That all changed once we stopped to walk the trails. Kimi got out of the truck and made her first steps onto the Redwood soil. She blinked once....looked all around her and blinked again. A yawn began, she started to stretch...and then it dawned on her...those trees were HUGE! Kimi took in the sight of one huge old Redwood and it stopped her in mid-yawn. Slowly she closed her tiny mouth and drew her legs in from their stretch. Talk about being in awe! I've never seen a Sheltie 'dumb-struck' before, but then Kimi had never seen trees so thick, so tall, so big...so HUGE before either. She looked back over her shoulder at me once, a smile widening on her delicate face. As if I could read her mind, I knew what she was thinking...."Oh Boy!! Would my brothers love to see THIS!" And with a "YIP" we've all come to love hearing, she was off.

Bounding down the path, nose to the ground, tail held straight, Kimi was off in search of fun, adventure, rocks, dirt, whatever she happened upon.

And does Kimi know how to 'happen'! We came across one huge old tree that had uprooted years ago and as loud as the kids all exclaimed over the size of the root base, Kimi yipped out her surprise as well. The base was as wide as our truck and even taller! Placing Kimi inside the roots for a picture, she looked like a tiny field mouse in a normal sized tree. Grinning broadly, Kimi looked right at the camera. She is a ham!

Once the picture was snapped, Kimi was ready for more investigative work. She wasn't going to leave even one root un-sniffed, one stone un-turned or one stick un-chewed! Back on the trail, Kimi made sure she stayed on front. As far as the 16 foot flexi-lead would allow. Who knows what evils may lurk in the darkened forest? Kimi takes her job as lead sentinel seriously. She kept to the front of her 'pack' and lead the way. After all....with trees this big, who knows how big the monsters hidden in there could be!

Trees as big or even BIGGER then our truck lay on their sides, covered with years of moss which Kimi tried stripping away....to look for the evils hidden beneath it you understand. Rain forest ferns already taller then Kimi could ever hope to be hid their downed sides which lay in soft damp soil.

Once Kimi discovered the softness to this earth, her dig-fest began. Choosing one big tree that had more recently fallen, Kimi tried desperately to free it from the prison of damp soil on which it lay. She knew htere was a tree spirit in htere just beggin to be set free! Kimi began to dig like any normal dog would do, but she soon realized this just wasn't cutting the mustard. She increased her speed once....twice....again....Have you ever seen a dog dig like they were set on fast forward?? If we could have clocked her digging speed, it would have measured over 200 miles per hour! Her tiny feet were digging so fast they were nothing but a white blur. After a few minutes of this she must have succeeded in freeing the tiny tree spirit for Kimi raised her head, ears perked, and a smile in place. I must say she had the most satisifed look on her face as she spit out a few remaining clumps of mud, and moss! And on down the trail we went, Kimi in the lead again.

We soon came to a fork in the trail and Kimi paused looking down both trail heads. She glanced over her shoulder once at me, then strutted confidently down her choosen path. She must have sensed some evil lurking on the trail ahead, for she increased her pace and kept the distance stretched out between us. Suddenly she slowed, all but coming to a stop. Throwing a look over her shoulder that I can only describe as caution, Kimi yipped out a sharp command. Did she just tell ME to stay???!!!! Cautiously Kimi walked ahead...step by slow step. THERE IT WAS!!! The object of her caution! Lifting her right foot and lowering her little defiant head, she froze for a split second. Then suddenly letting out a sharp indian war-cry"YIP!" , she pounced this evil thing. Kimi held it down with one white paw and ripped into it with all the ferociousness of a lioness protecting her pride. Still unable to see just what she was shredding the evil out of now, I increased my pace. Just in time to see her lift this shifty monster in her pearly whites and toss it high...high into the air. Okay..it actually went about 8 inches over her head, but as tiny as she is, that IS pretty high! As this brown monster flipped over her back I saw it for what it was. No evil...no monster...at least as far as what I could tell. We all know by now Kimi has a 6th sense about these evil beings hidding where no mere normal human can see it. It looked to me to be merely a small pine cone already softened and shredded by age, weather, squirrels, feet and now our brave little Kimi. Surely no evil remained hidden in there now!

With a "YIP" of pure glee, Kimi jumped, turned and pounced again, all in one smooth fluid like motion. With obvious joy she spent a couple more minutes shredding this poor hapless pine cone with total abandon.

Calling her back to my side, Kimi trotted over to me happily munching on bits of pine cone as she once again took her place in the lead and we all continued our hike through this age old majestic forest that holds secrets and stories I'd love to know.

One last thought to all of this..never pass up the obvious or the simple for there may be more fun lurking in it's hidden depths than you might think to see.

walk in beauty
Kristi & Kimi