My Hiking Companion

While I don't currently have a dog of my own, I get to watch two sweetie pies twice a week, Leche, a cream-colored Chow, and the Boarder-Collie/Spaniel mix, Chile Pepper. They live at the main house but are outside a lot and if they see that I'm going for a walk, they happily trot along. While Chile prefers finding her own path and going in whatever direction her nose leads her, Leche is more likely to walk several paces ahead or beside of me, periodically stopping to check and see if I am still close by.

This morning I got up early and after breakfast and "Facebooking", decided on a walk across the road to explore the neighborhood. Plans were changed when two wet nosed faces smiled at me from the hillside and beaconed  me to join them across the property. I gave in to their wishes. Was thrilled to see water actually flowing down the stream alongside this land, as it has been running dry since I got here. I followed Chile Pepper's meandering trail for a while, until the sagebrush became too thick, then I looked for Leche, who was a good 20 yards ahead, and decided on her path. She lead me all the way to the back of the land, to the  barbed-wire fence that marks the neighbors' property. Then we headed through the Juniper trees and up the hill. Leche, usually a few feet away and always looking back for me. She was patient when I needed to sit down and take a break several times before making it up to the top but  once I got there, I was greeted by the Westward vista of miles of Mesa, dotted by ancient volcanoes. After another rest, I pulled my body onward and upward, but noticed Leche's panting tongue.

While climbing up requires mental determination, the decent demands concentration. I slipped on the dry, rocky ground many times before I noticed Leche ahead, looking at me. She wisely decided that trotting sideways down the hill was a better decision than heading straight down. She was, essentially, making her own switchback trail. I followed her lead. Every 5 or 10 steps, Leche turned around and looked  for me, before walking again. I trusted her sure footing and before too long, we were back on level ground. Once we got to the house, Leche turned and smiled in her doggy fashion and headed in the direction of her water dish, having completed her morning constitutional, now it was time for a nice nap.