what a beautiful day!

 new growth!

 

fly away

so tired of this wet gray stuff! we got out later in the afternoon yesterday, and although it was too wet to be using chickadee we saw plenty of people doing it anyway. and plenty of opp laying around. i have been on move quick and get back to work excursions lately, and haven't had time to clean up after the slobs, but need to do so soon.

on our way out on the on leash trail, saw a woman sitting on the ground & a loose dog. stopped. when she looked at us i asked to not to let her dog run up. she replied that she had just sprained her ankle and i said i'm sorry and stood there. she corralled her dog.

a group of runners came in with their dog off leash & she told them that i wanted their dog leashed. what i wanted was for loose dogs not to run up to my leashed dogs, but that worked. as i walked by, i asked the woman if i could call anyone for her.

she asked "what do you do with your dogs on the off leash trail?" when i explained that we were on the on leash section, i was following the rules, loose dogs and leashed dogs don't mix she allowed as to how that made sense.

here's the thing, though- the trails are off leash under control. that means that owners supposedly can control their dogs and keep them from running up to other dogs or people. so it really shouldn't be an issue.

i've had people whose rude dogs have charged us be apalled when my dogs back them off, so i find it better to just stay as far away from other dogs and dog owners as possible unless it's someone i know.

i think i need some sun.

latest trail conditions report

Latest (Jan 28) general conditions report from R2R: "We are beginning a short period of cold mornings and warmer afternoons. With a mild freeze overnight, most trails should be good to ride or hike on this morning. Look for them to soften by late morning however so at that point you should confine your use to only the sandier trails. Remember - If you are leaving tracks, it will be time to turn back."

For detailed reports please go to one of the following:

ridgetorivers.org

boisetraildog.org

swimba.org

When planning your trail usage this weekend, please remember that trails in the Hulls/Crestline area are generally sandy and well-draining. By contrast, Tablerock trails and most Military Reserve trails are generally clay/sedimentary and are not good choices when not frozen. Happy trails. (Thanks Tom !)

enforcement

i got a call from a woman yesterday who has had a few bad experiences with the ihs enforcement officers. she called ridge to rivers and the humane society and didn't feel like either one took her complaint seriously.

i am just relating the conversation here. since i wasn't present, i don't have an opinion one way or the other. but she was clearly upset, so i'm going to share what she had to say.

this woman and her husband have used the trails for 30 or so years. they clean up after their dog and pick up opp. she feels that the current signs are confusing and was not aware that the sign that says "on leash trail" means that the trail starts right there, at that spot, rather than being a warning that an on leash trail is coming up. she has discussed this with her friends and most agree with her. (note to readers to dispell any confusion- the on leash portion of the trail starts at the sign).

she and her husband felt ridiculed and talked down to by the officers, she used the term power trip a few times. she said comments like "bet you don't have a leash" and "bet you don't have a bag" were made. the dog owners have been cited 3 times over the past year.

her complaint sounded a lot like the last time i got a speeding ticket. the officer wanted to scold me. i just wanted him to write the ticket and be done with it. i'm old enough to know i made a mistake and to take responsibilty for it. scolding serves no useful purpose. (this, again, from our conversation. i am certain that, as is always the case, there is another side to the story.)

a little history- many dog owners requested increased enforcement of existing rules rather than having additional restrictions put in place when the off leash dogs on trails issue was hot a few years ago. it is our responsibility as dog owners to understand and follow the rules. the role of the officers is one of education as well as enforcement.



i have heard people say that they won't support the humane society any more because they provide the enforcement on trails & in parks. this really bothers me. money sent to the ihs goes to care for the animals there, pure and simple. the officers are contracted by the city as part of animal control. the city pays for the service, not your contribution to the humane society.

i told the woman that i would pass her story along. i asked her to send me an email, which i haven't gotten yet, so i thought i'd go ahead & write it up here.

i'd also like to remind all dog owners that we do need to learn and follow the existing rules. there's no guarantee that things won't change. if parks and ridge to rivers get a lot fo complaints about unruly dogs or a lot of poop we're going to be going right back down the same road we were on a few years ago.

here's hoping that things dry out soon!

monday monday

gray & sort of soggy.... started work early so we could get out during the day. it's always good to be out on the trails, and we've been missing it lately. headed down red fox which was fine since it's sandy. when we got to chickadee i started up, but noticed halle leaving prints in the soft mud to the side so we turned back around & did the loop across the road & through the grove instead.

took an early lunch, so we didn't run into too many other people. i did see the i.hs van in one of the parking lots, and ran into 3 other folks with dogs & 1 group without. much quieter than first thing in the morning or at noon. lots of birds about- saw a red tailed hawk all fluffed up high in a tree in the grove, lots of chickadees and some mourning doves.

 nice, peaceful head clearing walk- good start to the week.

if you know anyone who's looking for a small red dog bootie it's waiting for them on the sign going into the grove from 8th street.

have a great week & happy trails!

beautiful sunday

i took a different route this morning. usually don't do the lower trails on the weekens, both because i want to go farther and because i want to avoid the crowds. we went out early while things were still frozen & took a longer loop, past the sign that talks about how many people invested a great deal of time to save hull's gulch from development.

this is a reminder to me that we have a responsibility to take care of the space that these folks worked so hard to keep public.

these bags are not on an out & back route. the contents were cold & hard. they are between 2 trash cans- not too far from either. and yeah, i picked them up & tossed them, reinforcing that if you leave a mess someone else will clean it up.

i haven't been on these trails for quite a while, mostly because they are usually pretty busy. i started going up higher on weekends after a series of unpleasant encounters with clueless dog owners- more the norm than an anomoly a few years ago. i was shocked to see how much wider the trails are now than they were a few years ago. this is kestral before the red cliffs cut off.

on top of red cliffs.

the trails were frozen when we were out this morning, but have clearly had lots of traffic when wet.

that's ice in the center of the trail, so you can tell that it will be wet here once things warm up.

when i mentioned my surprise at the width of the trails to my husband he said it was because of increased traffic. he mt bikes & covers more ground than i do. this is the parking lot at 9 a.m. i have to agree with him.

it was a beautiful day, and we had a nice hike.

beautiful blue sky day

another beautiful day, so glad to be out in it!

happy trails!