Father's Day

I'm a single parent (of my two Malamutes). Which makes me their mom and dad. In honor of Father's Day today, I figured the girls would want to take me out trail running.

We ran about eight miles along Smokey Boulder Creek on Cow Camp Trail, through thick forest on single track that's closed to all motorized vehicles. Despite being a Sunday, we had the forest to ourselves.

About a half mile into this route, we climb through an open area, pushing through thick shrubs with globs of small white fragrant flowers (sticky laurel aka mountain balm? mallow leaf nine bark?) growing over the trail, mixed with wild rose bushes offering their newly opened pink perfumed flowers. I felt like we were running down the fabric softener aisle in the grocery store - the scent from these flowers was heavenly.

I completed this near-perfect day with a call to my own 83 year old father. I credit him with - among an embarrassment of other such "gifts" over my lifetime - my love of both dogs and nature.

Happy Father's Day, dad.