C’mon Mud! There’s nothing to be afraid of. This will be fun. The water won’t hurt you. Then I let out a yelp as both of my feet fall into the cold stream.
This past weekend Muddy took his first hike. We went to the Tucquan Glen Loop Trail.
https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/tucquan-glen-loop-trail–44?p=19962259
It started with crossing a small creek on a log. He was not into it at all. This little guy does not like water yet. It’s something we will have to work on. So, I had to pick him up and carry him across. He was a little squirmy which threw off my balance. I stepped off the log and got both feet right into the cold December water. All I could do was laugh as I started off the hike with two wet sloshing shoes. Muddy was nice and dry as he looked back at me with a furrowed skeptical brow.
He made sure to stay away from the stream. There were so many new smells and sights in the winter woods. It was surprisingly quiet. Maybe the animals knew it was hunting season and were laying low. At first Muddy wanted to follow every scent he came across which got his leash wrapped around trees and tangled in brush.
The more we hiked, he began to learn to stay on trail. He would pause to take in the wild environment. He did well on the rocks and logs as the trail would get tougher from time to time.
We even saw a few waterfalls. He was careful not to get too close.
This little guy is helping me heal from losing my old hiking buddy Mister Molson. But, it seems that everyday Muddy and I grow closer as we learn to trust each other. There’s something special about the relationship between a man and a dog. I feel lucky that the cards fell the way they did and my main man Mud turned our sad story into one of gratitude. I look forward to many more hikes with this guy. But once the weather turns he’s gonna have to start crossing his own streams.
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