Take a hike!

Mother nature decided to give us a near-70 degree day on Saturday so we took our oldest furry son to Golden Gate Canyon State Park. 13,000 acres of foothills, trees and streams. We got a park map and decided we’d try going on a hike since I remembered not to wear my Crocs.

The trails were labeled for beginners, moderate hikers, and extreme difficulty for experienced hikers. I have been told to take a hike before, so I wasn’t a beginner. But we certainly weren’t ready to scale mountains and rocks, so we opted for a moderate trail called Horseshoe, which is about a 4 mile loop.

As soon as we started on the trail there was a sign warning us about bears and mountain lions. If we came across one, we were supposed to speak to the animal softly, avoid eye contact, and slowly back away. I started planning what I would do; “Hi pretty kitty! Nice kitty. Here, eat Coda!” then I’d run away and hope Coda was able to escape. [Editor (Bob) note: Coda and I knew the plan was to outrun Jen, so he wasn't worried.]

The hike was actually pretty easy except for the whole altitude thing. Coda had fun pulling Bob uphill and drinking from the crystal clear streams. He also met a Jack Russel Terrier, Cocker Spaniel, and two Golden Retrievers along the way and said hello to them.

By the end of our hike he was a muddy mess and very happy about it. He even shook some mud off onto Bob. I think he was mostly happy that we didn’t have to sacrifice him to a bear or mountain lion.