Bad dog

Yesterday I was out walking, on my way home, and a big dog came bounding up to me. I was scared by it. It had all its manly parts. The dog looked kind of wild-eyed and I thought it might bite me. I've been bitten by dogs before.

The dog jumped up on me, but didn't bite me. He bounded all around, panting loudly and running up and down the street, kind of charging me, trying to get me to play or something, then running ahead, then stopping and lunging back at me with that wild-eyed look. I was afraid and annoyed by this dog. It followed me all the way home despite my efforts to get it to leave me alone.

When I got home, my downstairs neighbor who has a tiny little chihuahua, opened her door and the rude, manly dog burst inside. Soon he and little Cheeto were having a growling and sniffing thing going and I was afraid this rude big dog would hurt little Cheeto. Finally my neighbor was able to grab the dog's collar so we could read the tag. I hadn't been able to do that because the dog moved too much and I was afraid to touch him because I have been bitten trying to grab a dog's collar before.

I phoned the owners, who were not home, and left a message. I tied the rude dog to the fence in my yard since I don't have an enclosed yard. The dog wasn't happy with that and barked. My bird, who sits outside on nice days, was not happy about that either and yelled at the dog.

So I took the dog on the rope and walked it back to the address on its tag. The dog was very ill-behaved. When I used to have a dog as a child, all you had to do was say HEEL and the dog would walk by your left side. Whenever you came to a stop, the dog would sit down. This is the way dogs ought to behave. This dog did none of that. He pulled at the leash so hard the slip-knot nearly choked him to death. He attempted to run over and fight with other dogs. One of these dogs was also loose and I feared there would be a big fight. Why so many loose dogs? I felt like calling the pound. Maybe they could come and give this rude beast a little snip-snip.

When I arrived at the address, it was not the house I thought it might have been. There is a house next to the dog's house where there are often little puppies that look kind of like this dog. There haven't been puppies for a while. But it wasn't the puppy house he belonged to. I tied the dog to the house on a railing with some shade and left a message with the owner where I left their dog.

This morning as I walked down the same street, more dogs came chasing after me. Different ones. Also loose. I decided on my way home to not walk on that street anymore. Too many bad dogs.

I guess I'm just not a dog person. I'll stick with birds. Even when they are bad they aren't as bad as bad dogs.

Water report for MY hike

Someone went out and did a hike on much of the trail I'm planning to do to get to the PCT. He sent me an awesome water and trail report. I feel so much better knowing what I'm in for and where to tank up on water and where to find it again. Having this info makes me feel raring to go.

It also cheers me that someone left a comment encouraging me onward. The saying is HYOH — hike your own hike — but sometimes it's a good feeling to know you're hiking for/with others in spirit.

Just two more weeks.

Restless worries

These last few weeks before I set off on the completion of my journey are proving to be difficult.

I'm quite bored. I feel a restlessness inside not so much for hitting the trail as for getting a job. I should be employed and productive, but I'm not. And what am I planning to do? Recreate. This seems irresponsible. Didn't I already have my chance at this? Haven't I recreated enough? Add to these feelings the meta-worry that maybe I will continue to feel this way while hiking thus jeopardizing my chance at completing the trail. And if I don't finish the trail, then what? Go on forever with a lingering, niggling unfinished goal, a dream unrealized?

I wish I was not such a worry wort. I must continue. I must finish.