Okay, this is not where we took a day hike yesterday. This is Yellowstone National Park, and I took this photo last year on our trip to Montana via Yellowstone. Yesterday, however, we took a day hike on the Pacific Crest Trail. But I forgot my camera, which is too bad because the light was incredible yesterday. We are having one of those rare Indian summers. May it stretch into October, please.
Neko came with us on her maiden trail experience. I gave her an A. What a trooper. She forged streams (well, trickles), walked over rocks and looked tough when faced with chipmunks. She would have gotten an A+ except for her attempts to eat horse poop. The trail was strewn with it; some was very fresh and covered with flies. The horror! Neko eats cat poop with great enthusiam and cunning. I have heard it does have nutritional value. She likes hers lightly dusted with cat litter. It looks but does not taste like Almond Roca. Not that I would know. She looks like the cat who ate the canary when she gets caught with that telltale dusting of cat litter on her snout. But she cannot help it.
With the horse poop, she would grab a hunk without breaking her stride -- in an attempt to fool us. But then some would fall out. Busted! But she was fantastic otherwise. She did not stop; she did not refuse to move forward; she did not wander off the trail; she did not whine. She kept up a man-pace the whole way. We hiked for more than two hours. We didn't make it to Kendall Catwalk, but we did make it far enough to escape the roar of I-90 and enjoy a couple of spectacular vistas. Next time, I will bring my camera.
I got about 5 mosquito bites as soon as we stopped for a water break. I guess it is better than dying from the inhalation of and skin contact with bug spray. Why do mosquitos love me? I don't love them at all.
