Monday, April 5, 2010

Rain!

Rain hit the ground so lightly this morning I forgot about the forecasted storm until I stepped outside with Kona. I quickly returned to change into my fleece pants, rain jacket and mud shoes. I try to be the rain-or-shine-tough-runner, but I stood at the door for a minute to make sure the mist didn't turn into a downpour.

When we got to the trailhead, the rain came down steady but light. We were out earlier than usual, but the dark sky welcomed us to an empty trail. The hillsides were all ours.
It took Kona a few minutes to get her bearings in the wet weather. At first she hunkered, not sure about the rain that quickly soaked her coat. We rounded our second hill. Poor Kona's frolik grass had been bulldozed. Crews come through for brush clearance to remove fire fuel. Kona stayed hunkered without her grass as a distraction.
When we came to our first descent, the rain picked up. The sky pelted us from the side as my shoes quickly became saturated. I tightened the hood on my rain jacketed and looked down at Kona to see how she was handling the downpour. She had found grass and explored like the sun shined.
When we turned around to head uphill, we ran into a headwind. I tightened my hood even more and kept my head down. I peeked out at Kona. She ran with her tail up, but had flattened her ears to keep the water out of them. Just as I thought about cutting our run short, the heavy rain eased into a mist.

For the rest of our run, the rain alternated between sideways pelting and gentle misting. Kona's behavior is fairly weather proof. At one point she initiated a game of "I run away, then come back and you give me a treat. Then I do it again." Kona started this game during heavy rain. Each time she ran back to me for a treat, she had to squint to avoid the water that tried to pound into her eyes. She doesn't initiate this game often, so I wanted to reward her well, but I also tried to move us along before we melted from too much water.

We didn't see anyone. I picked up the pace when the rain picked up, but took Kona's initiative to explore. We stopped to check out the mini waterfalls that formed on the sides of the trails.

When we arrived at the car, my roomy fleece pants were so soaked that they stuck to me like cycling tights. Kona left paw prints on the car's seat. We steamed up the windows as I turned on the windshield wipers and blasted the defroster.

11 comments:

Barb said...

Goodness - I admire your dedication and mettle. Sounds as though Kona is none the worse for wear from her soaking. I enjoyed the photos of your sodden trail. It's flurrying here where I live in Breckenridge - I'll try to use your determination tomorrow to do some snowshoeing!

Unknown said...

Wow. It takes a lot of will to take a dog hiking in the rain. Sounds as if Kona enjoys the rain too.

Dawn said...

You guys are two tough cookies! I am impressed with your consistency! Kona appreciates it too I'm sure!

KB said...

I remember California rain storms... Whew, it can come down at this time of year. And, where I lived, the clay would stick to my shoes, making each foot about 1000 lbs (it felt like)!

I'm glad that Kona took it in stride. It's great to have a running partner who's enthusiastic rain or shine, isn't it?

LauraK said...

You two are hardcore! I'm impressed!

Sara said...

Wow, you're a diehard. I'll go out when its 0 degrees, but I don't do pouring rain. I melt. LOL.

I guess the best part was no scary people for Kona to deal with!

Kathy Mocharnuk said...

wow, you are good going for your walk even though it was raining...I am impressed. You must have got a lot more rain then we did,...I dont think our rain in the desert ever got more then a light drizzle.

Roxanne @ Champion of My Heart said...

Ooph. Running in the rain? That doesn't sound like much fun to me. I'm glad it went OK.

D.K. Wall said...

We walk rain or shine, so we know that some of the most memorable hikes can happen in the nastiest weather.

Stella said...

Ah, I gotta think of a word that hasn't been used for you guys yet.
I know! You an an intrepid pair of explorers! Everytime Kona comes to you for something, you are the winner and a little fear goes away! (I just think this, and it feels right!)

Cheers,

Jo and Stella

Sam said...

You make me feel like a wuss - I chicken out of walking Marge ACROSS THE STREET when it's raining.

Though it was probably not the most pleasant experience for you, it seems like Kona enjoyed having the trails to herself. I'm sure that made you feel good!