After church yesterday Wendy, Maddie Belle and I thought it would be nice to go for a hike. We chose the mountains south of Burley that we get to stare at through the windows of our home.
Did you know that the hike to Independence lake is 4 miles long and ascends 1200 feet in elevation? Did you know that the last 1/4 mile still has snow. Neither did I. But, now I do.
We actually had a wonderful experience. It was nice to be with 2 of my favorite girls. Maddie did so awesome! She literally didn't complain one time. That is, during the hike. The drive up the mountain on the other hand caused her to burry her head in the seat of the truck and have a near nervous breakdown. That girl does not like heights.
We arrived safely at the trail head and felt energetic about our "little" hike. The weather was perfect. The smells brought back old memories while creating new ones. The birds sang to us the entire time. The snow melt runoff created many little streams adding to the scene perfectly.
Did I mention that my legs were sore from Saturday's activity of building a gazebo? Well, at this point I would happily welcome back the gazebo pain. My shins do not like me right now.
As we finally got to the top and caught view of the lake we immediately heard a distressed dog. We seem to be an easy target to for such animals. This one was very cute and had big personality. It took time to locate it. It was shivering and was visibly troubled. My immediate thought was that something may have happened to it's owner. Why else would an obviously loved dog be running around a mountain lake at 9,000 feet elevation unless something was wrong? So, I followed him after counseling the girls to stay put. He led me along the lake's outlet where I saw multiple human footprints going one way. The dog tracks however were both ways and showed evidence that this canine had been running up and down the trail many many times in search of it's owners. So I don't give off the impression that I am some talented tracker let me clarify that the ground is mostly covered in snow still.
After calling out for some time to potentially injured hikers with no response I decided I better get back to the girls. My new friend wasn't about to let me out of his sight. As we hiked the trail down I continued whistling and calling out. After awhile I thought I heard something so I had the girls stop and listen with me. As soon as the shuffle of our feet was no longer impeding other sounds we heard a single shot from a gun. Many thoughts ran through my mind. I thought my original assessment that someone was hurt might be more likely and that the injured dog owner was trying to call for help. So, I called out. This time there was a response. I walked toward the voice and got close enough that communication could occur even without visual aid. I asked, "Are you alright?" A man responded, "Yes, I am just looking for my dog". Moments later we learned what each other looked like.
It was obvious that this was his dog. For a little dog our new friend has a sufficient supply of energy and is able to jump curiously high. Our new friend's master explained that they were seperated when a squirrel became more interesting than their hike. The man explained that his wife and kids were heading down the trail and that he needed to catch up to them. It was a very satisfying feeling to know we had a little to do with their reunion.
The rest of our hike was enjoyable. Especially, due to it being down hill. As we got close to the trail head we found 3 nice rocks next to a mountain stream to rest on. As we soaked in the last few moments of our trip I took Wendy's shoes off and washed the trail dust from her feet. We were finally ready to end our excursion and walked the last few hundred yards to the parking lot. Little did we know we were to be greeted.
A cute girl just older than Maddie Belle and her little brother approached us. The girl was smothering her dog with hugs and kisses as she greeted us. It was obvious that this little dog meant a lot to her. She genuinely said, "Thank you for finding my dog". We had a good visit and as they walked away she repeated, "Thank you, thank you, thank you".
I appreciate the special circumstances and the memories created for my own little girl. What a wonderful thing to have such experiences.
