Why I hike

Henry Shukman wrote about a trip to the Grand Canyon and had this to say about his first view of the trail:

We only stayed an hour or two. But before we left, from the rim I saw a trail, pale as chalk, winding down a huge slope beneath a cliff. There’s something about a trail seen from far away. That thread snaking over the landscape — where does it go, who uses it, why does it seem so intimate with the land? And why does it arouse such an intense longing to follow it? An unknown path seems almost necessarily a metaphor. We like to conceive of life as a thread, after all, a path crossing unexpected terrain on its journey to another element. When the trail winds across empty desert, up and down huge hillsides — as in the Grand Canyon — it’s all the more insistently allegorical.

First Snowshoe

Met up with Diane for a quick snowshoe excursion in the Icehouse area. There was plenty of snow but it was only a few inches deep so we didn't really need to snowshoes. We used them anyway because it's just more fun that way.

We took a mellow trip at the Bassi Falls area down to the river and back along the river bank to the road.

Then we drove up to Loon Lake and ate lunch and gazed at the scenery. Commando had a great time playing in the snow. I tossed snowballs down the granite ledge and he happily caught them and chewed them to bits...then he pretended he couldn't find the snowball and wanted more.

It was an excellent day!

Loon Lake Hike

Tried to hike from the dam at LL to SL but there really isn't a trail on that side of the lake and I didn't make it.

We did explore the LL shoreline and became intimately familiar with the thick brush. At one point, I slid down a cliff using the brush as a brake.

I may still try to make it, but with better directions!

Commando Kicked out of Doggie Day Care

Poor Commando is a little too aggressive to be in doggie day care. I had taken him several times to a great place and even boarded him for a few days. Yesterday he got into two minor altercations with some dogs (no breaking of skin on either side) and was kicked out of day care. Sigh.

He's still a good dog, just need to make sure he and the other dog plays nicely.