Tag Archives: hiking with dog

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H-I-K-E

You know those words you have to spell out, or chaos will ensue?

T-R-E-A-T.  R-I-D-E.  W-A-L-K.

With my pack, there’s one more: H-I-K-E.  I only dare whisper it when ready to head outside.

Of course, my dogs are on the lookout for clues too. Water bottles, leashes, collapsible water bowl, scrunched-up plastic grocery bags. Add in the tell-tale doggie backpack and tennis shoes on my feet, and their suspicions are confirmed. Game on! The excited whining and yelping won’t end until we’re heading down the road.

I live on the bench of the Wasatch Front, a north-south range of the Rocky Mountains. So, we head to Millcreek Canyon, the one dog friendly canyon within easy driving distance. (Most canyons are closed to dogs to protect watersheds.)

Odd days are off-leash days. These are a favorite, especially for my hiking buddy extraordinaire: Elvis, a youngish 105-lb natural-eared Doberman with energy to spare. He’s a joy to watch on the trails. He races ahead, ears flopping. Then, losing sight of us on a turn, runs back to ensure we’re still in his wake. I continue at my meandering pace, as he flies back and forth.

With his backpack, other hikers find him more approachable. Otherwise, they sidestep him, not knowing what a big friendly galoot he is. Inevitably, I hear jokes about him carrying my load but all in good fun. He does carry his own water, though, and T-R-E-A-T-S, and those handy-dandy grocery bags for pick up along the way (gotta love that he carries out his own bags).

Buzz, my twelve-year-old beagle, tags along on short, minimal incline trails now. His speed is walking in the neighborhood, preferably less than a mile. Cinnamon, a poodle mix, goes at my pace, happy to be at my side.

We hike in all seasons. In spring, with the snow melt, Elvis splashes in the cold creeks racing down the gullies. Plants are greening and birds are singing. In summer, wildflowers dot the hillsides, lavender lupine and larkspur, snow white columbine, and deep pink Indian paintbrush.  Come autumn, the golden quaking aspens and cottonwoods and red-orange mountain maples are set off by the evergreens. Then winter again, a white wonderland.

And always breath-taking panoramic views.

So many reasons to get outside. But, the dogs don’t care why. They just care about when, and the sooner the better, today and every day. Oh, is that a backpack they see? Let the chaos begin.

H-I-K-E~Dog Fancy~June 2011

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“H-I-K-E” appeared in the June 2011 issue of Dog Fancy.

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Spring, Horror, and Puppy Dog Tales

Goslings

Spring is on my mind. Yesterday, while cycling, I heard frog song and saw newborn long-lashed calves and a waddling squadron of goslings. A Facebook friend reported sightings of tulips pushing up through the ground. Today, the clocks sprung forward, although early morning light already brightens the bedroom, luring me from my comfy cocoon.

So inspired, I recently wrote a short story about spring. A pond frog goes ashore to experience spring on land. “Pond Frog & Robin,” a picture book story (ages 4-8), is written in the vein of “Blue Bear & Snow Toad” but without the rhyme.

I have notes for summer and autumn versions too. But, now, with frog song in my head, a celebration of spring is due.

Here’s an excerpt:

The pond ice melted, and the sun warmed the water again. Soon, fish ripples circled across the top.

In the reeds, from little jelly eggs, fat black tadpoles emerged. They grew and grew, and their tails shrunk. Four legs appeared. Then their skin turned a shade of green, and bulbous eyes popped out on their heads.

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While I’d love to present myself as a children’s writer, I dabble in other genres too.

Would you believe horror? Oddly, I don’t like being scared. “Jaws” disturbed me for years, and I freaked watching “The Village, ” throwing the bucket of popcorn into the air. But, that’s the movies.

I find the literary genre compelling for exploring the abstracts of good and evil and the many grays in between. Supernatural characters just take it to another level, but beware: monsters can also be humane and, inversely, humans can be monstrous.

(And you thought I just liked froggies and daffodils.)

Anyhow, in this genre, I have a flash fiction piece coming out next week (March 20) in The Crimson Pact. This anthology features 26 stories, including one from fantasy superstar, Larry Correia, a NY Times bestselling author. A wonderful selection of interesting, well-told stories, ultimately united by the over-arching idea that demons have been unleashed upon the universe.

My flash, “Inside Monastic Walls,” is set in Greece at one of the monasteries atop the otherworldly Meteora.  It’s a showdown when a demon arrives on the scene. I won’t tell you who wins.

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Just to mix it up, I have a couple more recent pieces intended for a general audience. The June 2011 issue of “Dog Fancy” will feature a narrative about hiking with my dogs, complete with one of my photos. A follow-up article on dog hiking supplies has an ETA of sometime this fall.

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I’d love to tell you about the novel and hiking guide in progress, but spring is calling me. Clear, blue skies. Budding aspens. Cabin-feverish dogs.  A lonely bike hanging from a rafter.

I’m getting my butt out of this chair.