Back to Colorado
After finishing Grad School in Salt Lake City, we packed up and headed back to Colorado in March of 2011. I was offered a job with the Town of Palisade and we moved back to the Grand Valley, purchasing a home in Grand Junction. Our new home was located only a few hundred yards from the Colorado Riverfront Trail, we spent lots of time on the trail with multiple daily walks, weekly runs, and on occasion the dogs ran along as we biked. During the summer months Sydney and Nellie enjoyed taking a quick dip in the river or one of the neighboring ponds. When we had our first snowfall, they loved running along the trail shoveling their noses through the snow.
Sydney was happy to live closer to her bestie Chloe, they saw each other most every week, from hikes in Devil’s Canyon, swimming at Snooks Bottom, playing on my parent’s property, and the occasional camping trip. Chloe even joined Sydney and Nellie on a handful of Fourteeners. The first summer we were in Grand Junction we climbed Uncompahgre Peak with Sydney, Nellie, and Chloe. Uncompahgre Peak marked Sydney’s sixth Fourteener, she charged ahead along the trail like a seasoned pro, taking breaks in the snow fields, scrambling over rocks, looking down at us as we hiked along. When she greeted other hikers on the trail she held her tail high and would flash a little smile as she gleefully told everyone “we are going on an adventure”. Once we made it to the top of the summit the dogs indulged with some tuna fish and beef jerky before making our way back down. While we took some time to enjoy the views from the top, Sydney would walk to the edge and look down, admiring her journey to the top. Sydney certainty never exhibited any fear of heights, she always tested the boundaries and nudged right up to the edge to enjoy the views on every hike.
Some of my favorite memories are at my parent’s cabin in Arrowhead, located between Montrose and Blue Mesa. We took trips to the cabin during three of the seasons; in the summer and fall the dogs would race around the cabin chasing squirrels and frolic as we walked. In the winter they enjoyed playing in snow up to their bellies. Sydney being the smallest of the pack would burrow through the snow and poke her little head up over the snow banks, completely covered in snow. Sydney had furry little paws and long silky fur, resulting in the collection of snowballs on her belly and in between her tootsies. During our winter trips to the cabin, we had to park at a staging area a few miles from the cabin and snowmobile in. The dogs would dance around in the parking lot as we got everything loaded to head the cabin. We went out for several snowmobile rides during our weekend cabin getaways, the dogs loved to ride. My dad built little boxes for the dogs to ride in, Chloe and Nellie usually rode in the back and Sydney would ride up front between your legs. During the dry months, I brought my mountain bike along. My dad would drive me up to the top of one of the trails and then I would ride back down to the cabin, all the dogs would ride in the Side-by-Side while I was on my bike. Typically my dad would drive ahead of me then find a place to stop, giving me time to catch up. The dogs would wait for me to come around the corner then they would run to catch me. As Sydney ran to greet me she sang her song of excitement and flashed her toothy smile. Back in the cabin, the dogs would snuggle up on the living room floor for their afternoon naps. On one of our trips a brown bear wandered into the front yard one evening, Sydney stood with two paws in the windowsill, nose pushed against the glass. Sydney was small and sweet, loyal, and always ready to protect her people.
Palisade Reccing Crew
When I started as the Recreation and Events Coordinator for the Town of Palisade, I had a limited budget, but the Town had acquired two 12-passenger buses a few years before my start. I was told to make use of these buses any way that I could. One of the first programs that I started was Monday Hikes, which grew in popularity very quickly. I soon had a group of regular hikers who coined themselves the Palisade Reccing Crew. The majority of the hikes I planned were dog friendly so that I could bring Sydney and Nellie along, we also had a few other dog friends who joined us each week.
