Chasing Waterfalls

Photo of Pewit's Nest, courtesy of Rachel Roberts

Many people begin planning their gardens this time of year. All the gardening magazines feature design plans and advertisements to "buy your heirloom tomato seeds now!"... these are the things that help us "northerners" keep our sanity. 

By focusing on the future (summer) we can escape our current reality (winter). And surprisingly this works! Last year I measured out our garden space (in the snow) and determined what materials I would need to create a raised garden bed. I drew out a "map" of which vegetables would go where and by early spring I was ready to go! We had the best garden ever and it distracted me from a very harsh winter.

Today is the midpoint of winter and I'm starting to get a bit stir crazy. I miss hiking long distances with Charlie and hearing the rustle of leaves on the trees. Trails with packed snow have turned icy and the snow is too deep on untraveled trails to go very far. 

Charlie and I have become resigned to neighborhood walks and very short hikes lately. Nothing too inspiring.

But because we're halfway through with winter, there's light at the end of the tunnel. Days are getting noticeably longer - I get to enjoy a few minutes of sunset on my way home from work now. It's a good time to start making plans for our hiking/camping/road trip excursions this year. 

And last night, inspiration struck! 

This year, we're going to visit Wisconsin's beautiful waterfalls. Wisconsin has over 62 waterfalls and most of them are not too far from where I live. 

It's been amazing to discover so much beauty so close to home over the past 2 years, but there's so much more to see! At times I've been embarrassed that it's taken me so long to get out and explore and the fact that I have not had the chance to visit any of our state's waterfalls is just shameful!

Now the fun part begins... researching websites and blogs, consulting maps and penciling in dates on my calendar. I know I won't have time to see everything on my list this year, but I'll have plenty of adventures to choose from.

What adventures are you planning for this year?

Photo of Pewit's Nest, courtesy of Rachel Roberts

Dragged

Today will be the last warmish day for a while so I wanted to make sure I exercised Charlie with a lot of outdoor time today. My plan was to take her to a nearby local spot for a hike and a game of Chuck-it around the lake, go to the grocery store and grab a few things and then take her to a city park with some great paths and lots of other dog pee-spots to sniff.

That plan would give Charlie a little bit of everything... a quiet nature hike, ball fetching, riding around in the car and a city hike with lots of smells.

The first part of the plan went well, although we had to turn back halfway around the lake because someone was cutting a hole in the ice with a chainsaw for ice fishing and it spooked Charlie. That was okay though because she was panting pretty good by then and had had tons of fun already.

Errands went okay.

But after errands, I was hungry. It was 1pm and I needed lunch. So I stopped at Panera and got a Thai Chicken Salad (my favorite) and rather than eating it in the car in the parking lot, I drove us over to the city park on our agenda and ate it in the parking lot there.

Problem was, the parking lot was in full view of about 20 squirrels digging up buried nuts out of the snow and chasing each other around the trees. While I ate my salad, Charlie worked herself into a frenzy watching them. She was making me a little nervous.

I put on her hiking harness, attached the flexi-leash and prepared myself for her excitement once the car door opened.

I did not prepare myself enough.

She totally bolted over the snowbank I was parked in front of and toward the squirrels.

I went down. Hard. And she dragged me a couple of feet through the snow before she stopped.

And all I could do was laugh! I had never experienced the feeling of being dropped and dragged behind my dog before.

I didn't even think a dog of 42 lbs. could drag a full-size person, but she did. Lesson learned. Although I have to give myself props for not letting go of the leash.

I've always had this fear of Charlie lunging for a squirrel and running out into traffic because I couldn't hold onto the leash. Now I have the satisfaction of knowing I can hang on!

With snow shoved up both sleeves of my coat, down both boots and my jeans completely coated in snow, I decided to put Charlie back in the car and abandon plans for our second walk. I knew I would be too wet/cold to stay outside much longer. Plus I didn't want to take a chance of her repeating this scene again; there were plenty of squirrels out in the park today! As I got in the car, I glanced back at the spot where she dragged me and giggled to myself again, thankful that no one was around to witness this truly embarrassing event.

I laughed in the car all the way home, still in disbelief over what had just happened. And I laughed harder when I got home and found snow in both front pockets of my jeans.

She got me good today, little shit.