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20 June ~ 2007
My daughter let me take her two year old Border Collie with me backpacking last week. This is the fourth time Drift has gone with us, so he knows what it is all about. He had a great time, usually always out in front right next to Ben. (We were several miles into a valley with no trails - On trail my dogs are always on leash).When Drift was a puppy, he followed Ben into a creek and discovered what running water is all about. I happened to get a picture of him at that moment, watching water go over the rocks.
Then he followed Ben the best he could, wanting to do absolutely everything Ben did:
Drift was just 10 months old the first time he went backpacking with me and Ben and Maggie. I got a picture when Ben and Maggie went up a rock to check out the view, and Drift was wondering how you get up on such things.
Drift is old hat at this now, and him and Ben climb together up on any cliffs or rocks we are hiking by, looking at what can be seen and back at me to see which direction I might go. It tends to make you wonder if animals have a sense of awe. There have been so many times when I am headed to an interesting landscape formation that they arrive there before me just to investigate it, and find out what you can see from there.
Ben and Drift act a lot like playful brothers. I brought along a small yellow ball and while in camp they played with it for hours - trying to steal it from each other. When I threw it they raced to be the first to it. Drift usually won, because he is fast as blazes. I noticed more than once that the one that had the ball would drop it after a few minutes, giving it to their play partner. The fun was not in the having, but in the getting.
They played the same game with a stick I was throwing for them while taking a break on a high ridge.
Drift had the time of his life, and I enjoyed having him. There was plenty of room in my backpack tent for all three dogs, and us four slept all night long without waking, exhausted from our mountain days (every night). Its a wonderful thing to see the spirit of the mountains fill the heart of a young dog like Drift.
I seem to be the kind of person that dogs take to pretty easy. It is no mystery why - we like the same things, going out in the wild and exploring. I don't know of any people that have the same passion for the mountains as my border collies do, and that is why they are such good traveling companions up there.
On our last morning I took down the tent and stuffed my gear into my backpack, as the dogs sat nearby and watched, knowing we would hit the trail soon. When I was ready to go I leashed Ben and Maggie and shouldered my backpack and tightened the waiststrap to take the bulk of the weight. I retreived my trekking poles and said 'We're ready, Let's go," to the dogs. Only Drift was there ready, however. I called Ben and Maggie several times, and they were nowhere to be seen.
I started looking for them, and found them down by the large pond with the gorgeous reflection, where we had spent a lot of time the last three days. I figured they must have got their leash snagged on a log, which would explain why they didn't come.
When I got down to them I saw they were sitting in grass, and their leash was clear.
What was going on with them, running down to their favorite spot a last time while I was putting on my pack? Were they indicating their preference - that they would rather stay here, or were they taking a last look?
It was a hard hike out. I crossed the creek too near some beaver ponds and found myself sicking rapidly in bottom mud. I managed to get out, then found a better spot with a gravel bottom.
After a few days me and Ben and Maggie are rested up, and I have spent some time cleaning my house and taking care of my yard,
so me and Ben and Maggie can head up again, next week.
Drift isnt going this time, since he is not my dog. We will miss him. I'm pretty certain if it were up to him he would be going up that trail with us.
Up there I feel like I do more living in one day than in 10 lowland days. That is probably even more true for mountain dogs.
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(to see a 700 pixel wide image of the above image, click here; to see a 1400 wide pixel image of the above picture, click here.)