Scott Brown and his wife decided to take advantage of the snowy weather and hike to a frozen waterfall in Washington state. It was a long hike, spanning around 7 miles. They knew it was going to take a while, and they packed everything they needed for the trip, including their camera.
Before they headed down the trail, they noticed something sitting nearby.
At first, they thought it was a bear, but they soon realized it was just a dog. They wondered why it was there but assumed it was just waiting for other hikers nearby. Scott explained:
“I made a joke to my wife that it was a bear.”
The couple didn’t know it, but the dog was following them closely. Even though they couldn’t see him, he was lingering nearby. The couple took their time and took photos of the beautiful scenery along the way. Because the hike was so long, they had to take a few breaks.
The dog didn’t seem to mind.
Scott said:
“He took the lead anywhere from a couple feet to way out in front, out of sight. He would sit and wait for us as we took photos and then continue on when we did.”
The couple continued down the path, and eventually, they made it to the waterfall. Of course, their new hiking buddy wasn’t far behind them. They decided to take some photos and spend some time at the waterfall enjoying the scenery.
They also thought they would get to know the dog a little better.
They wondered where he had come from. He was obviously healthy and well-fed. He had no problem keeping up with them and seemed to know the trail well. But whose dog was he?
When Scott started petting the dog, he noticed that he had a collar on and it had a tag attached to it. When he read the tag, he realized why the dog was so excited to see them and follow them. The tag said:
“Hi, I’m Smokey. I live nearby so please don’t take me. I like to follow hikers sometimes. Don’t worry, I’ll go home when I get tired. My people love me a lot. Thanks for being nice!”
The hikers were amused and relieved.
They were worried about what would happen to the dog when they left. Would he stay and freeze or starve? Would an angry hiker hurt him? Would he get lost and not know how to get back home?
Knowing that the dog does that kind of thing often gave them some reassurance that he knew the area much better than they did and that he would be fine after they left. He followed the hikers back to the parking lot and even stuck around for a while to see them off. Scott said:
“He stayed in the lot until we were all changing near our cars and he calmly walked across the road and back into the neighborhood. At the corner, he gave out a quick bark at us then continued on back home, I assume.”
Just like the hikers, Smokey got to go home to a nice warm house.
He was probably tired after following them on the long snowy trek. Knowing Smokey, though, he won’t rest long. As soon as he sees another car pull into the parking lot and another group of hikers getting their gear out, he will head over to hike with them.
At least nobody ever has to worry about feeling lonely on their hikes. They will always have Smokey to accompany them. He also happens to be pretty photogenic.
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