Good intentions - part 2.

Photo by: Tim Bindner Photography

I embarked on my first hike of the season this morning with my good friend Kristin and her two dogs Gambit and Mathis.  The intentions and plans were good, the outcome, not so much.

We met in the parking lot of Mt. St. Francis and I could tell immediately that the dogs were super excited.  I was not sure if it was me or they were excited to hike (I will assume it was me).  I grabbed my backpack and camera while Kristin unloaded the dogs from her car and I have quickly met with wagging tails and licking tongues.   I said my hello to Kristin and off we went.

As we passed the gait and headed down the familiar paved path towards the lake we saw three deer to our left staring right at us.  They were frozen like statues except for an occasional movement of their tails.  We had a brief staredown then the eventually scampered off and we resumed our path towards the lake.

I could already feel the change in my body that I can only get from nature.  It sounds strange but the tension and anxiety began to dissipate and I felt a sense of calm.  As we reached the lake and crossed the field toward the wooden bridge I watched Gambit pounce on every branch he saw or could reach and how he began his diet of acorns while Kristin said “quit eating those”, to no avail.  I noticed how such a familiar area to me can look so different to me when it is covered in a blanket of foliage.  I yearn for the falling leaves and changing color hues of red, orange and yellow that will soon dominate this area.

We traveled down trail 3 that hugged the edge of the pond.  I watched as Gambit’s internal instinct was to plunge into the water, but Kristin told him no and held him back.  I explained at that moment this is that area I saw a baby copperhead on one of my previous journeys.  We continued on and quickly I noticed Kristin in a mad dash being pulled by the dogs going after a chipmunk.  I grinned as she corralled them like I had seen cowboys in movies corral a team of wild horses on the loose.  She took that moment to break while I caught up and she explained “the chipmunk is gone.  No more”.  As we crossed the long wooden bridge I noticed the many weeks in our path as they engulfed the bridge.  It was like tiny fingers brushing against my ankles and calves and my immediate thoughts went to ticks.  Luckily this day I didn’t find any.

As we reached the other side of the lake we passed the bench and headed toward the next wooden bridge.  This bridge was also very low but had no side rails.  I told Gambit he didn’t want to get in this water as it reminds me of a Florida swamp, but at the moment I heard and saw a splash.  He was in.  Kristin allowed a few feet of play and then directed him back onto the walkway as we made it across to the other side.

I took the lead and we headed up our first hill.  This was a benchmark for me as there have been days I scaled this hill with my heart pounding so loud it took a while to calm down.  This hill also provided a lot of burning in my calves.  Neither happened today.  I must be in better shape than expected.  That made me smile.

The top of the hill left us with a choice.  Go left or go right.  I left the choice to Kristin who said: “I don’t care, let’s go left”.  We did.  Roughly 100 meters from the decision lay an unobtrusive hole in the ground.  Gambit was now back in the lead and he stuck his face in this hole.  Within milliseconds we all discovered this was a den for ground bees or yellow jackets and they are territorial.   These first hits were to Gambit’s eye, cheek and back.  The next was to my ear and Kristin’s shoulder.  We made a mad dash and they followed in pursuit.   As we ran Gambit was in pain and kept diving into the ground to rub his face.  This only allowed our attackers to lay more hits on us.  I got stung in the calf.  When we were in the clear Kristin stopped to check Gambits’ face and then was stung by a hornet in the back.  Ah, nature.

We gathered ourselves and continued for another mile.  As we crossed a stream, we took a few moments to let Mathis drink and Gambit drink as well as lay down in the stream.  His mood was very somber.  His normal happy attitude and wagging tail were now tucked under and he looked in pain.  Kristin and I shared some personal feelings about ourselves and this time allowed us to catch our breath.  I captured a few shots of the stream and bridge we had just crossed.

It was not long after that the concern grew for Gambit.  His eye was swelling shut and his cheek was also swelling so we decided to head back.  As we reached the car, Kristin quickly got the dogs in the car and raced them to the emergency room.  While I was unloading my pack a young girl commented: “I love your dogs”.  I explained that they were not mine, and what had happened.  She was visibly concerned and requested that I pass on her concerns to Kristin.  The good news is Gambit is okay.  He got a steroid shot and has to be on Benadryl for a few days, but we all survived.

As uncomfortable as the hike ended I was still thankful to be back out in nature.  I look forward to my weekly counseling session with nature and especially look forward to the changing of the leaves.  I will also not miss the bugs as winter approaches.  I was glad I got to spend so face to face time with my good friend, and as always we learn more about each other including ourselves each time we hit the trails.

Until next time,

Tim