Sunday

Sunday I woke up and did chores with Dr. Fillerup. The cat had an even higher temperature, so she was given more antibiotics and some fluids and her dental extractions were pushed to the next day. The colt received his treatments as well and then both Dr. Fillerup and I headed out for the day. I drove out to Uncle Val's house and parked, leaving a note on the door reminding his wife that I was out hiking so that she wasn't startled when she came home to a strange vehicle. I then hopped the fence, landing on public lands, and headed for Cedar Mountain. I had my phone in one vest pocket and a bottle of water in the other. My camera was on my right hip and the bear spray Dr. Fillerup had lent me was on my left. I was ready, or as ready as I could be to climb a mountain when I was out of shape, not adjusted to the altitude, and struggling with a stuffy nose and cold. I set the tracking device on my phone so I could calculate where and how far I would be going and I was off. The dry desert ground was rocky and scattered with short, stubbly brush. Dr. Fillerup had told me rattlesnakes wouldn't be out for another month, but I still kept my eyes open. The fact that they existed at all paranoid me. The initial walk to the base of the mountain was easy and from my vantage point it didn't look like the climb would be as difficult as I had originally anticipated. Several false summits later I was proven wrong. The climb became steep and several areas were covered with loose rocks which made it feel like you were walking through sand uphill. It didn't take my lungs long to tire out and I began making frequent stops just to breathe. Not long after that, my legs began to give out as the climbing angle was at least 45 degrees upward. I began altering my plans as I climbed and had decided that reaching the top wasn't particularly the goal I was currently striving for anymore. I had wanted to reach the top before noon, before the sun shadowed the mountains instead of highlighting them. But there was no way I was going to make it in time in the shape I was in. I had to stop repeatedly to blow my nose just so I could breathe. The only wildlife I saw were a dozen black birds that seemed to claim Cedar Mountain as their home and one lone rabbit I had seen back at the very beginning of my hike. It was barren. Eventually, I made it to a flat opening where I could see down both sides of Cedar Mountain. It wasn't the tallest point, but it still provided a beautiful view. Buffalo Bill Reservoir lay at the base and the sun shone off the clear water. It really was beautiful, even if I couldn't breathe. After resting for a bit, I headed up toward several towers that were at the summit of the mountain. The climb here wasn't as steep, but it was through tall pine trees and had occasional pockets of snow that were almost up to my knees. Because the vision was so limited and because I was paranoid, I held the bear spray in my hand as I hiked through the trees. Nothing was going to take me by surprise. I did see several tracks in the snow from what I assumed were elk or moose. It was hard to tell how long they'd been there. Eventually, I came to a barbed wire fence, and that jogged my memory. Dr. Fillerup had mentioned at one point that part of Cedar Mountain was private property. I turned left and walked awhile before beginning my descent. I thought the trip down would be fast and easy, but I must have picked my path wrong. Once I got back out of the trees, I felt like I had to crawl down a lot more rocks than I had originally climbed up. Instead of a smooth, steady climb down, I had to zigzag and weave around boulders, slipping and sliding around. And the temperature had begun to climb. I had dressed for the cool early morning and was now sweating through the multiple layers I had on. I was reluctant to remove anything because then it simply meant that I had to carry it. As I finally approached the bottom of the mountain, I picked up a trail that I was able to easily follow back out to where I'd come from. The climb was beautiful and I had taken lots of pictures, but I ached and was slightly frustrated with how inept I was in this altitude and climate with a sickness. I headed to the local rec center to shower and change before swinging by Granny's for some very late lunch. When I returned to the clinic, there was a sad looking Bassett hound in the clinic whom had not been there when I'd left that morning. Before long, Dr. Fillerup showed up to check up on the dog and as we pulled him out of the cage, we found a large amount of cloth material that he had either vomited up or pooped out. Curious as to what this dog had eaten, I started to unroll the cloth and was soon appalled to realize that it was someone else's underwear! Two pairs of it! I could not wash my hands enough times. We gave the poor pup some fluids, antibiotics, and pain medication and then let him rest for the night. I didn't do much the rest of the evening and went to bed early, exhausted.