a99kitten's Musings

Yesterday was my first official day of summer – first trip to Donner Lake with the huskies! This is where I take them every morning we are here from now until it’s cold again :)

We go pretty early once it’s really summer/warm (typically 6-6:30ish) but it’s not quite that warm yet so the mornings are still pretty chilly. We park outside of and walk through Donner State Park and smell all the campers making their bacon – yum! I think Angelus and Storm would be perfectly happy to make friends with them and skip the hike :)

Then we get to a trail that starts right before the Emigrant Trail (a long bike trail) that takes us up through trees and rocks and plenty of forest. I need to keep them in as much shade as possible once spring/summer hits so I always look for shady hikes and this is kind of a perfect one. I keep looking for bears as there are plenty of bear sightings in Donner Park but I have yet to see one there. You’d think they’d come out with the bacon smell!! But better for them that they don’t.

It’s a gradient uphill and then a fast down, rocky downhill. The boys will lag and sniff and pee on everything in sight on the uphill but then when we get to the rocky, dusty (aka slippery) descent it’s all about who can beat who down the hill – forgetting they are attached to Mom through the leashes. Thanks guuuuuuuuuys! But they haven’t taken me out yet. I kinda think this is the plan – Mom falls and oops – all the cookies fall out of her pocket too! They took me out once before years ago. Much bigger, steeper hill and they just start charging down it. And I know as I lay there saying “OW! you little rat bastards!” I saw a glint of a hehehehe in Angelus’ eyes..I know I did! Goobers…

Anyway, so once we finish the downhill here we end up at the lake. They both immediately wade in up to their bellies and cool off and drink the water. The lake is so awesome for this as they can’t drink the ocean water when they cool down at the beach at home. Then we walk back on the flat trail along along the lake where they go in and cool off anytime. And it’s mostly shady so it’s a great summertime walk for them.

Another fun thing about this walk as the entire walk back along the lake is full of chipmunks and squirrels who LOVE to taunt the huskies. It’s like they know they are on leash. Now, some dogs have no prey instinct (pretty much talking right at you labs and goldens) and probably do not care about chasing critters (they want the ball – the huskies do not understand this.) And some dogs do have prey instincts. A very strong one. Huskies are like this. Do all huskies? Supposedly not. But my boys – oh man. If something small is running from them – Go! Chase! Get it! And it is amazing watching the instant pack/hunting mentality kick in with them both. It’s quite an organized effort. Storm circled one way around a tree/rock formation and blocked the squirrel from running onto a rock so he leapt in the air onto the tree and Angelus leapt in the air after him trying to get him. Had that little guy’s tail been a bit longer – Angelus would be flossing his teeth with squirrel hair. I need a head cam to record this stuff :)

But seeing their eyes when they chase is a funny thing. They get intent! And wide-eyed. The prey instinct is a very strong one in them so I always have to be sure they cannot get anything. I don’t want them catching anything. They are not hunting for food to survive so they do not need to catch anything (they disagree strongly.) But huskies are actually one of the few breeds that still have DNA from wolves so hunting is a natural feeling (Storm hunts for sandwiches at work every day!) National Geographic did some big dog DNA study years ago where they took DNA from all of the AKC breeds and there were 4 or 5 breeds that still have DNA traceable to Canis Lupus. I mean – look at them. Of course they do. So the DNA and traits are not just trained out of them. Had an idiot try and tell me it can be. I asked how. She said with training and discipline. I said you mean beating and fear/aggression training? She said well – if that’s what’s needed. I responded that she should never be allowed to have a dog and walked away. Hate people like that.

But this hike/walk is great in the early mornings because it’s still too early for most picnicers (except for the 4th of July weekend when people are there at 6am staking out their spots) and the campers are just waking up so my entire trail is pretty empty. I’ll see maybe 1 or 2 people the entire way. Love it. Peaceful.

And yes, just a few steps away is where some of the Donner Party ended up. There is a museum there with some of the things they found at the site (tools, clothing and such) plus it has history on what was occurring around here at the time – gold and silver mining, railroad building, town expansion, indian tribes, etc. It’s actually really interesting. I took my MIL on a visit a couple years ago and it was pretty cool. If you are ever out there on a visit (or live here and have never been), I suggest checking it out. One of the sad things was that their whole debacle could have been avoided if they would have just stayed on target and not tried a shortcut proposed by someone. Clearly this wagon train was directed by a man who thought a shortcut sounded like a great idea and didn’t simply follow directions. Bad idea.

And no – they did not all eat each other. That is actually unfounded and the legend kinda took on its own life. Might a small amount of cannibalism occurred as they were dying out and stuck in the harsh winter? Sure. No one can actually say for sure. But it wasn’t all zombieland out there.

The thing I find most incredible is that these people left pretty secure lives on the East Coast to put their families and belongings in carts and walk across the entire country to a “new land” that was pretty undiscovered, in order to start new lives with only the potential for something greater driving them. Amazing. People were frackin’ tough and resilient back then. People today can’t live 1 hour without their cell phone, or drive thru fast food, cable TV. You just don’t see that spirit or tenacity in people. We’ve gotten soft. That’s not a good thing. Don’t misunderstand – I LOVE creature comforts. But I think too many people today expect things instead of working for things.

But then on the other hand, I can now wander through that same area with the huskies and enjoy the beauty for what it is and not worry about starving or freezing to death. We think that’s kinda of a good thing :)