Thomas Lakes

Yesterday, I went for a wonderful hike. I took Fury, the smallest dog in the kennel, up to Thomas Lakes. This trail is about 9 miles round-trip, leading to two lakes at the base of Mount Sopris. Many campsites dot the trail as this is a common place to camp out before ascending the 12,000 foot peak. The trailhead itself starts at 8,200 feet. From there, a steady climb through a pine forest leads to a mountain meadow. The meadow was filled with yellow and purple wildflowers. Also sharing the meadow with Fury and I, was a large herd of cows. Big cows with big poop. Poop that Fury enjoyed rolling in. Awesome (sarcasm).
From there, the trail climbs into Aspen groves. With views of the valley peaking through the trees, the top of Sopris quickly growing closer, and Fireweed leaning into the path, it could not have been more pretty. On second thought, yes it could; add a mountain stream to that list, about a half mile from the destination, and you've got a winner. Coming out of the Aspen groves to the lakes is a spectacular view. The lakes are formed from ice melt and are, therefore, a brilliant clear blue. They lie 10,076 feet in the air, tucked right into a bowl of Mount Sopris. This was the highest I have hiked so far and it felt so good! We explored for awhile, had lunch, and lay in the sun for a long time. Sometimes life is just so good.
On the way down the mountain, I began thinking about my little Fury. She's a small husky, the smallest in the kennel, even in comparison to the puppies. Fury is also very timid. When I first let her off the leash, she didn't know what to do with herself. Quickly, I found that she was most comfortable being right on my heels. For the majority of the trip, I could feel her little black nose against the backs of my knees. At first, I attributed this to nervousness. She's not used to being loose or away from the other dogs. However, even after gaining some confidence and exploring on her own, she was still sticking to my heels.

I fell in the stream right after taking this picture....it better have been worth it.

My little Fury

Thomas Lake

My second theory is that Fury does not know how to be the lead dog. She has been trained, from birth, to be a part of the pack. She is a follower; a runner; a puller; but never a lead dog. She was much more comfortable letting me lead and set the pace because that is what she knows. When I went hiking with Maverick, the differences were apparent. He was in charge and he knew exactly what he was doing. Every know and then, he would look back to see that I was keeping up, but otherwise he was leading the way. Fury does not have that instinct. It is fascinating to watch these dogs and learn their personalities. She's going to make an excellent little hiking dog as long as I'm ok with a wet nose on the backs of my legs.