THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH

Hardest thing I’ve ever done (voluntarily!), and the most rewarding. Here’s just a few photos from our adventures on the Milford Track, South Island, New Zealand.

Our group had a total of 15 people, only 6 of us from the US, all good and true friends. Here we are on Day 1, after a 2.5 hour bus ride, an hour long boat ride and a short mile hike to the first lodge: Matt, Becket, Jim, me, Kelly and Meg. After the photo we went on a 2 hour hike with a great guide to learn about the flora and fauna. It was fascinating (and our only walk without backpacks, what a joy!)

We walked 10 miles the next day, Day 2. They call it the “Easy Day.” We called it stunningly beautiful, and not always such easy walking, up and down hills, over some very tricky rocky areas.

Day 3: When they call it the hard day, you’d better believe them. Follow this valley back as far as your eye can see, and you still won’t be able to see where we started on Day 2. On Day 3 we only went 9 miles, but 5 of them were up up up, the last 2 miles up were, well, ridiculous. And then we were on top of the world, with perfect weather and a rare 360 degree view of mountain peaks all around us. One of our guides had been up 6 times this season and had never been able to see the views, it always being clouded over. The 4 miles down were tough–steep downhill on rocky, difficult terrain.

Day 4 is called the “Long Day” and I’m not sure 13 miles has ever seemed so long. The track was easy in some spots, but rocky and difficult in others. Most of us felt like our feet had been beaten by baseball bats by the time we made it to the end. But oh oh oh the forest is lovely; primeval ferns and lichens and fern trees and moss and flute-like bird song and it seemed impossible that a dinosaur wouldn’t be behind the next tree munching on vegetation. And the waterfalls? One after the other, one more beautiful than the next.

On Day 5 you wake up in Milford Sound, soak in the views, feel overwhelmed with gratitude at how lucky you are to be in such a gorgeous place with such wonderful people. Then a boat ride around the sound and a 4.5 hour bus ride back to Queenstown. Then hamburgers as big as your head from Fergberger’s, a couple of glasses of wine and then…. bed! Oh boy.  Here’s Milford Sound, from the window of our hotel room, no kidding:

More later –right now bed is calling. But I can’t end without thanks to all at Ultimate Hikes, including our guides Megan, Amy and Masako for doing such an amazing job creating this experience, and being so good to the land while doing it. And to a truly amazing bunch of friends–Matt, Kelly, Meg, Becket, and especially Jim, who made all the difference in the world. I love you all.

MEANWHILE, back on the farm: Lambs are doing well, although Truffle’s twins are being hand fed by my wonderful sitters (yeah Danielle and Mike!). As I suspected, Truffle’s udder is not working well, but she is giving some milk, and with all the great care they are getting they’re doing great. Willie is good, sounds like he is in love with his two new Cavalier visitors. Sounds like it is cold there though, 15 F, a far cry from spring here!

There’s a new book out for children that is designed to help them cope with the death of their dog. It’s titled “Give a Dog your Heart” and is written by Aubrey Fine, Ed.D., a child psychologist who has been using dogs in AAT as long as anyone. I’m not completely objective, Aubrey and I co-authored a chapter in his new Handbook of Animal Assisted Therapy, and I found him to be kind, compassionate and a joy to work with.

Still, if I didn’t like the book I wouldn’t post a note about it. The book is beautifully written and designed, has break your heart photos of a black lab, and a wonderful section at the back for children to use as an album and a journal. Hard as it is, pets are such a good opportunity to help children learn about how to wend your way through the woods when you are grieving. I just read an advice column in which a woman felt guilty because she took her child to a movie in which a pet died, and the child was upset. The columnist, yeah for her, wrote there was no reason to feel guilt, but that the movie was a wonderful ‘teaching moment’ to help a child learn that death is a part of life, and that we feel sad about the loss, feel grateful for a beloved pet’s life, and go on to celebrate it as best we can.

I’d love to hear about other books that you have found useful, especially for children. Any others out there?

MEANWHILE, back on the farm: Well, I’m not actually. I’m about in the middle of the Milford Track right now, deep in the  South Island of New Zealand. I pre-posted this, knowing that my connection to the internet will be sporadic at best.  Here’s a photo from home, to remind  me that it might be spring in New Zealand, but this is probably what it will look like when I get home.

About to meet up with some dear friends, and leave for a visit to a Gannet colony, nature center, vineyard and sheep farm, but here’s a photo from the Shangri La where Jim and I are staying for a few nights. Ummmmmmm, yes, it really is this gorgeous.

Can’t wait for the Gannets and the sheep farm, hoping to meet some “Heading Dogs” (a NZ Border collie derivative–do you Kiwis agree with that description?) and Huntaways, an exclusively NZ breed that moves sheep 100% differently than BC’s, lots of movement and barking.)

Last comments about the seminar: Thanks Karen for bringing me over and being such a great host. And thanks to the participants–what a great group. There were some truly great observers in the audience, we had a truly interesting and fruitful time with the demo dogs, and I loved working together with the audience on treatment plans. All the dogs were wonderful –thanks to their owners for letting us learn from them, and to the dogs, Lani and Harlem and Tepo and Nicki, and to  Forest, our stable, stalwart stimulus dog. And to Tepo (sounds in Kiwi like Tapoor!) … you’ve especially got my heart mister, good luck.

Just found out from home that two of my ewes, the two that didn’t get marked as bred by Redford, had lambs. Surprise. Holy moly, they must have been bred at the end of June. My poor house sitter has done brilliantly, and boy do I owe some of my good friends a favor for coming over and helping with mid-winter lambs. Ah my, never a dull moment on a farm.

But back to NZ — Here’s the view from a few feet from our B & B – Wow is right! Yes, you really do want to try to get here on vacation some time . . .

Couldn’t resist… here is a flock (should I say mob?) of some of my new Kiwi friends. What a great day we had together! (And thanks Karen for that yummy NZ lamb dinner and for all the good company. Looking forward to tomorrow….

Sheep sheep sheep! Hardly surprising, since there are something like 70 million of them in New Zealand, but still fun to see them, even in a city park, like this one in the middle of the city of Auckland, Cornwall Park. Auckland, by the way, is a gorgeous city, surrounded by water with lots of dormant volcanoes creating hills and valleys everywhere.

Karen, my host at Learning About Dogs, took Jim and I on a perfect 3 hour walk this morning with two of her good friends (the human kind) and 6 happy dogs.  We walked in a beautiful forest and along a black sand beach (the sand is “recycled” lava).

Here’s Rupert, Karen’s English Pointer, that she rescued a few years ago. All six dogs, a pointer, 2 English Setters, 1 Gordon and 2 Giant Schnauzers, ran themselves silly, and loved every minute of it.  And because of the dogs, 5 people who had never met were instantly in great conversations — so lovely how dogs bring people together all around the world, isn’t it?

I wrote this before I left for New Zealand, and I hope I can get on line to read the comments about this video. Many of you have undoubtedly seen the video of the now famous Snowball dancing to music on Youtube. Here’s another one, which had me practically wetting my pants I laughed so hard.  But in all due respect to Will Smith and his daughter, who wrote the song, this is not a piece of music that should live on forever. Watch at least to the middle though, the first part is funny, but about halfway in is when I started to lose it.

MEANWHILE, back on the farm: Oh my, it’s so far away–we’re on a plane right now (or will be when this posts), flying LA-Auckland, 13 hours.  Finally broke down and bought a Kindle–13 hours is a 2 book trip at least, and we’ll be gone for 3 weeks. Here’s a photo I took right before I left, for me to look at when I can get on line. It’s not the greatest piece of photography in the world, but well, you know . . .