Foul Weather Charlie

Have I mentioned that we credit Charlie with igniting Tim's interest in hiking?  What we discovered this weekend was just how willing Tim is to hike so long as Charlie treks alongside him.

We had the great fortune of heading out for a hike up at Morgan Territory with Wendy the Trainer and her family (i.e. hubby and 3 giant, playful, extremely energetic golden retrievers.) We'd planned the hike well in advance and were prepared for every possible contingency ... except inclement weather.

On the morning of our hike enormous clouds stalled at the top of the mountains casting a gray pallor across the valley.   We considered canceling the outing but without rain ... well, who wants to be the one to cancel a hike just because of clouds?  So, off we trekked up the back side of the ridge and into the thick billowy clouds. 

As we ascended, the cloud cover thickened, obscuring everything beyond a few feet of pavement directly in front of us.  Tensions ran high as we silently we drove "toward the light" and saw nothing other than a faint glow through the fog.

When we finally reached the staging area we met Wendy et al in the parking lot.  They, of course, were raring to go so we unloaded and made our way up the trail.

Mud.  Drizzle.  Mud.  Fog.  Mud.  Wind.  Mud.  Puddles.  Mud. Four giant golden retrievers racing into the fog hurling mud blobs every direction.   One little boy, grinning ear to ear, covered in mud, and squealing with delight. 

There was a time when Tim couldn't stand to be dirty.  Not that day.  He was so game to follow Charlie and his canine buddies that he literally left us in the muck while he ran 20 yards ahead.   

While I can't say that I'm a big fan of foul weather hikes, I have to admit that this particular hike was memorable because of Tim's boundless energy and tolerance of truly horrible conditions.  His perseverance is truly a testament to Charlie.   (Thanks to Keith for the photos.)