The Journey

I've realized that the next couple of weeks are going to be very busy, with little time for posting. In addition, I finally have a new computer but I have a lot to learn before I'll be up to speed with it. I have a backlog of fun wildlife footage that I will finally be able to collate into videos and share with you!

So, I'll probably have a few short posts in the coming couple of weeks - so please don't be surprised when I'm not on my usual posting schedule. I promise that I'll be back to normal before too long.

Today, I'll share a little bit more about the mountain escape that Shyla and I made earlier this week, hiking up the Continental Divide on a perfect summer day. The wildflowers were sublime, the air was warm, and we were happy!

I think that my favorite thing about the high mountains is that they give me perspective. The towering peaks remind me that we are specks in the universe.

The high mountains also give me perspective on the passage of time. I get all the way up to the Continental Divide only in the summertime. Consequently, it is frequently true that a year has gone by since the last time I visited a certain spot in the mountains. It makes me wonder how many more visits my life will allow, but that thought is too somber to contemplate now.

On this past hike, I was thinking of how much Shyla has changed in the past two years. Literally, by the month, I am seeing her blossom. When she's in the mountain environment, she now views most strangers as potential friends. She wags when people look at her and does a good job of "reading" whether someone wants to meet her or not. If they do want to meet her, she wiggles her whole body with happiness as she gently greets the person.

And, she's not afraid of hiking poles anymore!!! On our first alpine hike together almost 2 years ago, she repeatedly attempted to pull me off the side of a mountain to escape passing hikers who were using hiking poles. The other day, she walked past hikers with poles with no signs of fear. Wow!

I'm so proud of my girl, and I feel so lucky to be part of her transformation. When I first met her, her fears scared me because I didn't know if I'd be capable of helping her to live a happy life. I now have no doubt that she's a very happy dog. She'll always be more sensitive and prone to fear than any dog I've ever had in my life - but I now know that we can cope with almost anything together.