John B. Hall has been gored by a rhinoceros in Nepal, dodged rattlesnakes and bears in Montana and slept under the stars atop Mauna Loa during his lifetime as a dedicated hiker.

As a lad, Hall spent countless hours exploring the mountains of Colorado. His mother was from a small Iowa town; his dad from Columbus, Ohio. “;They met and married in Denver, where I was raised, and coming from relatively flat country, they were fascinated by the Rockies,”; Hall said.

“;We made several trips to the mountains, even when my sister and I were quite small. They were long, tedious journeys in those days, when most of the roads were still gravel.”;

During the summer months, the family would camp in the mountains. Hall recalled a summer on Maroon Lake, near Aspen. “;It was nearly a ghost town then, with six permanent residents,”; he said.

“;I came to love the mountains and hiking at a very young age, and have continued to do so ever since.”;

The stories of his hiking adventures are both fascinating and frightening - that angry rhinoceros in Nepal about 30 years ago, for example.

“;We had been cautioned not to leave camp without a native escort,”; Hall said. But only a few staff members spoke English and were often tied up in lengthy preparations. “;They would tell you to wait for an hour while they got the elephant ready, so most visitors simply ignored this rule and strolled along the river trails to view wildlife.”;

One early morning, he ventured out alone, coming upon a peaceful group of rhinos. He and another camper returned later to photograph the animals when they were spotted by a female rhino who was guarding her calf. They tried to hide behind a nearby bush, but it wasn't big enough for both of them, so Hall headed for a tree. “;When she came after me, she looked as large as a runaway semi-trailer truck,”; he said.

After some violent shoving, Hall said, the creature used her snout to toss him about. He felt like “;an ant in a dice cup.”; Later, she pressed her huge knees into his back and picked him up by his arm and leg, using her mouth. She finally left him alone.

A group of Nepali workers got him back to camp, and he was diagnosed with broken bones in his pelvis, seven broken ribs and internal bleeding.

Still, he was back on the trail as soon as possible, even choosing to explore the Tsavo National Parks in Kenya, on an 11-day, 100 mile walk.

His group was charged by hippos, startled by impalas, and got an up-close and personal view of baboons, giraffes and herds of zebras and elephants and even a group of 16 dozing lions, from just 20 feet away.

He's revisited many sites time and again, and says each return visit yields a unique experience.

The need to focus on basic survival, including securing food and water, forces a hiker to recognize the triviality of many worries of daily life, Hall explained. “;I always experience a few days of great tranquility after a hike like this. It is as if we had spent time in a religious retreat or in meditation, and have acquired a new and loftier perspective.”;