Dogs only need three weeks to learn your schedule; after Sydney and Nellie joined a few Monday hikes they knew when Monday had arrived and they expected to join in the fun. We always woke up a little earlier on Mondays, to save time, I packed my hiking bag and lunch the night before and set things by the door. After breakfast we loaded into the car and drove into Palisade, stopping to pick up the bus from another city building. The dogs became very familiar with the hiking shuttle, they climbed in and typically found a place on one of the seats as we drove the short distance to meet all the hikers. When we arrived at Town Hall, I always stopped by my office to grab the enrollment list and waivers for any new participants. Sydney marched into Town Hall, knowing exactly where to go, she was the unofficial crew leader. Each week the dogs would eagerly wait outside of Town Hall, greeting all their hiking buddies. Most of the time we had 8-10 people on the hikes, leaving room in the seats for Sydney to make herself comfortable, each week sitting next to a different hiker. She liked to look out the window and see where we were going, everyone always commented that Sydney acted like one of the human participants. Pat and I used joked that Sydney was a human sole stuck in a dog’s body.
Monday hikes were usually local hikes in the Grand Valley, we frequented Sydney’s favorite spot, Devil’s Canyon, hiking a different trail with each visit. We explored Flume Canyon, Pollock’s Bench, Rabbit Ears Trail in Rabbit Valley, Steve’s Loop, Rustlers Loop, and made a few visits to the dig sites of the Fruita Paleo Area and Trail Through Time. Some of these hikes have overlooks with steep drops, Sydney walked right up the edge on many of these hikes, something I was accustomed to, but some of the hikers were concerned she would fall over the edge. Sydney tested the boundaries, toes on the rim looking out over the valley; not wanting her to linger at the edge, I would call to her to be careful, she cautiously backed away and then off she went down the trail again without any worries. After each of the Fruita-Loma area hikes, we made a stop at Enstrom in Fruita for ice cream and coffee; Sydney, Nellie, and their other furry friends always got a little taste of someone’s frosty treat. The favorite Grand Junction hikes included Mica Mine, Holey Bucket, Holly Cross, Andy’s Trail, and sections of the Gunny Loop. We hiked the Palisade Rim Trail and explored the trails of Cameo looking for wild horses. In the summer the hikes were often on the Grand Mesa to escape the heat, Sydney and Nellie made their way across Crag Crest Trail, Mesa Top, and ran wild at Water Dog Reservoir and all the Mesa Lakes area trails. After many of the Monday outings, I drove the bus past my house to drop Sydney and Nellie off before taking all the hikers back to Palisade. The dogs always knew when their stop was coming up, they would say goodbye to all the hikers before getting off the bus.
One year we hiked the West Bench Trail on the Mesa, having the trail mostly to ourselves for the duration of the hike. Just as someone in the group mentioned they were surprised we had not seen any other hikers, we saw someone in the distance. Typically encounters with other hikers are positive and include a quick exchange of pleasantries. We were heading west on the trail and came across a man traveling east, as we approached, he held something out in front of him. Without any warning the man sprayed bear spray at our group, claiming he was fearful the dogs would attack him. On this particular hike Sydney and Nellie were joined by two other very friendly pups, none of whom were aggressive. Sydney was bounding through the wild flowers, Nellie trotting on the trail just in front of me, another dog at the back of the group, and one leading the group just ahead of Nellie. When I realized the man was holding a canister of bear spray, my instinct was to grab Nellie, but I was not quick enough to grab the pup at the front of the pack. He got sprayed in the face, and several hikers in the group walked through the particles in the air, inhaling the peppery droplets into their lungs. Members of the group called the man out, noting he had no reason to spray us. I told the man he could have politely asked us to leash our dogs and we would have happily done so, his response “You are lucky I didn’t pull my gun out”. The group continued on to the Powderhorn ski lift where we took a break and tried to clean our faces off the best we could. Many hikers were coughing and some experienced wheezing and discomfort in their lungs and chest. We didn’t have any cell service until we got back to the bus, I called the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office to report the incident, but unfortunately the man was long gone. The man was around 5’10’’ with a scraggly dark beard, he had the look of a conspiracy theorist, the anti government type. He dressed in an oversized canvas coat, the type of coat you would find at a military surplus store, well-worn jeans, and a floppy brimmed hat. He had a difficult and disgruntled personality. Before we made it back to the bus, we came across a few ladies hiking together with two dogs; we stopped to talk to them and they said they too encountered the man and he didn’t disarm his bear spray, but he did threaten to shoot their dogs if they got close to him. This was quite the adventure and fortunately, this was the only time the Reccing Crew had this type of experience.
