I maintained the same calm energy that the rough trail has taught me in a time where its so easy to panic. I was ready to walk even more miles to find him, the pain in my body, the cold of my clothes and everything else didn't matter, I had to find my boy...Thoughts of taking the team out again to find him were working through my head but the team had already worked so hard (about 17 miles) that I didnt want them to have to go out again so quickly. While my brain forced my body to move without thinking things through Nita had a much clearer head and got her little Nissan truck ready to drive down the trail. Its not something I had thought of doing since vehicles are not welcome on the trail but due to one of the pilings being knocked down a few weeks back that left us just enough space to squeeze the truck through and we were on our way!
It was amazing to be traveling that fast and to have instant gratification that we could find him so quickly, if he was on the trail at all. Trappers are active in the area, and seem to be even more active in the past few years, that I feared he may have gotten himself in a snare or leg hold trap. I knew a trapper would have checked their traps eventually and let him out but it was not a situation I wanted him to be in. If I had to I would have walked the whole route again listening for his howls. I wasn't about to go home without him...
But with Nita's little truck we flew down the trail with great traction and little fear of getting stuck. If we had taken another route back the truck would have been next to impossible to drive through. It wasnt long before we caught him in our headlights trotting back down the trail we were just on, headed back to the parking area.
The feeling I had when we spotted him was indescribable and I nearly fell out of the Nissan before Nita had a chance to stop it. I was so excited to find him and know he was safe, James was as well since I had called him on the phone right when I realized Griffin was missing. When I called him back to let him know he was safe we both were fighting back tears.
It is impossible to go through life, our mushing adventures, living ups and downs with each one of these creatures and not feel the connection as each year brings us closer and closer together. Our bonds are like a fine wine, they get better and better with age...
And so ends another trail adventure with canines and humans all safe and sound back home to live so many more days with so many more adventures ahead of us. All the dogs are pooped and resting outside waiting for breakfast but more than happy to sleep in. It was very challenging terrain and many of them ran more miles than those hooked into the ganglines in their gleeful exploration of the forest paths and smells there.
There were times when I reached way back to the days when we were a smaller team, exploring like we were that day and having so much fun in the quiet of the forest wondering where we were, who had been here before and how long it had been that any human could have crossed through the silent forest. What would it be like for the wild animals to take their treks through their homeland and scent the paths that we had crossed?
Would the moose come and bed down in the same crusted snow patch that we passed through that the dogs were so excited to find and smell? And what would the dogs dream about that night as the memories of the trail were relived through their memories?
The feeling of passing through a quiet forest where even the tracks of wildlife are scarce is beyond description. There have been times when Ive wondered what I would do if I ran across a bear, a wolf or a angry moose and possibly feared for my life but those thoughts quickly vanish when I catch a glimpse of Gaea's white tipped tail through the trees ahead, or see Hermes and Calypso coming out from the dense spruce just off to my right. Far off to my left Thani is exploring his own path... all the dogs fanning out and forming a perimeter around me constantly checking where I am, straying away but not far from the core of the pack that they see me as.
Its times like these where the dogs are so important to me and my life so rich. We are not a kennel that harnesses up their team, sweeps them down the trail then puts them away with only care and contact during minimal care. Their lives are so much richer than that and it shows through the bonds of our relationship and the strength we have as a whole.
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