Snowshoeing with Charlie

I had one thought upon waking up on this first day of the new year, and that was that I wanted to go snowshoeing with Charlie. I wasn't sure if we had enough snow in our woods and I was even more unsure as to whether my 16 1/2 year old dog would be up for the adventure. Charlie sleeps most of the day nowadays, but she has always loved the snow, taking walks, and especially our winter snowshoeing treks. So I figured I'd give it a shot. I grabbed her leash and went out to the garage with Charlie to find my snowshoes. Although I've had this same pair for years, I rediscovered this morning that I own Yukon Charlie's snowshoes. I had to smile. "See Charlie? You'll never be away from me when I snowshoe. Never ever".

As we headed to the side of the woods, I wondered how she'd be navigating through the brush with her cloudy cataract eyes and weakened body. I found myself whispering, "No expectations. No fear. Let's just see what happens".

Charlie was slower going through the woods but she was steady in her gait. We made it to the path towards the old abandoned cabin and I snapped some pictures. I was proud of my furry girl for all of her hard work and prouder still of myself for choosing to take her out, for going against common sense considering her age.

What a better way to begin 2011 than to have trekked through the land near my home with my Charlie girl, and to have been reminded of what must now be my New Year's resolution: "No expectations. No fear. Let's just see what happens".