5 miles of hiking • 1500' elevation gain •
I always try to do the popular gorge hikes when the weather is bad, so I expected with the snow/slush that it would deter the typical crowd. Not so. I encountered every type of hiker I dislike today. As a dog owner, I'm really sad at how many inconsiderate dog owners are on the trails giving the rest of us a bad name. All of my bad experiences today came from bad dog owners. One dog, tried to lunge at my dog as if it wanted to kill her, luckily this one was on a leash and the owner held on for dear life. Forgivable since they kept it back, but I hate to think what would have happened if they had not pulled their dog far enough away from the trail. Multiple other dog owners had their beasts off leash, on a slippery trail. Not cool for anyone. Then, some lady with a giant off leash dog, had the nerve to touch my dog multiple times with her trekking poles as we went to pass her. My dog was completely ignoring her off leash dog she was holding, but she kept saying "Leave it" as we passed and she hit my dog. Of course, I told her, "Don't fucking touch my dog."
Why do I even bother with the popular trails anymore? I'm such a grump.
Even with the bad, it was still a beautiful solo hike with my favorite hiking partner, Lily.
