20/08/2025
A spontaneous trip into the forest yesterday. I should brought paper to wipe away the sweat. And better hiking shoes. And not worn shorts considering all the stinging nettles and other scratchy things and bugs that bite and sting.
But I don't regret a thing, because nothing rejuvenates my soul like venturing into the wilderness with the dog I raised, feeling that unbroken connection we've been building his whole life, even if we now live apart. I carry a leash in case, but I never have to put it on him.
Seeing him run wild, be his true self, and knowing I can trust him, that's everything. That's the dream I had when we decided to get a dog.
I can't navigate to save my life, literally, so he helps me find our way back, all I have to do is say "go to the car" and follow him. If I'm having trouble making my way across the terrain (we don't follow trails), I say "I'm scared, stay close" and he lets me hold onto him for stability.
We were making our way through an overgrown and uneven clearing when he stopped and sat down. I caught up to him and said, "come on", but he wouldn't budge, just stared at the forest ahead. I tried to keep walking, but he got in front of me and sat down. He gave me a serious look, then looked towards the forest. I said, "what is it?". He kept staring. So I held my breath and stood totally still, and I heard it. Slow, heavy footsteps. Not human. They were coming from the direction in which he had locked his focus. I whispered, "okay. Tell me when it's safe". I waited next to him for a few minutes. I couldn't hear any more steps, but I watched his gaze follow the sound I couldn't hear, moving away from us. Eventually he stood up, and with a wagging tail, continued to lead me towards the car.
Had he not been there, maybe I would have come face to face with a huge and angry moose. Or worse, an aggressive wild boar. But that's okay. Because if he hadn't been there, I wouldn't have been there.
He gets me out, into a place of peace. He shows me interesting sticks and muddy creeks and cool mushrooms and stunning rock formations and soft moss. Those things make me feel so much better than alcohol, a toxic relationship, money problems, abandonment issues... None of which I think about when it's just our four paws and two feet moving off the beaten path beneath the pines.