Good Morning & Bears

Shyla and I have not practiced "tricks" almost all summer because we've done agility instead. However, our agility course has been "snowed in" for the past week so we've been back to tricks!

Shyla waved good morning to everyone at sunrise today. These are three rapidfire photos of her wave!

After her "good morning" wave, we headed up high to survey the mountains. Winter has arrived there!

With winter taking hold, it's not surprising that I am not getting many photos or videos of our bears these days. However, the other day, I rode to a trail camera that is waaaay out in the hinterlands, and I discovered some new bear video! In late September, Cinnamom and her cubs passed a spring where they used to wallow in the hot weather.

For contrast, I first included a clip from mid-August, when the cubs looked little. Then, I added the clip from a month later. The first bear to appear in that clip looked like an adult to me, until Cinnamom appeared in the video. The cubs have grown immensely but they're still small compared to their mother!

Also, notice the weary gait of Cinnamom as she leaves the spring. I think she's getting sleepy!

You can watch the video here or at Youtube.

The cubs will den with Cinnamom this winter, nursing throughout the winter. They'll emerge from the den as a family, staying together until the start of bear mating season in May-June. I hope we see them all together again before family breakup!

We all shine on, like the moon, and the stars, and the sun...

Our friend Pip, who bid us a sad farewell yesterday, shared a wonderful quote by John Lennon. "Yeah, we all shine on, like the moon, and the stars, and the sun".

I thought of Pip this morning when Shyla and I saw the moon set over the Rocky Mountains (look to the far left of the photo). Pip was a bright shining star on this earth, and we will miss him.

Having bid K farewell last year, I also read the quote in another way. "Yeah, we all shine on...". Those words also fit what happens to those of us who are left behind. Eventually, our spirits shine again.

And, we see the spirit of our departed loved one shining from souls of the new loved ones in our lives. Somehow, although I could barely smile for months after K died, now I smile whenever I look at Shyla. And, I see a bit of K's spirit in her eyes. Of course, Shyla's own unique spirit shines through too. I love all of it.

This was at sunrise this morning.

Just like K used to do, Shyla now seeks eye contact with me. She isn't afraid to look me straight in the eyes, and I love that.

I've learned what different looks from Shyla mean. Her expression in the next photo means that she wants permission to run around. I told her to "go play".

And she was off to romp.

We do "all shine on", although it can take a long time after bidding a loved one farewell before we realize that our spirits are shining again.

Pip left us with a poignant message. We do "all shine on" if our hearts are open to loving again.

Serene Sunday

A pretty sunset yesterday evening told us that another storm was moving our way.

I pushed that out of my mind and enjoyed it despite the freezing wind blowing off the mountains.

This morning dawned cloudy and the air felt full of snow.

However, while Shyla and I were out on the trails, the clouds opened up a few times and let the sun shine on us. One of the things that I worked on with Shyla from Day One was sitting at a distance (a useful skill when a dog is off-leash). In this photo, I saw the sunshine, and I asked her to sit.

This was another flash of sunshine, about a half hour later. I love sunshine!

Later, I rode my bike solo on snow-covered trails that rarely attract hunters. Some of the trails were like gold and red carpets of aspen leaves.

Then, it started to snow, and each flake melted when it hit an aspen leaf. Now the trails were glittering carpets of aspen leaves.

My motto for the day was "seize the sunshine". I'm glad I did because now it's snowing hard, again. The Duo will enjoy their evening hike because they adore snow!

Days of Orange

Today was the start of "orange" season because the main rifle season for deer and elk opened. Our whole family wears blaze orange when we head out onto the trails these days.

 

During hunting season, there are certain areas that I avoid altogether because they tend to attract the hunters who I don't trust. With Shyla, I stay close to home.

Fortunately, after many years of watching the patterns of where the hunting is the most intense, I have a decent idea of where I can find solitude even during rifle season.

I'm still enjoying the juxtaposition of the remaining golden aspen leaves and snow! When I look toward the sky, it still looks like full-on autumn.

But, when I take a wider view, the snow glitters and Shyla shines among the leaves.

