Jim's overnight backpacking trip

Yesterday, I did laundry, dishes and cooked. Today I mowed the lawn. Now isn't that really interesting. So, I'll tell you about Jim's trip.

Jim wanted to go on a short overnighter on the Oak Creek trail, only this time he was going to start from the bottom and go up to where the trail meets the creek so he could fish. I wasn't really feeling up to it and Janae was busy with her so-called lame sci-fi movies. Kristine was with John for part of the time and she was tired. So poor Jim. He decided to go without us and take his friends, Jack, Smith & Wesson.

We loaded Jack and the gear in the back of the truck. Dori was beside herself when she realized that she wasn't going too. I dropped them off at the base of the trail, after we had made plans for picking them up the next day in case he didn't have cell service. It turned out that he had service way up the mountain. He called about an hour after they left to tell me that Jack was tired and had tried to turn around and go home. I found out about the rest of the trip after they got home.

Jim called this morning at 8:00 am to tell me that he would be down in about an hour. I took Dori with me to go and pick them up. I opened the back window in the truck cab so I could talk to her in the back of the truck. She was very agitated and kept yipping. Then she climbed in the window and tried to climb into the front seat and sit on my lap. I made her stay in the back seat, but she kept hanging over the seat on my neck, my arm, my head. The truck was weaving all over the road until I got her calmed down and sitting relatively still.

We got to the trail head and met them coming down down the road. The dogs had a joyous reunion and Jim started telling me about the trip. Jack was seriously going to turn back and go home, until Jim had to really yell at him to get him to come back. They sat down and had some water, Jack drinking a quart or more. He was just thirsty, apparently. They continued on and found a rattlesnake, which they gave a wide berth to. They got to the place they were going to camp and went fishing. Jack was a great fisherdog. He stayed behind Jim while he was fly fishing and didn't disturb the fish at all. Later, they both enjoyed a fish dinner.

Jim says that sleeping with Jack is worse than sleeping with me. He didn't take a tent, so they both slept under the stars. Jim woke up with Jack's leg over him. Jim woke up with Jack's head on him. Jim woke up with Jack laying halfway over him. Jim woke up with Jack pushing against him with all four legs (good thing they weren't on a ledge). Jim woke up with Jack's face 2" from his own, with Jack laying on his back, 4 legs in the air, staring into his face. When they settled down to sleep, Jim made Jack lay down. He looked over at him and Jack was laying perfectly still, eyes open, tongue out, not breathing. Jim poked him and he was stiff. So Jim thinks, "I've killed him." He called his name two or three times and finally Jack "came to" and just jumped up like nothing was wrong.

So to say that a good time was had by all would be a great exaggeration. But they had a good enough time that maybe they will do it again sometime in the far future.