Tag: hiking

Keeping Perspective

Hello friends!

Well, when the clock sprang forward into daylight saving time, my hoomans took the leap into springtime projects! They didn’t waste any time and got straight to it with family get-togethers, sporting events, and celebrations. The months of April and May whirled by in a cloud of pollen, baseball, and caps & gowns. This left a lot of time for me to get out exploring! I hosted celebrations of my own as the woods came back to life with frogs, ferns, and fawns!

As I sat creekside preparing to share my springtime adventures, it dawned on me that Spring is already over and we are full-on into Summer! I guess I must have lost the tracks of my time! I know I spent quite a bit of it inspecting wildflowers. Wildflower discovery is one of my ALL TIME favorite adventures. This Spring, the Trillium grew to be as big as my HEAD, and the violas were bursting with all kinds of colors. Heck even the Jack-in-the-pulpits were super-sized this year. Or where they….?

As I inspected these colorful newcomers to my woods, I checked them out from every angle. As I did, I learned sometimes you see what you expect to see. Sometimes, things look different up close, and sometimes, things can appear completely opposite. Even the Maidenhair ferns cast illusions. Are the stems black or invisible? I can almost trick my eyes into seeing the leaves floating on no stems at all. Are they magical? 

Of course ferns are not magical silly! And the trillium is not really the size of my head needer. Just because things are shown in a certain light, it doesn’t make it a reality. There are so many different ways to look at things. Oftentimes, we see things just a bit differently from each other. Sometimes things are cropped out so we don’t see the whole picture – and never really know what’s going on. Sure, we all like to angle things in our favor, but nobody has it exactly right all the time. 

So, friends, as we move into the season of summertime socializing, let’s remember to keep things in perspective. Be open to looking at things from each other’s point of view. If you do, you may be surprised how much better you understand your friends and how much bigger the world will become to explore! 

 I’ll bark at you next month.

Your friend,

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Spring Breaks

Hello friends! 

It has been furever since my last adventure! My hooman had a setback a few months ago and needed some recovery time. So, my canine adventures were put on paws for a little while. When my hooman doesn’t feel well, it is my duty to sit by her side and supervise the healing process. My canine cure is to watch my hooman VERY closely and never let her out of my sight. So, to speed up the process, I sat ON her until she was well enough to go exploring. 

It wasn’t easy giving up my adventures and sticking by her side. I was tempted more than once to venture out without her, but I patiently waited (and waited and waited). Although it took longer than she originally promised, the day finally came when she got back on her feet, and I had the chance to get out exploring. I couldn’t wait to see what changes old man winter had made in my neck of the woods.  

As I trotted down my tree line trail for the first time in 3 months, my heart thumped with anticipation of what I would discover. I had forgotten how great it felt to have the cool mud squish between my toes and sniff the fresh smells of the pine and hemlock trees. Even though I’ve walked the path a thousand times before, the first hike of the season always fills me with wonder and excitement. Once I reached the bottom of the hill, the creek gurgled a familiar “hello” as the old oak trees seemed bowed down, welcoming me into the shadowy woods. I let out a breath that I didn’t realize I was holding. “Hello, creek”, I whispered. “It is good to see you again”. 

Isn’t it amazing how returning to a familiar place can bring you back to vivid memories with all the feelings to match? Every step I took echoed a memory of past adventures. Like the time when my nephew Disco saw the creek for the first time and the joy I felt that he liked my creek as much as I do. Or the day I discovered a red-tailed hawk’s feather, and the awe of knowing that such a cool bird lives in the same woods I get to explore. So many thoughts and emotions filled my heart. I really missed this place, and I could not believe I went so long without it. 