Although Shyla and I avoided any hunter-encounters today, we did run into our friends, the nine off-leash dogs who run with their human. This group has been a source of terror for Shyla simply due to the large number of dogs. Until today, I didn't see any improvement in Shyla's reaction to this particular pack, even though Shyla has come to like other people and dogs on the trails. However, today, I saw a really huge step forward in her demeanor while we interacted with them.

They surprised us as they came over a rise in the trail so Shyla froze in the midst of them. In the past, Shyla has been so afraid that she couldn't move, even as I tried to lead her away from them to give her some space. Today, when I gently tugged her collar to pull her further away from the group, she surprised me by walking away with me! Believe it or not, being capable of walking in the presence of this pack was a big accomplishment.

Then, the owner asked me whether she should leave immediately or stay to let Shyla get used to them. I chose having this nice person and her dogs stay nearby briefly. The owner and I talked while I fed Shyla treats (another first - Shyla was willing to eat treats in their presence!). After a minute or two, Shyla's ears were forward, she was looking interested in the scene, and she started wagging her tail! The other owner and I decided that was a great moment to end the interaction - so she and her dogs ran in the opposite direction with Shyla looking happily at me.

What a difference! I recently read a post (I can't remember where) that said that patience was the most important factor in a successful integration of a new dog into a family. I can see that now. There are no quick fixes for some things but time and consistency will work wonders.

After riding with Shyla, I went out to enjoy the world a bit more. I focused on the leaves, because their time hanging on the trees is running out!

They're falling fast.

I also found the tracks of a big bear! The bear sauntered through the snow, leaving melted out paw prints. Seeing bear tracks tells me that a few of my favorite animals are still awake. My fingers are crossed to get some trail camera photos of them!

A Surprise

This view from our bedroom this morning was the start of the surprise!

It was truly cold when we first started our snowbike ride. It looked like winter in terms of the bluish light.

Soon, though, the sun started shining and the day started looking like a snowy autumn day rather than a wintery day!

Due to the warmth of the sun, the snow started showering out of the trees onto unsuspecting pups!

"How did I get this powder all over me?", Shyla seemed to ask.

Although the first day of true snow is always bittersweet, we had lots of fun on the trails. I rode my Fat Bike, which will have a shock-absorbing fork installed on it next week! I ordered the first one on the market - and my neck will really appreciate it.

Because it's only October, I know that his round of snow will melt, and we'll have dirt trails again before true winter sets in.

Shyla loves snow - that much is for sure! She was full of enthusiasm today!

Happy Winter, I guess!

Darkness, then Light

Over the past few days, there's been a palpable change in our world. Winter is threatening to overcome autumn and dominate.

It feels like the days of glowing leaves surrounding Shyla are over until next year. I hope that we get a few more this year but I am not optimistic.

For other reasons, my state of mind hasn't been the best either. My neck, which already has a 3 level surgical fusion, is threatening to need another surgery and has been causing me unrelenting arm pain for months. Whenever I reduce the pain meds, the pain grabs my shoulder and squeezes so hard that I could scream. It's frustrating because the last thing I want is another surgery and long recovery. I'm trying "conservative" management but my PT wants me to talk with my surgeon too.

Given this background, I was surprised to feel how my mood lifted over the course of Shyla's and my mountain bike ride this morning. The world seemed to transform as we climbed up toward the clouds in our hills.

As I snapped this photo at the start of our ride, I thought - "that dark sky represents how I feel".

Then, I pedaled and Shyla ran upward through a pine forest. I noticed the sun starting to shine from behind me. Then, I saw Shyla partially glowing in the sunlight but still with shadows on her face.

By the time we summited Hug Hill, the sun was above the cloud bank, and the world looked cheery. When I gazed at the clouds, they had a rainbow in them from the sun behind them.

After hanging out on Hug Hill, we checked a wildlife camera. We had been mooned by a cow elk. I laughed out loud!

It felt to me like the "journey" of our mountain bike ride was telling me not to let the darkness win. When Shyla gazes in my eyes with a beseeching look like she did yesterday, I know that the darkness can never win.

