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17 September ~2008

I had been yearning to backpack up high before heavy snow falls, and was able to realize that dream the last few days.  Me and Ben and Maggie went to one of our favorite trailless basin, a place far from any fourteener trails and with no lakes to attract hikers.  It is the exclusive domain of elk, deer, and coyotes, all of which I saw or heard during our trip.  No doubt bear, lynx, and wolverines are also residents there, because of the hidden and forgotten nature of the basin.

To get up there you have to follow elk trails, and carefully note where they can be found on the way back.  Once while descending I missed them, and had to end up dropping down a very steep slope with my full backpack on.

My pack was heavier than usual, since I had to be prepared for cold weather at 12,000 feet in September.  It was worth it, when I slept cozy warm in my six pound sleeping bag even though the temperature fell into the twenties at night.

I set up camp just below treeline, and me and Ben and Maggie set out during the days to climb the high ridges, wandering wherever we felt like around the upper corridors of our glacial basin.  The dogs were always in front, me following their lead.

Late in the evening on Monday, when the landscape was in the grey of dusk, Ben suddenly lifted his head to the east.  I turned to see what got his attention, and saw the white tip of the moon coming over the mountain across the valley like a brilliant flashlight.  In a few minutes several coyotes began howling at it and perhaps us, from the ridges circling our camp.  Maggie barked several times, and one of them mimiced her bark, sounding just like her.

There is no freedom like that of wandering the alpine with dogs who have the same love of wildness in their hearts as yours.  Seeing what pleasure Ben and Maggie took in our adventure made me think of my other border collies who backpacked with me very near where I was on this trip.  Bud and Boogie and Cody were out in front of me then just like Ben and Maggie are now.

Life is so short, more than we realize.  I think some of their best days were sleeping in the tent with me under alpine skies, waking to the purity and light of a Colorado timberline morning.  

Life is so damn short.  It 's a good thing to get out and experience it,   Like I did.  We did.


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