Hiking With Pepper

A few weeks ago I took my dog Pepper on her annual hiking vacation. We have been doing these hiking vacations for years. They started when Pepper was just three or four years old. My neighbor friend had a condo in Mount Crested Butte. So every year Pepper and I would make the condo our base camp for our long hikes in the Maroon Bells. A feral pup before I rescued her from death row, Pepper has always seemed most at home in the mountains. Supremely confident and content out on the trails, she has proven to be nothing less than a stellar hiking partner.

The last few years we vacationed in Paonia and hiked the beautiful yet more moderate trails in the area. Wanting to do something new this year, I booked an Airbnb in Crestone. All the trails near Crestone are considered "hard" and "difficult" in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, not something Pepper and I have done since our Crested Butte days. So, I figured we would just head out on the trails and Pepper would let me know how much she could do.

With no plan to complete the trail, on our first day I enjoyed a relaxing morning and didn't arrive at the trailhead until almost 11am. With only a few cars at the trailhead, I knew we would have the trail almost completely to ourselves. We headed out, starting to climb almost immediately. Pepper led the way. She always prefers to lead. If I want her to stay behind me, I put up an energetic barrier around my legs. She feels the barrier and honors the block. But, if my energy block has a leak, she'll swiftly skirt around my legs and take the lead! She never goes out of sight or even off the trail. She just likes to be in front.

Pepper was super happy that morning. I could tell because she stayed further ahead of me than usual. She was eager, like a horse fresh out of the gate, and a few times when the trail curved I'd lose sight of her for a few moments. I couldn't keep up with my senior dog! But, then she would stop and look back at me and patiently wait. Once I had caught up, at least close enough in her opinion, she would hike on. I had my own little personal trainer as we hiked up the mountain. A few times I thought we should pause on a big boulder and take in the amazing view, but Pepper would whimper to continue the hike and I would oblige.

Pepper didn't slow, making it apparent she could go all the way to the promised alpine lake marking the end of the 3,400 feet of elevation gain. I checked the skies for weather changes as we approached tree line and I looked at my watch for the time. I've hiked literally thousands of miles in my life, and like any fairly seasoned hiker I can estimate mileage based on time and the type of trail with impressive accuracy. We had enough time to hike all the way. I appreciated my hiking experience as I continued to follow Pepper through the willows, past the marmots, and onto the hardly perceptible trail as we climbed the talus. I noted the path of the vague trail carefully, posting some landmarks to my memory for the return, and checked the skies again for a change in weather. Clear blue sky. Summer afternoon thunderstorms not much of a threat in September. I paused. It was just breathtaking. How much I have missed being above tree line. There's nothing like it. It's my happy place. It's apparently Pepper's happy place, too. "C'mon," said Pepper looking down at me from the switchback. "The trail is this way!"

My hiking partner granted me an entire 25 minutes at the serene alpine lake before cueing me that it was time to head back down the mountain. As we hiked the miles back to the trailhead, for a second time we enjoyed all the beautiful scenery you could ask for: alpine meadows, scree and talus fields, massive peaks, craggy peaks, waterfalls, cascades, flowing creeks, subalpine forests, and aspen groves with the golden leaves almost at their peak. We even saw a herd of bighorn sheep and watched them play in the meadow.

With a day off in between, Pepper and I enjoyed two more similar hikes outside of Crestone, living out our little hiking vacation to the fullest. How my 15-1/2 year old dog can still pull that kind of mileage and elevation gain astounds me. I do wonder how much time she has left. Nothing lasts forever, even for a dog that can hike anything. I treasure the sweetness of our time together. It is hard to find words that convey the gratitude I feel to be able to witness such joy, contentment and peace emanating from my little dog. I know I've done right by her. Even if that was our last time to walk through the thickets of the barrenground willow and scramble up a scree field together to an alpine lake, my heart will remain full. I have the memories.