Winter Worries (Hiking Ski Lake)
May 30, 2012Yesterday, we drove to Wilson to hike the Ski Lake trail. The weather had cleared up and it has been mostly sunny and in the 60s- very nice! Instead of doing Snow King or another one in town, we decided to get in the car and go somewhere different since we had some time to spare. It was supposed to be a 4-mile, out and back hike. When we got there, the sign said it was 3. It ended up being 2.5 each way... Not sure who was doing the measurements here.
The only way we knew we were on the right track!
...Or at least some waterproof shoes!
One great thing about hiking in the snow was seeing how much fun Sammie had. Not that it is coming anytime too soon, but I have been a little bit worried about how Sammie would handle the winter here! As we all know, she can be pretty finicky about things, but she loved the snow! She was racing around everywhere and leaping through the deep snow. Even though I'm sure the snow will be much deeper come winter, I am definitely less worried about how she will act. She was also extremely energetic. Usually, even in 60-70 degree weather, hiking for 5 miles would wear her out. I remember last summer in Charleston, I could only walk her for 15-20 minutes at a time without feeling like she was going to pant to death. The snow definitely changes things! I'm sure taking rests to lay in it helped a lot. She was tired after the hike, but the snow definitely energized her throughout the whole thing! Here is a video of her walking around in the snow.
"Here I come!"
Looking pretty crazy
Resting in the snow
After a while, we got to Ski "Lake," which was really more of a pond... and was almost completely frozen. I think by the end, we were somewhere around 8700 feet, so it's been considerably colder there. It's kind of hard to tell, but there were rocks that had been tumbling down the hill on the opposite side from where we were standing. (You can see streaks going down the snow from the non-snowy land.) While we were there, a rock started tumbling down. It was so much louder than I expected it to be considering the size of the rock! It was kind of freaky and took a little while for me to tell what it was.
On the way back down, we heard a noise and really think it could have been a bear! It kind of sounded like a cross between an angry cow and a bear... It was a little scary. Sammie didn't seem to mind, obviously. I think my constant yelling at Sammie to come with us would have alerted any wildlife of our presence. That reminds me of the fact that, in Jackson, in order to have your dog off leash, the dog should be under "voice control," meaning they listen to what you say and stay beside you. We have noticed that the only command Sammie truly responds to is "BYE!" She is scared of
Also, here is an update on Sammie's new roommate, Rueger. Here he is carrying one of Sammie's toys around. He has started hoarding a couple of them by his bed. Apparently, at his house, toys always get stolen from him by other dogs, so he is taking advantage of his situation here. Sammie still makes it a point to occasionally growl at him for no reason, and sometimes just stands and stares at him for long periods of time, but she seems to like him. Her favorite thing to do, as usual with any dog, is to chase him while he chases a toy or ball. She also loves to poke him in the ears with her snout, just like she does with Cooper.
Well, that's about it for this time! In a couple of days, I will be back in South Carolina for my nephew's baptism. I am not really looking forward to all the flights, but I am excited to see everyone. I'll be curious to see how my hair handles the humidity! Not very well is my guess.
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