I was thinking a bit more about the myth of the Bridger Whale after leaving class today, because my friends and I never looked away from it, but saluted it both on the way up and on the way down from the mountain. So I thought a bit about it, to try to recall any misfortunes which may have befallen us whilst up at Bridger (keep in mind I did not ski Bridger last season), and I could not recall any involving me. Then I thought a bit more, and realized that last year at Bridger, a few of my friends who also salute the whale on the way up as well as the way back, did have a couple of very unfortunate incidents which occurred, almost certainly due to their malpractice of the whale ritual (because if it was just bad luck, or if the cause was scientifically explicable, it would not be as mythological). Last year, there were a pair of injuries which befell my friends on Bridger, the first being a torn ACL. See, this poor friend of mine was skiing along very nonchalantly when suddenly, his left ski dug in to the snow for no apparent reason, and he was twisted out of his binding (ejected) and that twisting and pulling damaged his knee for the rest of the season. He has not returned to Bridger since. The second was much stranger in nature (there was a scientific explanation for this one, but we'll ignore it).  A fine young gentleman of the age of 19 was standing patiently in the lift line, have a good ol' time with his friends, when suddenly, his body went stiff, and his ski gear rang rattling round him, as he fell to the ground. He began to convulse at which point it was apparent that he was having a seizure! a bloody seizure! And all due to this infernal whale! But one must understand that it is not the whale which causes these things, but rather the neglect of the whale; of its significance; of its mystery. By performing incorrectly that ritual which secures skiers a safe and merry day on the slopes, woe was brought upon my beloved friends, and they were laid low (but not killed as it would mean in The Iliad) by the power of the mighty whale. So, as it turns out, it seems that there is some credibility to the version of the story told in class today. At any rate, you won't catch me looking at the thing on the way back up anymore.