it, murder and evict the inhabitant of the
shell, and trade it to a Russian or something.  Luckily for that snail,
i was too petrified to even move for about 2 eternities (or 5 miniutes,
whichever came first!!), when i realized how close i was to going the
proverbial "just a little bit too far.....".  By the time i got my heart
of my throat and plotted a safe escape, the escape had become mutual.
Next time, i'll either pay attention to the little signs, or will go
with someone who knows the REAL shortcuts (and maybe even capture a
relative of that intrepid little mollusc)!!
From the not-so-cold North,
Ross.