Jack and I have decided to get into shape for backpacking. He's getting stronger, so I decided to try his pack again, with a couple of water bottles in it for weight. Total weight just over 4lbs.
Saturday morning we set off early (7:30am) for one of our favorite hikes, from Chabot park in San Leandro to Grass Valley. It's about 5 miles each way, I recon. It took us just over 4 hours, so that's about right for 10 miles.
The weather was glorious, cool, and sunny. We were in shade most of the way, but when it warmed up, I just wet Jacks head, ears and back a little and it cools him right down. The pack was great. He almost didn't notice it, except on the steep uphills.
We took a few breaks to snack and drink water, of course. Jack still eats and drinks prodigiously. I always carry a 5mg tab of prednisone, in case there is any kind of episode. It was almost like old times.
Monday morning, as I write this, Jack is still pilfering paper out of the recycling basket. I rigged a little trap with the carton from a pound of butter (irresistible!), with a string tied to three aluminum cans on the shelf high above. He's sprung the trap twice, so far, only to run upstairs when the cans came crashing down. Hopefully... he'll get it.
This morning we went up on The Hill again. Last week when we were there, Jack chased a turkey into flight, and ran off through the high grass. He came back shaking his head, and I pulled a couple of weeds out of his ears. It wasn't enough, as he was still shaking his head, so I took him to the vet. They pulled a long wiry thing out of his ear, and he's been fine since.
So today we went up The Hill on leash.
I put about 20lbs of water in my own pack and 4lbs in Jacks for training purposes.
All was good, though Jack has been looking over his shoulder a lot, and I had to urge him on. We're each other's fitness coaches these days.
We were past the third landing, and heading toward the top, when I looked up the trail to see a Very. Large. Coyote. He must have been 70-75lbs, and healthy. He looked solidly built, not rangy, like you might expect. If he'd been elsewhere, I might have thought him to be a German Shepherd (except for that face) or a wolf.
Our eyes met at almost at the same instant. He spun, flashed a bushy tail and vanished.
My head was on a swivel for the rest of the walk, and we didn't hang around at all. I know I'm not on the menu, but Jack certainly qualified. I've seen a lot of coyotes, and this guy was the king. I've seen his poops up there, looking like they were from a large dog or something, but of course, they're full of fur and bones, not like most dogs.
Knowing they're up there isn't the same as actually seeing them, especially in the daylight.
On the way back down, a buzzard landed on a telephone pole right ahead of us, and eyed us with curiosity. Sorry, not just yet, Mr. Buzzard. We're still walking.
