Buddy seemed elated to be (once again) out on the road where so many new scents are just waiting to be discovered--I wonder how the world is interpreted through a dog's olfactory system. Anyway, about 20 miles and we made it to our first spot, a BLM site called Roza Recreational Park. The camping was free and the area was clean and beautiful. I began by locating fire wood, a resource which was abundantly available quite nearby, while Buddy's priority (as always) was locating something interesting to eat. He scavenged for a while and eventually found what looked like the knee joint of a deer. We stayed up late around the fire, feasting upon donuts and drinking pine needle tea. The breeze brought to our ears the morose call of an old owl; every hoot seemed to bemoan its nocturnal lot.
The next day we went two miles further up the canyon to Big Pines BLM Recreation Area. This was a more spacious place with much larger pines under which to pitch tent. Again, the place was well-kept and rivaled any state park I've yet visited. On the eastern slope, a trail winds up between a ravine and goes quite high to the top of the canyon wall. Buddy brimmed with alacrity for the hike, stopping and pointing in a ridged fashion each time he encountered a new animal. He spotted a group of White Tail far before I ever laid eyes on them. That night the wind blew fiercely and saw the sides of the tent kiss the ground more than once. Buddy did well to stay calm, though later in the night, some obnoxious yelping from a pack of coyotes caused him to become a bit restless.
We broke camp around 6 am and made a quick 7 hour return to Yakima. Buddy hardly required a leash the whole time and stayed precisely where I want him to walk: just beyond the shoulder of the highway. I could see that my dog was worn out, so I left him at his place with a big bowl of kibble.
The big hike is fast approaching. But I'm becoming increasingly confident in Buddy's ability to handle it.
No comments:
Post a Comment