Give this boy my dog

Posted on January 17, 2011 in Dogs Encounters Hikes and Trails

After months and months of hiking the Harding Trail at the upper end of Modjeska Canyon, we bought a Federal Lands Pass and set out for a region of the [[Cleveland National Forest]] about forty five minutes away from our condo in Portola Hills. The main attractions were an unburnt expanse of chaparral and two waterfalls.

The San Juan Loop runs a rugged circle around an unnamed hill. Most people choose to see the waterfalls first, but we took a clockwise course which sent us down the steepest hill of the course, against the flow of traffic. This meant that the last part of our walk took place in the shade of greasewood, scrub oak, and other elements of the local biome.

We met many families doing the walk for [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] Day. The most memorable of these was one of the first we encountered. Four members stood around a fifth, a dwarf with a scraggly beard. I quickly made out that in addition to being small, he was developmentally challenged, so I treated him with extra courtesy.

“Would you like to give my doggy a treat?” I asked?

He took the piece and held it out as I showed him, with hand open so Drake could lick it up. Then he reached forward and embraced my doggy. Drake stretched his neck and gently licked the dwarf’s nose.

Damn, it was one of those moments when if someone had told me I was going to die, I would have said “Give this boy my dog.” I know they would have got on famously.