Day trips were also very popular, I typically planned one each month on a Friday or Saturday. These trips varied and were not always dog friendly, but there were several hiking trips that Sydney and Nellie were able to attend. Some of the trips included multiple outings to Moab with hikes to Morning Glory Bridge, Corona and Bowtie Arches, Dead Horse State Park, and Fisher Towers. They also had fun exploring the trails of Gateway Canyons, taking in local history on tours of old mining towns, and hiking in Snowmass. In 2015 I organized a camping trip to Curecanti National Recreation Area near Blue Mesa. We camped at the Ponderosa Campground; all the rec participants hauled their campers and the dogs and I tented with my summer intern. Despite the rain, we had a great time hiking the Dillon Pinnacles on the first day and enjoyed a community style pot-luck dinner by the campfire. The weather cleared on the second day and we hiked the Curecanti Creek Trail which follows the creek two miles, descending through the Black Canyon down to a beautiful emerald pool where the creek feeds into the Gunnison River. We stopped for lunch at the bottom of the trail and Sydney wandered from each hiker, happily accepting small morsels of their lunches. The hike out was only two miles, but 900 feet of climbing. Of course the dogs did not mind the accent, they have four-wheel drive and they had plenty of time to play in the water while waiting for all the humans to catch up.
During the spring of 2017 I took my group to Fisher Towers in Moab, but only Sydney got to join. Nellie had injured her foot on a hike from the previous week and she needed some time to rest. Initially, I felt bad taking Sydney and leaving Nellie at home, but I decided to take her last minute. At first, Sydney was concerned that her sister didn’t get to go, but once we made it to the trailhead she was ready to hike. Sydney enjoyed everyone’s attention and sharing snacks, but most of all, she enjoyed having me to herself. I feel fortunate that I had a job in which I was able to bring my dogs along. I worked for the Town of Palisade for eight years, Sydney and Nellie joined on weekly hikes and a number of day trips, making friends with the hiking crew and a handful of other pups who became part of the regular group. If I had to calculate the number of work outings that Sydney and Nellie got to join over the years I would estimate around 60 weekly hikes, 20 snowshoe trips to the Grand Mesa, and roughly 35 day trips. If only every day could be take your dog to work day.
Friday Fun Day
Running a small recreation department with a variety of programs and events with a small staff frequently led to long work days. With this schedule, I typically had Fridays off and the dogs and I often spent our time in Fruita hiking with my mom and Chloe. Sydney and Nellie became familiar with the term Friday Fun Day and Syd knew that we were headed to her favorite place, Devil’s Canyon. As we drove to Fruita, Sydney hung her head out the window, eventually three paws were outside the window; glancing back, I could see her balancing on one foot in the back seat of my Tahoe. Sydney would dance and sing as we approached my parent’s house. Chloe knew we were coming and she waited for us each week, lounging in front of my dad’s garage. Sydney and Chloe gleefully greeted one another, happy to be reunited week after week; the two of them have been best buddies since Sydney joined the family at only four weeks old. We often referred to the pack as Sydelole, merging their names together. I am reminded of a photo I took of the three best friends that ever lived, they were running side by side at Snooks, with their tails held high in the air as they looked for little minnows.
Fridays were spent hiking in Devil’s Canyon or splashing at Snooks Bottom; as my mom and I walked the dogs trotted along the trail chasing lizards, trying to trap them as a team. Each time we stopped for a drink and snacks, their tongues hung out of their mouths, grinning ear to ear. Some weeks we hiked further than others, but the distance of the hike didn’t matter, it brought joy to my soul to see how happy the dogs were to be out and about. My favorite part of our Friday hikes was watching the friendship grow between Sydney, Nellie, and Chloe, they truly loved one another. After each hike, the dogs got a little rinse with the hose and they found a place in the grass to sunbathe for a few hours, lounging next to each other. They often rolled around on their backs, talking to each other; simply enjoying being together. Over the years, as Pat and I have traveled without the dogs, Sydney and Nellie got to stay with my parents. Chole was excited for a slumber party and Sydney and Nellie looked forward to their puppy vacation.
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