2 Years After Hiking With Dogs, Mother Nature Finally Hit Us

The temperature was a very nice 54°(F) and Tambi even enjoyed it...






About 1:00pm the sky started drizzling without clouds above. So I took the opportunity to put on Bubba's newly crafted raincoat (a harrise exclusive)...


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Now I'm not known to be hip to anything bird, but it was weird to me that these turds lived in little burrows in the ground. They were relentless in the way the taunted the dogs, but at least it kept them in one general area...




Sioux was being so good, I probably could have let him roam around off lead. But the jerks with their "well behaved" off leash dogs dashing towards us all morning only strengthened my on leash resolve.


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To keep the dogs near the campsite, I tied their long leads to big rocks. It was soon apparent that my system had a flaw...








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The cloudless drizzle had turned to rain and gathering clouds by 1:30pm...








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After an hour and a half of sitting out the rain, we caught a break and everyone took a nap while I watched the site and my mom went to get firewood. During this time I lapsed in my responsibilities and fell asleep on the ground with the sled heads. I was in between them in this pic, with my feet towards Ridik, and my head towards Coco...


In the end, things just went sour as the evening turned to night. The two remaining parties to our camp arrived at 7:30pm and the rain started again the instant we started the fire. Six people crammed into a 12' x 12' canopy with wind gusts that must have been 40+ MPH. Luckily we were setup before the weather chaos ensued. People started arriving at sunset to setup camp for an early start to the hike. They were rewarded with their tents and many belongings being viciously ripped off the mountain side by wind. It really was quite sad.

The sleep overnight really wasn't too bad even though it was barely over 30°(F) with wind and rain. I had to shed layers and sleep in a tee shirt and shorts because of the sled dog space heaters placed around me. The alarm went off at 4:45am and I took a peek outside to judge the prospects of a hike. It wasn't promising. The clouds had stuck on the peaks during the night and left a trace of snow up top. Wisps of snow at the summit showed a fierce gust was in store. I'm not the type that climbs a mountain to climb a mountain. I want to get there and enjoy the view with a nice glass of wine. The last thing I want to do is fight my way up a snowy trail packed with weekend hikers and their OFF LEASH DOGS (explicitly forbidden by all trailhead signs). We made the call to abandon the trip and head home. I was already aggravated by the head check at 4:45, and the inconsiderate dolts with their off leash dogs cracked me good. There were a few people who had their hikes start with a direct and purposely antagonizing confrontation from yours truly. WHO THE HELL IN THEIR RIGHT MIND LETS THEIR UNLEASHED DOG RUN 50 YARDS AWAY TO GREET A PACK OF LEASHED 100 POUND DOGS?!?!?!?!? [/endrant]

Here's the last photos taken, after that it was all about the wine and whiskey while trying to keep dry. We still have at least two more major overnight trips planned with day drives to hikes in between. So stay tuned for our next outing.



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Fin.

Well, I'm certainly glad you all enjoy our fun filled outings. Because we have just confirmed this week's escapade. Eventually my mountain pics will get olde...


Weather is looking good, but as always my fingers are crossed.