Gosh I am very lucky to be at work this morning!
Yesterdays hike on a trail head off H169 the west side proved to be one of those re-centering glad I’m a live experiences.
Mind you I would go back again, but stay on the main road and when I diverted off not walk as far and reconnect with the main road more often. A compass and or GPS would be very useful tools and a hiking buddy to get lost with.
First clue in a ways was there was surveyors tape everywhere on the trees as trail markers. I had just purchased some in anticipation of going to this location. To mark the dogs collars tails etc for an easy visual for anyone to see them and identify them as beloved pets. I had also purchased 10 bags of play chips for the dog runs, which was to be the afternoon project.
The main road which was gated off with a pipe type gate was a normal road. There were many offshoot trials immediately but did not go there because it paralled the hwy and wanted to let the dogs loose asap.
We walked for a ways on the main road then took some off trails on the North side of the road. Kitt kept popping off the main road and showing up down on the main road a ways up. So the trails obviously circled back quickly. Didn’t know about the obvious message the surveyors tape would provide yet.
The trail surface was fabulous, loose soil, twigs some rocks, roots, trees to jump over and between fallen branches, (underbrush varied cleared and not) trials quickly went up hill and down hill again and again. The path proved to be terrific exercise for the dogs (and myself ) using all parts of their body for a nice balanced workout.
About 30 minutes into it I started to think about returning to the van. When I was serious about leaving and heading back , my attempts to follow the same trail out was clearly becoming futile. In hind sight I was heading further into the forest west which was the wrong way. I noticed the surveyors tape had disappeared, not a good sign. The girls were still running about, Gem is so endearing when she looses sight of me, she really gets nervous and searches very hard (as I watch from behind a tree). When she finds me she hangs around for a while, one of those nice to have pets moments.
Kitt finds me quickly but moves out again. Kitt has quite a long range when hiking, anyway Kitt and Gem were hanging tight, Nikki had not returned for awhile. I whistled for her and she eventually came near to me. At that point I could tell she was “looking” for me but couldn’t see, hear me about 40’ away. I called and called and she flipped away from me going deeper into the woods, is she chasing a bunny. I’m calling, whistling etc. she keeps going. I had already become turned around in the woods and would not be smart to go further unless absolutely necessary, which it was not yet. I continued calling and listening for any sounds of her moving about, nothing. I picked up a stick and whacked a tree for a while. Then hey I got Kitt she can bark…that proved fruitful, Nikki appeared shortly all smiles. When they got disoriented I love giving that pet twith a tone of hi sweety your safe now. They all stayed a bit closer for awhile.
We continued back and forth for quite some time. Eventually came to an open field area. It had been mowed, hay or govt. property that was being maintained. We went across the field and along a well used logging road. I just didn’t know if I was heading in or out of the property. I walked for half an hour or so and called some friends that take 98% of their vacations to go hiking, the Grand Canyon several times. I asked for advice on how to manage my predicament. Mike was ready to head out to the trail head (they had been here a year earlier and understood why the problem). We talked a few more times thru out the hour. And I decided to go back to the surveyors taped trails.
As I did very shortly into the taped trails, Nikki spotted a very large tree trunk that had fallen. She literally back tracked and hopped up on it. It was 8’ or so from the ground and as she perched there I snapped a cell phone pic. When done and I got her to go back to the low end to jump off, I turned around and there was this man on a bicycle staring at us. I was very much on edge at this point due to my predicament and his quite presence really startled me. He had a BC as a kid and was intrigued by my 3 girls.
So I asked and the question. He didn’t know either how to get out. He said when he bikes in here he just rides until he gets out somewhere ugh.
Shortly there after another couple appeared and the man told me to go to this direction and at the mound of personal affects turn left, go till a flat ridge appears and at the 4 way juncture turn right and follow it straight. It must have been a mile plus. We walked and walked seeing other people way ahead in brightly colored clothing criss crossing our trail and heading away from us a few times. So we walked on, eventually on one of my 360 turns to view behind us there was a man and a dog walking quite some distance back. We kept going forward. I could hear the hwy traffic noise getting louder so I was feeling much better. Then the traffic noise was getting quieter, that’s not right but he said to go straight which probably would have gotten us to H169 but way further North. So I turned around and walked back to the man and asked the question. Fortunately just 50’ back and left turn would put us on a ½ mile trial to H169…and it did.
But not without one more scare. It was not a ½ mile it was much shorter…which all sounds good but the dogs were not on leash yet. Kitt had ventured off and was not coming readily when I called. Nikki, Gem came and on leash they went. Since I could now see the tops of vehicles passing swiftly up thru the brush. I called and called for what seemed like 20 minutes. Waiting on pins and needles to hear brakes screeching, god I hate that. Gem kept pulling to go on an off shoot trail but again did not want to get off the main trail. I stood and continued to call with a few swear words mixed in there. She eventually came but from behind me. So I still don’t know which direction she came from the road or trail.?
We got to H169 and there were a couple of guys there and I asked what was which way on the road? (I was not at the entrance by any means) He recommended to go South so we hung a right and walked along the road probably ½ mile +. The red mini-van never looked so good.
Piled the girls in and they were exhausted, Nikki’s legs were wobbly. We went just a short distance to the doggie u bathe place and soaked Gem for quite some time to get the muck off, dirt just kept pouring out of her. Kitt was not as muddy but definitely dirty. Her tail collects and there was a bit of pulling going on to get them out. Nikki some how was quite clean but gave her a rinse anyway.
I chucked the eat soup plan for dinner and ordered good garlicky pizza. Got the girls some dog biscuits and fed them a good handful, they had to be famished too. Picked up the pizza I ordered and headed home to my couch. “We” didn’t move for hours. Ate way too much pizza…but hey I walked it off right?
I did unload the 10 bags of play chips around 9pm. Dog runs will have to wait till later November to be completed.
Gosh I’m glad to be at work this morning. Nikki is with me to recover, Kitt & Gem are enjoying the fresh play chip base in the dog run.