We got our ocean fix mid-week when we had to drive to the coast for work. Since we arrived after wrap, we had to find our crew at their hotels, making it a bit of a different adventure than I had expected. However, on the pleasant note, we got to revisit where we had spent Christmas 2015: Cannon Beach, Oregon.
After a quick jaunt on the sands, we took our lunch break, enjoying the sea breeze. When people ask why I don’t settle down and just take a job where I live or work from home, this is why. I get paid to be in places like this.
Since we had already traveled west for the week, on our day off we headed east. There is a little bit of me that still wants to hike the PCT with Tucker, but I know doing so is not in the cards. The entire length is 2661 miles. That's about what we do on a cross country road trip in a few days. Walking it is a different matter. Between his health issues and me just not being in good shape, it’s not the best of ideas. But much like the Appalachian Trail along the east coast, one can hop on and off the Pacific Crest Trail at various points.
So Tuck and I hopped on for a short trek to Dry Creek Falls (which seems like an oxymoron of a name). The trailhead begins at the Bridge of the Gods, which is considered to be a major point along the PCT, where one crosses over from Oregon to Washington State for the final 500 miles.
Tuck and I had our backs to the bridge as we started on the trail to the falls. Upward we went, and while there were no spectacular vistas to behold along the way, being held in the warm embrace of the forest was plenty satisfying to me. And of course, the waterfall at the end was spectacular.
Tuck and I had our backs to the bridge as we started on the trail to the falls. Upward we went, and while there were no spectacular vistas to behold along the way, being held in the warm embrace of the forest was plenty satisfying to me. And of course, the waterfall at the end was spectacular.
I have to wonder if the spraying water, the tall rock walls of the amphitheater, the loud noise of the falls, and the overall general wetness make waterfalls like this an olfactory overload for Tucker. He didn’t seem too happy, with his tail down and ears back. But there was nothing unusual about the place. We even had it all to ourselves for a brief few minutes.
Maybe he was just tired from a long week, but since he didn’t seem to be enjoying himself, I took in the view and we headed back down to the Bridge of the Gods.
My general rule when it comes to activities with Tucker: whether it’s a walk in the neighborhood, an agility course, or human shenanigans (like dressing up for a calendar), if one of us isn’t having fun anymore, then we stop. It’s quite simple. Life is too short to willingly continue to do things we don’t enjoy. I know Tucker enjoys hiking; he just wasn't fond of this one. I can't say every hike has been five stars for me either, so maybe we just had a hike he wasn't in the mood for. And like the hikes that haven't been my favorite, I'll take the hike for the experience it was, and next time try something different. Not all paths are worth taking, but once on one, there's no regrets for every trail is part of the journey.
My general rule when it comes to activities with Tucker: whether it’s a walk in the neighborhood, an agility course, or human shenanigans (like dressing up for a calendar), if one of us isn’t having fun anymore, then we stop. It’s quite simple. Life is too short to willingly continue to do things we don’t enjoy. I know Tucker enjoys hiking; he just wasn't fond of this one. I can't say every hike has been five stars for me either, so maybe we just had a hike he wasn't in the mood for. And like the hikes that haven't been my favorite, I'll take the hike for the experience it was, and next time try something different. Not all paths are worth taking, but once on one, there's no regrets for every trail is part of the journey.
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