Most hikers don't think about plague before they head out. But according to the National Park Service, if you're hiking in the southern Rocky Mountains, Arizona, New Mexico, or parts of California, maybe you should.

Bubonic plague is still alive and well around the world, including in the U.S. Although only 10 to 15 people die of it per year in the U.S., according to the CDC, there's always a danger to hikers in an infected area. Plague is caused by a bacterium called Yersinia pestis. The bacteria are carried by fleas that bite rodents, cats, and humans. You can get bubonic plague if you're bitten by an infected animal, or, more rarely, if you breathe little drops of water infected with the bacteria.

Symptoms of bubonic plague start to show 2 to 6 days after infection. They can include fever, weakness or dizziness, chills, and swollen and painful lymph nodes. Called buboes, these can blacken as the disease progresses, explaining the name Black Plague and bubonic plague. Some people get pneumonia as a first symptom. The infection quickly spreads to the rest of the body. If an infected person isn't promptly treated with antibiotics, he can die.

You can avoid getting the plague by following a few tips. First, if a small animal like a prairie dog or a rabbit or bunny approaches you, don't pet it or go near it. Next, don't pick up dead animals. If you must move an animal's corpse, wear long sleeves and gloves and wash both your hands and the gloves with an anti-bacterial cleanser. Keep your campsite free of attractions to plague-carrying animals, such as piles of brush or rocks they could nest in, or left-over food or other garbage they could eat. Don't take your dog or cat with you, as they can become infected much more easily than you. If you must bring them along, check them for fleas frequently. Wear insect repellent yourself. Wear long pants or jeans to protect yourself, and high sturdy hiking boots to avoid animal bites.

(Sources: http://www.nps.gov/archive/waca/pphtml/subenvironmentalfactors10.html, http://www.nps.gov/wica/naturescience/resource-ramblings-july-2008.htm, http://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/yoursafety.htm,http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/plague/index.htm, http://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/diseases/plague.htm )

A few months before his untimely death, John Belushi co-starred with Blair Brown in the romantic comedy Continental Divide. Starting in the urban sprawl of Chicago before shifting to the Rocky Mountains, this film provides excellent examples of both Belushi's acting abilities and the grandeur of the Rockies.

Belushi plays Ernie Souchak, a hardboiled political reporter who goes after corrupt politicians like a lion chasing his prey. Unfortunately, Souchak gets on the wrong side of a crooked city councilman, whose henchmen promptly put him in the hospital. To keep him safe, the editor makes his top reporter load up his backpack for an out-of-town interview.

Souchak, a dedicated city dweller, is appalled after learning the subject of his interview, the reclusive naturalist Dr. Nell Porter (Brown). A woman who prefers the company of bald eagles to people, especially nosy reporters, Porter doesn't want the journalist hanging around, or interfering with her work.

In this remote mountain wilderness, however, Souchak and Porter finally reach an understanding after he is injured. Ernie comes to appreciate Nell's work and her understated beauty, while she finds that there's a decent guy under all that bluster. The two fall madly in love, just as Souchak has to head back to the Chicago skyscrapers and subways.

A romance set against a stunning Colorado backdrop, Continental Divide is the kind of film that will make you want to leave the city and head to the mountains. John Belushi and Blair Brown make an oddly believable couple, especially since the former "Saturday Night Live" star toned down his manic energy for the film. It's a real fish-out-of-water story, but Belushi makes it work.

The real star of this film is, however, the great outdoors. Countless films have been set in and around Chicago, but Colorado doesn't get as much exposure in comparison. The Nell Porter character lives in relative isolation, with only another mountain dweller for company, but she makes the mountain life look very desirable.