Wordless Wednesday

The Cracker Dog Returns

Shyla is my regular mountain biking partner so she gets the spotlight most of the time in this blog.

R normally runs with The Runner on the trails so I don't get so many photos of him, nor do I get to spend as much fun time with him.

But, he's an incredibly sweet dog who I love to spend time with.

This morning, after Shyla and I had ventured out into the snowy and very cold world, the Runner requested that I take R for some mountain biking because their run had been shorter than usual. Shyla was content to snooze while R and I were out because she'd already run off her energy.

It's rare that I get to take R mountain biking because R was born with elbow dysplasia. He had surgery for it as a youngster but the vets say that his elbow will inevitably get arthritis and will eventually need another surgery to "clean out" the joint space. That surgery may not be too far off because R seems to get sore more often now than a year ago. Because R is the Runner's best buddy, I try not to wear out his elbow on any extra running with me.

But, this morning, I was given a free ticket for running time with R! He started out as the serious big brother who we've all come to know recently.

But then, he cut loose and acted like the Cracker Dog who we knew for so many years!

Welcome back, Cracker Dog R! We love you.

Lost, then found

Today was a classic fall wake-up call telling us that winter is almost here. It was in clanging contrast to the warm and sunny day that we had yesteday. For most of yesterday, the deep blue sky with golden aspen leaves against it mesmerized me.

Yesterday, I had the chance to take a photo of the Labraduo together, in the sunshine with aspen leaves behind them. First they looked right.

Then, in unison, they swiveled their heads the other way, as if an amazing scent wafted from their left.

As I mentioned yesteday, the day captivated me, and the incredible beauty of our world "forced" me to do more than usual. I actually didn't tell the whole story, because it was a little too fresh and unprocessed in my mind. On my solo mountain bike ride, I went to explore a network of trails that I visit a couple of times a year, but this was the first time this year. It was going to be an easy ride. I'd spin around those fun trails and then spin home.

Unfortunately, the unmarked trails had been changed fairly dramatically, with lots of new extensions forging off in various directions. I followed several of them, all of which were steeply downhill, before realizing that I was going the wrong way. Then, I'd have to laboriously pedal back up the very long hills, while trying to suppress my coughing spasms. Eventually, I realized that I'd been riding for much too long given my illness and pain so I decided to use a "bail out" off-trail route that I've employed in the past.

Well, I got disoriented during my bail out. I had a GPS with me, and I pulled up the topo map on the screen with a little red line that showed all my movements. It became clear that I'd done the classic "lost person's spiral", going in circles while I was disoriented.

I forced myself to stop and think. I stared at my GPS, and my illness-addled brain managed to interpret the map so that I could point in the general direction that I wanted to go. From the GPS and looking around me, I even had some idea of what route would be the least steep. Then, I climbed up on a rocky outcropping that had a good view, and the panorama of the mountains on the horizon confirmed my impressions from the GPS.

So, I headed northeast and looked for familiar markings on my off-trail route. Soon, I was in the groove - I'd found my familiar bail-out route, and I descended it happily. I still had a technical and rocky trail to ride across to get home. But, I made it, albeit with a fair bit of coughing.

The moral of the story is that it's best to sit still and make a plan when you feel lost. Otherwise, you're likely to wander in circles, wasting energy (especially if you have no sense of direction, like me). I'm glad that I sat still to make a plan yesterday!

Today would've been a far worse day to be lost. It is cold with wet snow falling periodically. This morning, as Shyla and I did our daily ride, it was thundering and snowing at the same time! That's a rarity!

While I didn't love the weather this morning, Shyla seemed to adore it, running around like a crazy dog! She loves the cold.

Later, I went to visit the "bear spring" trail camera where the mothers and cubs have often cavorted this season. No bears have been there in quite a while but I did get some fun bobcat photos that I'll share very soon.

Here's what the surface of the puddle formed by the spring looks like. Yes, the aspen leaves are falling. They're so thick on top of the puddle that it's hard to tell that there's water under them.

Despite the bad weather, I've taken it relatively easy so far today. I am really hoping that helps with my cough and my neck. I'm sitting by the fire now. It feels like winter.