Lucy takes a hike

Maple Mountain trail

The day was damp and chilly, but at least it wasn't raining. Lucy was full of beans, and the other dogs needed a break from her.

Iza nice day, foster mama! Lets go fer a walk!

Pleeeeeeeease?

So I thought perhaps I would try taking her on the Wednesday Walk. I had stopped participating in these group hikes, as Charley and Sadie could no longer do the distance and I was finding the sheer number of dogs running around, not always responding to voice control, overwhelming. But it was going to be a small group - just four people and eight dogs, including Lucy and me.
So I piled her into the back of the van, behind the dog barrier, to take her to the meeting place.

Huh? Bars? This ain't my idea of a walk!

She was not impressed. When I momentarily got out of the vehicle to speak to the other walkers and determine our destination for the day, she either climbed over, under, or through the dog barrier and was in the driver's seat quicker than I could say "Where are we going today?". I took her out and tied her into the back, and then sat with her while we humans talked.....she strained and pulled and whined and simply wanted OUT OF THERE.

I don't like vehicles!

We decided on the Escarpment trail up the south east side of Maple Mountain. But when we got to the parking lot, it was clear that hiking with off leash, excited, tearing around and barking dogs was going to be far more stressful than either Lucy or I could handle. And so I piled her back into the van, and took her to a different trail - the old logging road up over the middle of the mountain. There, we had the whole area to ourselves. She was still highly anxious and spent most of the 90 minute hike with her ears flattened, anxiously sniffing the ground and jumping every few minutes at strange sounds only she could hear in the bush.

Ahm part hound dog!!!

Huh? Huh? Whazzat? Bear? Cougar? Sasquatch? Danger!

But hike we did. I swear that trail becomes steeper and steeper and steeper every time I hike it. We went up and up and up and up - something I had trouble capturing with the camera.

The road ahead

Given that we began just slightly above sea level, you can see from the views that we climbed a fair bit - and this was only half way up!

Views from Maple Mountain

Views from Maple Mountain (2)

We climbed some more, to the spot where the trail begins to wind down the other side (but where the trees hide any view), and then turned around to head home.

Lucy never did relax on the hike - any attempt to get a photo of her with a view as a backdrop resulted in this:

But it was still an enjoyable hike, with interesting things to see:

Curls of bark from a long-ago cut

Orange and black feathers from an animal kill

Tree so bent it seems rooted at both ends

When we got home, the first thing she did was throw up all over the carpet. Then she slept for the rest of the day.

I realized the day likely had involved too many anxiety-producing situations: first ride in the vehicle since I brought her home, first introduction to multiple excited dogs, first time on that particular trail, first time walking with me away from the village.

So....yesterday we went back to square one. Okay, square three. We went down to the seawalk, the beach, and the long flight of stairs.....all of which she handled like a pro.

Oxymorons and Metaphors

If a phrase that contradicts itself is an oxymoron, then a beautiful flower that stinks must be Mother Nature's version of that same concept. I thought about this on the walk to Crofton Lake yesterday, as I came across this beautiful scene, where the sun filters through the moss-covered trees and reflects in the water, spotlighting the beautiful yellow flowers:



And the beautiful flowers, Skunk Cabbage, smell like....well....skunks. An oxymoron in nature.




But that's not all. The people who go into the woods to enjoy nature add another level to the oxymoron:




And that brings me to metaphors:

We can focus on the smell, which though unpleasant, we can do little about. We can focus on the beauty of the flower, and appreciate the joy it brings. Or we can focus on the can that someone so carelessly tossed aside. All three are reality, but our reaction to the scene depends on our focus.

Kinda like my post of yesterday. Nature as a metaphor for animal rescue work. What you choose to focus on will influence your description and assessment of the subject.

We can pick up the can and take it home, leaving the place beautiful once more even if the unpleasant smell still remains. Metaphorical on so many levels.

Morning Meanderings and a Wednesday Walk

Seagulls take flight

I really should try to post every day - or at least every other day - instead of letting the photos and stories pile up. I took over 500 photos in the last four days. The weather has been so unstable that each moment brings new beauty - mist and rain and sun and cloud present fresh opportunities for yet more shots of ocean and sea walk and sky.

I finally used up all my free photo space on Blogger, so purchased (for the piggy-bank-breaking cost of about $5.00/year) 20,000 mb of space. In the two years I have been blogging, I've used up 1,000 mb, so I should now be able to continue blogging for another 40 years.

With spring in full swing, blossoms change every day and birds migrate through or nest or simply forage for feed in the ever-changing light. Our hike to Swallowfield, albeit muddy, was spring-like enough to enable us passage across the estuary to where the river and creeks flow into the sea, and where pools are formed in the backflow to provide safe swimming areas for water-loving dogs.


