The Mountain Dogs Tackle A 14 Teener

It was a beautiful bluebird sort of day when Shyla, R, Molly, Maya and Enzo set out to climb the highest peak in the state.  They checked their packs making sure that they had all of the essentials for their trip up the mountain.  Enzo glanced over at the youngest member of their climbing party, Miss Molly who was completely inside of her pack with her head out and eating what appeared to be kibble!  Miss Molly I hope that you don't get hungry on our adventure because I think you just ate your rations for the trip.  Molly's eyes were huge as she licked her lips and her pack nearly fell over with the force of her butt wiggle!  But Enzo I was hungry now, right now I just want to run, play and explore the mountain.  Well alright I think I have some extra kibble just in case you need it.  Miss Shyla the most experienced of the expedition said to Enzo I think we had better get on the trail so we reach the summit before morning.  Yes Shyla I believe you are correct about the time.  Enzo shivered at the thought of hiking in under the cover of darkness and what may be lurking behind every rock.  He unzipped the small pocket of his pack and made sure that he packed his Binky just in case they ran into an unfriendly bruin.  He decided that you should never venture into the outdoors without a Binky or two besides maybe one of your friends might need a Binky too and he was polite enough to share.  He looked at his group of high altitude mountain friends and smiled to himself.  There was lovely Miss Molly who was frantically throwing things back into her pack while still being distracted by a bumble bee that was flying around the sub alpine flowers.  Miss Shyla was neat, tidy, organized and her chocolate colored coat gleamed elegantly in the mid morning sun.  She was soft spoken and smart.  Enzo had grown to trust her judgement as well as admire her intelligence.  He adored Shyla's brother R who right now was busy chasing butterflies with Molly.  He thought those two made a cute couple as he almost broke out laughing when he realized he was playing the part of a canine matchmaker!  A black lab and an Aussie now that is a pair!  Then he looked over at the matriarch of the expedition who was laying quietly on the ground beside Enzo.  Miss Maya thank you for coming with us on this adventure for we need your experience on the trail.  Enzo thought to himself, whew, I am sure glad that we have Miss Maya and Miss Shyla to lead the way because he knew that he had a terrible sense of direction and even got hopelessly lost in a corn field one time.  He was embarrassed to think that he needed to call on the Angels from the Bridge to help him find his way out!  He was still thankful that Judge Foley was not out partying that fateful day and was able to take his distress call!  

Miss Shyla stood up, stretched and barked ok troops it is time to hit the trail so put on your packs and we will head up the mountain.  They headed out almost in perfect cadence, nose to tail along the winding sub alpine trail lined with flowers and small pine trees.  Enzo sniffed the air and could smell the light scent of a small mountain stream, twisting and turning into the valley below.  The air was filled with delightful smells of deer, elk and squirrels.  WAIT...SQUIRREL!!!!!!  He felt a dog paw slap his butt and R who was right behind said stay on track Enzo no squirrel chasing today!  Oh phooey thought Enzo that takes all the fun out of it!

They walked and climbed for a really long time winding around rocks and through lovely fields of alpine flowers.  Shyla stopped and sniffed the air and turned to Miss Maya do you smell that?  Yes said Miss Maya and don't let Enzo get a whiff of it or he will need his Binky.  Miss Shyla laughed at the thought of her big Golden friend with a Binky shaped like human lips stuck in his mouth for the duration of the trip because he smelled a bear!  Maya and Shyla smiled at each other with the same thought that Enzo was big enough to pass himself off as a little bear cub!  But suddenly there was the big bruin grazing in the meadow beside them rolling over rocks to hunt for grubs and other tasty little insects. Enzo looked over and shivered.  He quickly hid behind Maya and keep his eyes glued on the bear.  Remembering his commands from obedience school he softly whispered in the direction of the bear, sit, stay, on by and a new one "go away bear"!!!  At that Shyla could no longer contain herself from laughter at her silly friend and unzipped his pack and stuck a Binky in his mouth.  Maya took the string and attached it to Enzo's collar so he couldn't lose it along the way.  The way she figured it the worst thing ever was to have a big dog on a mountain climbing expedition that is terrified of bears and loses his Binky!  

The sun was slowly beginning to recede below the horizon and the air turned crisp and the four friends were beginning to feel hungry and thirsty.  Miss Maya turned and told the happy wanderers that this was going to be where they camped for the night.  They had plenty of shelter among the boulders and and a small stream was nearby for water.  Enzo and R helped the ladies pitch their tents and lay out their sleeping bags.  Then Shyla went through all their provisions and set out bowls of kibble for everyone.  Miss Molly looked very worried that maybe she should not have eaten her kibble before the trip but was pleasantly surprised at the generosity of her friends as they carefully divided their kibble with her.  They ate in silence and then took a group trip to the creek for a long drink of water that somehow broke out into a game of tag!  They ran and played until they had no choice other than to crawl into their sleeping bags and fall into a deep sleep for the night.  The morning light lit up the sides of their tents in a deep rose color that sparkled on the mountain stream.  Enzo came out of the tent and looked at the beautiful sight that unfolded in front of him and had awoken the birds who sang a serenade in C for the lone hikers.  Enzo looked down into the valley and then to the summit of the mountain and whispered to himself...An angel robed in spotless white, bent down and kissed the sleeping night, the night awoke to blush the sprite was gone, men saw the blush and called it dawn...  It was indeed a beautiful sight but it made him wish that Miss Jessie was there to enjoy the view with him.  But he knew that she was safe on the island with her parents and brother Roscoe a long ways away from the bears...shiver.  

After splitting up the last of the kibble and sharing cookies the brave mountaineers started up the last trek of their journey involving steep traverses across boulder fields and loose shale.  The summit was not that far away but it seemed like hours before they reached the top.  They walked and walked until their paws hurt but the fearless four kept on trekking.  Suddenly they reached the end of the trail and everyone was left breathless including in a literal sense!  As they gazed north, south, east and west.  Wow what a sight they all said at once!  And in the words of CW McCall "My isn't pretty up here"!  The four friends stood in awe for many minutes soaking up every bit of the solitude that the mountain had to offer.  Then R turned to the group and said wait right here I have something to leave that will show the humans that us doggies were standing right here on top of the world and we did it without any fancy technology or human stuff but just plain doggy sense.  He reached into his pack and pulled out a very small flag so they did not leave such a large impact on the environment.  He carefully dug a small hole and placed the flag with a paw print and the four names of his friends on the top of the mountain.  He smiled and said now they will know that we were here.  The friends stood paw in paw and gazed at R's flag knowing that someday someone would write about their amazing accomplishment about the dogs that tackled and won the 14 teener.

Golden Kisses, 
Enzo