A Nose for Adventure and the Trail - by John Rezell

Story by: Guest Contributor

First posted on 01-26-2009

My heart rate managed a little flutter Flutter as I turned onto Foley from Highway 126, and began climbing the dry, clean asphalt asphalt the last weekend of April.

Maybe, just maybe, this fine road surface would hold long enough to get me six miles up the road to the Rainbow Falls Rainbow Falls. If not, maybe at least close enough to hike through the snow on the road to the trail.

More than two miles up the road, intermittent snowdrifts survived in the shadows of the towering firs, however, a pair of tracks down to asphalt blazed through to the other side.

The snow hurdles were getting longer, and deeper, when I pondered the ultimate question for the day: Just how far can I go?

That answer rang out loud and clear as I pulled around another corner and saw a Honda station wagon pitched on an awkward angle, no longer in the clear ruts, blocking the road.

I hopped out and told the three college dudes they’d answered my question, that is, how much farther could I drive? They answered, bumming the whole way, this is it.

It took about 15 minutes of some consulting and pushing, but we managed to free them. Ridgely and I hit the road, wondering just how far we could hike.

The snow was deep quickly and, having noted on my last snow-road hike that a few feet into the forest, there seemed to be little snow, Ridgely and I opted for some bushwhacking. As we worked to stay parallel to the road, it dawned on me that I had a grand opportunity here, the chance to get really off the beaten trail for a change of pace.

Besides, just the other night I caught Les Strou again on the Discovery Channel, and doing a little research on how to navigate through the forest seemed like a great exercise for the day. So I began to wander a little bit off course, on purpose, leaving behind plenty of markers of various types to make certain I could find my way back again. At least that was the plan.

Eventually we intersected another forest road, one much less traveled, so we followed it for a while. When the snow got deep, we dipped into the forest, but stayed on track with the road all the way to its end.

At its conclusion, I could hear the roar of the river in the valley, and could only wonder if a viewpoint to Rainbow Falls might be somewhere not too far away. After constructing a plan of action in my head, we went for it.

First off, we followed a pretty well-worn deer trail that skirted the edge of the ravine. Again, I made it a point to leave plenty of markers for my return trip.

After a while, it became apparent that we’d have to descend sooner or later, so, with another trail slipping down the side and a huge downed fir to point us in that direction, we plotted a course and went for it.

Not far down, I realized it was time for a review. Better make sure I know how to find my markers, since this became more challenging than paralleling a road.

That’s when I realized how quickly everything could start looking the same. I told Ridgely, time to head back. As I turned around, my nearly 2-year-old black lab marched to the front, crouched crouch her head, stuck her nose toward the ground, and began trudging up the hill. I laughed to myself that I’d never thought to test her. Instead, she just decided to show off.

I hiked in amazement as she twisted, and turned, up and down, over logs, slip through trees, leading me on a journey past all my markers. We made it back to the road, then made another dive down the valley, which Ridgely led me out of like nothing.

All the way back, I’d just stop and let her lead. Even after some crazy snow frolicking, she got back on trail. She took me back to the truck, and let me know that I have a super valuable asset at my side on every hike.

Check a video of Ridgely showing off at http://www.eugenemeraz.com

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