So.....from the past few days of morning meanderings and this week's Wednesday Walk, here's some of the sights and scenes of the beautiful Cowichan Valley:

As mentioned, the weather was variable. Thick fog on Tuesday hid Salt Spring Island from view at the start of our walk:

A misty perspective

Watching from the shore, I see the ferry emerge, phantom-like, from the fog. It seems strangely off-course, heading for the little private wharf instead of the ferry dock.

Phantom Ship

Soon the fog begins to lift:

Mist Rising

And twenty minutes later, the sun shines brightly and boats and piers and even birds are echoed in the smooth, dark waters:

Triangular reflections

Pier reflections

Ducky reflections

On another day, the sun melts frost on the seawalk, making it slippery yet beautiful as the water reflects sun:

Sunrise on a wet and frosty walkway

And yet another day, bright sunlight reflects off the metal handrail of the seawalk, turning black to gold, and dull to bright:

Sunlight on Seawalk

On that morning, we see an eagle perched in a tree above the seawalk - watching us closely as we wander by. I kept Oliver a little closer, though I suspect Sir Eagle decided Oli was just a bit too big to carry off for breakfast.

Eagle-eyed

The blossoms on salmon berry bushes (I think) along the walkway are open now,

Pink Blooms

And these cream-coloured blossoms are also fully out:

Blooms in a Blur

Blossoms also abound at Swallowfield. Though the bushes were barely in leaf, the ground at our feet reveals a myriad of colours:

Carpet of Blue

Lilies

Fancy daffodil

Late Blooming Crocus

And on the estuary, I spied this whole bank of flowering trees:

Trees in Bloom

The dogs enjoyed their Wednesday Walk - the water, the treats, the play with each other, and quiet time alone:

Doggy Beach Party

Everyone into the Pool!

Kabuki and Chi Ki

Flying Sticks and Eager Dogs

Even little Teddy, new to our group (though he came as a guest with Else once before), was brave enough to go swimming:

Teddy takes a dip

After the swim, time for a snack:

Treat time!

While others sit and contemplate:

Charley on Sand


Archie keeping watch

And a couple of final shots of the newest member of our dog-walking crew:

Teddy in Black and White

Teddy

It's been a very good week. Spring is here, the dogs are all well, there is no end to the goodness and beauty in my world.

Wednesday Walk

Heading up the trail

Today's hike is nicknamed "The Pond Walk" (for reasons which shall soon become obvious), though it is really the Maple Mountain end of the escarpment, which runs from Maple Bay to Duncan and provides both shady walks and, in some parts (though we didn't travel that section today), beautiful views.

We met, as usual, at Lito's Cafe where a new member, Donna, was introduced to us. The drive from Crofton to the escarpment takes only a few minutes, and soon the dogs were tumbling out of the cars greeting each other with joyous barks as they tore back and forth along the trailhead.

The dogs must have been saving up energy for the past several days, as the unusually unruly crew of 18 dogs managed to totally intimidate the newcomer and send her and her dog, Pebbles, running for the hills - or at least back to their car. Poor Pebbles, poor Donna - we shall introduce you to the motley crew in smaller numbers next time.

So, Pebbles and Donna homeward bound, the 18 remaining dogs and their six humans headed up the trail. That's UP the trail - we all agreed that the recent earthquakes that led to tsunami warnings for our island must have altered the mountain, making the trail much steeper and longer than we remembered.

A short distance in, we made our first stop - The Pond. I was tempted to call this post "Drew's Walk", because Drew was the number one camera hound today:

C'mon, throw the stick!

I got it! I got it!

Arrrghhhh......

Where'd it go?

Last one to the stick is a rotten dog!

And it's Drew by a nose....

I told ya I'd get it!

I luvs the water!

After a rousing game of "Fetch the Stick and Soak the People", we continued up the trail. Recent winds had brought down lots of deadfall, though some of the felling was by chainsaw not wind. We came across this interesting evidence of human hands at work - a wood carving? a dog house? - to which Drew soon laid claim.

What's in here?

NOW LISTEN UP.....

I'M the king of the castle!

Yes, sir!

Winter runoff and salmonberry blooms made for a picturesque walk:

Waterfall

Salmonberry blossoms

Up, up, up the trail some more until we reached today's turnaround point - a fork in the road where a large cairn is located. There, the dogs had their treats while the people caught their breath.

Snack time!

Of course, one dog's throw toy is another dog's snack:

Nom, nom, nom

Did I forget to put ketchup on this?

Oh ratz, it just don't taste the same wiv out ketchup!

Watching Drew and Jazzy was a treat:

Buddies

Just look at these faces!:

I wuv you

You okay, little buddy?

Jazzy

Serious face

Would ya get that camera outta mah face?!

Then back down the trail (thank goodness, downhill at last!), back to the cars and home for a well-deserved rest.

Homeward bound