Confidence

Yesterday afternoon the sun broke through the clouds, bringing back the temperatures of late spring. But in the morning, a heavy fog beckoned me and Kona for another run.

When I pulled up the the trailhead, I was surprised to see a line of cars. It wasn't even 6AM. I soon saw a crew of six men on mountain bikes. They strapped on helmets and velcroed gloves. They had with them a familiar dog. We've met this crew a couple times before. I felt confident about letting Kona out of the car. I didn't feel the need to carefully time her exit.

Kona perked up as she saw the tail end of the group (and her canine friend) curve around the first bend of the trail. She took off in hot pursuit. We ended up on different trails, but could see them on the singletrack to our north. As we made it up our first climb, I heard a motor up the trail. The bobcat (the vehicle, not the animal, unfortunately) sat idling on the side of the trail. I paid more attention to it than Kona. She found a strong scent that sent her into frantic sniffing.

Just as we crested the hill, we ran into the cycling-dog team. I stopped to let them pass. Kona greeted the other dog in her typical "I like you, but I'm kind of a tense, status-seeking kinda girl" fashion. All six men on mountain bikes passed within feet of us. Kona didn't bat an eye until one of the men dismounted to adjust his seat.

We hit our next series of hills. I felt grateful for the clouds, and Kona seemed grateful for the mule deer tracks. We were both happy girls.

On our last climb, I heard voices making their way up the fog-soaked trail. Three new male cyclists made their way towards us. We kept running downhill. Kona kept her position, running a couple feet from the line of bikes.

Just as we reached the car, we ran into the local pack. Seven dogs reared for their daily hike. Kona stiffened up with hackles raised when she got two spaniels and a dobie stuck to her butt, but hey, who wouldn't?

I loaded Kona in her crate for the drive home. When I took my seat behind the wheel, I paused for a second.

What an uneventful morning. What an uneventful morning!

Just running with a confident Kona.