are we there yet?

Today is Groundhog Day. We have no groundhogs here. But this weekend was so gorgeous we spent the whole time looking at our shadow. Maybe can we please get six weeks of winter? Not six more weeks of winter, just some winter? No rain since mid-December, but the trails are perfect, grass abounds, and might as well take advantage.

I was tired of the usual home trails, but didn't want to stray far. So I decided on a one-way trip to Auburn (with SO kindly delivering my trailer). The distance isn't too far (14 miles) but the elevation gain makes up for it (2,200 feet, most of it in a 1.5 mile section!). Major thought it was too early until I plied him with alfalfa.

sun coming up, a classy wheelbarrow, an alfalfa snack, and modeling his new-to-me Toklat Matrix pad: thumbs up!

We headed out about 9:00am in sunshine and short-sleeves. In January. Crazy. Major was happy to move along towards Avery Pond. Past that, he knew something was up. Shouldn't we be turning around?

stream below should really be an entire finger of the lake

on the other side of the little stream!

We trotted the service road and past the bridge of death. Then begins a lovely single-track along the river. Just a few runners coming towards us, every time we passed them Major would speed up, thinking he was wining the race…in the opposite direction. Not his most clever move. Then he'd slow, pull over and stop (I always think he has to pee, or wants a grass snack, yes he has me fooled!). Time to turn around yet?

drought-stricken river

looking back before starting up, hold on for cliffs and rocks ahead

Then it's up, up, up. I hate the rock portions, though Major hates them more. It is slow going over yucky rock footing. I got off and hiked the last portion of the Cardiac Bypass, at the top Major dove into the grass like a starving thing. Then stared back down the trail, time to turn around yet?

partway up, might not make it without a snack!

Just another couple miles, up to the lovely trough at Auburn. Where he snorkeled but didn't drink. Time to go home now? Major didn't quite understand that the trailer was waiting, that we could go home the easy way. I do like that we was willing to keep going, and he sure felt like he could have done another 14 miles!

we're done here, let's go home…

After I untacked, and cleaned him up, he found a perfect place to roll in the dirt. And I think he finally figured out we didn't have to ride back! He jumped into the trailer and stuck his head out the window. Now can we go home?

really, he was clean…

one last look down the trail