Nicole Tasker Woods

A couple weekends ago, the weather was perfect for a hike on the Wildwood trail. I rubbed on the sunblock, fitted Cali with her harness and after Ryan got back from watching soccer at the local British pub, we were on our way.

We had a few good stretches on the trail without anyone else in sight where we could take Cali off her leash and let her roam the trails like a wild beast. She loved it! The lagoon and waterfall were incredible.

Although swimming in the lagoon was not allowed, everyone was wading in the water or lounging in the shade on the side of the river. It was super relaxing. Cali had a blast jumping and splashing in the shallow river water. You could tell that she didn’t know if she should run, jump or lie down in the water because she was enjoying herself so much. After a few minutes at the lagoon, we headed further down the river, following the trail to a large picnic area. There were barbecues, picnic tables and even public restrooms, it was incredible that all of that was back there, hidden away. It was something you would find in the lovely state of New Hampshire, not California!

Cali was running and stopping, rolling in the grass–all with the biggest smile on her face. Last time Ryan took this trail, he said that it was late afternoon and he had to turn back early in order to make it to the car before sunset. Believe me when I tell you that the trail is no place to be in the dark. But since we started on the trail at noon-time, we had plenty of sunlight and decided to go to the very top of the mountain.

As the climb got steeper and the trail narrowed, I kept my eyes peeled for s****s that might be hiding in the bushes, waiting to wrap around my body and strangle me to death. Although we didn’t see any of those creatures, Ryan did step on the head of a black and white spotted lizard that was HUGE! I screamed and just about hit the sky from jumping so high, but then I got in trouble because apparently, the noise I made is supposed to be reserved for s****s and not lizards.

The trail along the way was steep at times and hard to climb up; for me it was even harder to walk down at such a sharp angle without slipping. Cali was a real trooper though; throughout all six miles of the trail she didn’t stop once to sit down and rest until the last half mile when she finally laid down, panting fiercely. We were able to talk her into walking the rest of the way and then we drove home and everyone got in line to shower off the dirt and mud from the day.

I am hesitant to say I would be willing to do the hike again, I prefer walking in a straight line without so many steep hills. But it was definitely an adventure!