I wondered past my thinking log, where so many times I have contemplated many of life’s challenges. I trotted past the dog brushing station (still littered with my old dog hair), and warm thoughts of my hooman caring for me filled my heart. I ducked under the frog tree, now sloping into the water and groping at the river bank. The familiarity of knowing I will discover a tree frog clinging to it on summer days gives me hope for warmer days to come. I thought of my hoomans. The ones that are with me and those that have gone on to other adventures – and I thanked the woods for letting me enjoy all the time we had together there. As my mind continued to wander down memory lane, the sun began to set. I knew even daylight saving time couldn’t rescue me from the fact that my hiking time was up. So I bid good night to my woodland friends and turned my tail toward home, my heart full of hope for future memories I get to make.  

So friends, as spring breaks and we all get moving again – be sure to mark your adventures with memories. Take pictures in your mind. Then take some time to wander down your own memory lane and be grateful for all your adventures past.

Thank you for joining me on my Hiking Jack Canine Adventures. Please invite a friend to subscribe, and I will bark at you soon!

Your friend, 

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Greener Grass

Hello friends! I have been a bit on my own this week since my hooman has been out of town. This meant my adventure was a lone expedition that led me down rather a dark path. Before I knew it – I was in the land of wishful thinking! With my hooman absent from distraction, I was able to focus my attention on all the things I was missing out on. I kept up this train of thought and soon found myself at the bottom of the ravine. 

As I sniffed around the familiar landscape, I wandered out onto a log to think about why I was feeling this way. My log meditation was not helpful since my view was the other side of the creek – the neighbors property. I am not allowed to explore that side of the creek, and I always thought it looked a bit more interesting than my side. This reinforced my “missing out” feelings. I began to believe others may have it just a little bit better than me. Perhaps the grass is greener over there…

As an icy breeze ruffled my coat I was reminded that I have to accept these freezing temps for at least another month. Here in Michigan we don’t even “think spring” until mid-April. Since it is still February – I have a long wait before the seasons begin to change. Yet another reminder that my life is “ruffer” than most. Unlike my buddy out in Arizona (whos name is also Jack). He gets to live in the sunshine surrounded by red rock mountains. Instead of hiking “down” to the creek, Arizona Jack gets to hike “up” to the mountain peeks.  

Arizona Jack is an “Aussie-Poo” who enjoys hiking Bell Rock.

Since I was literally freezing, I hopped off the log and continued through the woods thinking about Arizona Jack and what he is up to today. My imagination had him climbing up the red rocks with the heat of the sun warming his coat. That’s when I came upon the creek rapids…frozen in splendor. I was awed by the crystal icicles that dripped like jewels off the logs. Leaves were encrusted in white frost that took my breath away. All I could do was stare at the frozen phenomenon of ice and snow and the current that somehow was still moving through the glacial water. 

Icy rapids of Little Sand Creek

As I marveled at the endurance of the creek pushing through the ice, I was inspired to push on as well. My thinking began to shift as I watched the water flow. I get to see this secret creek silently flowing through the winter woodland. The snow from last week still remained which created a quiet that reinforced the secretive feeling of how special I was to get to witness this spectacular sight.

Since I knew my hooman would be returning from her trip soon, I decided to make my way back to the house. The bitter wind made my eyes water as I climbed back up the hill. Wishful thoughts of Arizona Jack and the desert heat began to creep back in again. Then I realized if I lived in Arizona, I would have never shared that icy secret with the creek. I would have missed out. So perhaps the grass is not always greener on the other side – just different. Perhaps we all have wondrous things going on in our lives and we just have to recognize how amazing it is in our own backyard. 

So friends, as we move into the very last week of February – let’s remember to appreciate what we have and try not to wander down the path of wishful thinking. Sure it may seem like others have things a bit better – but try not to be envious. Open your eyes to what is great about your world and focus your thoughts there. Share what you have with others and invite them to share in your life too – that way we can have the best of both worlds. As for me, I am going to bark out to Arizona Jack and tell him all about my icy discovery. I can’t wait to hear all about his canine adventures – mountain style.  

Canine Explorer – Arizona Jack

Bark at you next week!

Your friend, 

P.S. If you have pictures of your canine exploring and would like to be a part of my weekly adventures – send them to me at barkingwithjack@gmail.com.