Carr Falls

Instead of a hike, I took all four dogs to explore Carr Falls, a seasonal local hang-out and a party spot anyway (judging by the many beer bottles and cans along the trail) this afternoon. This was my first weekday off in a while and the weather was ideal for some hiking. Lots of people come to these slabs; today I climbed up the rocks and also climbed up the brittle trail on the fall's left bank.

There was water trickling after yesterday's rain so the dogs had some cool refreshment on an otherwise warm and windless afternoon. Temps were in the 60s. I almost made it to the top of the falls! What made me turn around was Sammy's fear. He stayed low and whimpered near a top ledge, and that is when I knew I had to turn around for safety's sake. Going any further would have been foolish and risky and I didn't want to put my dogs in any danger.

We were all alone until two men joined us near the top. They passed us up as I gave the dogs a rest near the bottom of the top falls. The vantage point from here was a first for me, seeing the rock slabs up close like this. The dogs barked and Sadie seemed to intimidate one of the guys. Even Sieger barked and growled, a first for him.

The men were now ahead of us and made it to the top. It was tempting to follow their route to see the view, but I will do that another time. I stayed out of their way as the dogs could be a nuisance.

I saw them again as we both converged back at the parked cars, coming from different directions.

I lugged around a large dSLR, which also slowed me down, but nothing else. No water, no pack, no jacket. Next time I attempt this I will take one or two dogs, a small backpack with water, and a small p&s camera. As it is I'm not happy with today's photos.

This short but steep climb, which took me two hours, was rough on the two older dogs. I'll have to insist they stay home from now on, so as to not be too rough on them. I know they want to be with me, and enjoy sniffing trees and street edges, but my walks aren't the usual walks. They are physical chalenges. Sadie and Sieger loved today's little venture, and Sieger also enjoyed the added water. He slid down near-vertical slabs, bit the water, and simply enjoyed being a dog.