Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Walking Along the Coldwater

This evening, after an early dinner, I took off north of town to check out the Coldwater River. The stream is maintained by a local chapter of Trout Unlimited and with trout season just a few weeks away, I thought I’d check it out. It was also good to be out one more time this season with the wind biting my face and feeling snowflakes land on my nose. The temperature was a bit below freezing and a strong wind was blowing out of the west. As the evening approached, snow increased.

The Coldwater is a good wading stream, but it’s so high due to our rain that it would suicide to try to wade in it now. With all the rain turning the water muddy, it doesn’t look like the clean trout stream it supposedly is. Also, with the river up, most of the rocks were well underwater and invisible to the eye. The stream looks to be fairly clear of logs, even though the banks are lined with sycamore trees.

Spring is trying to make its appearance here, but the early risers got dusted with snow.









The poor spider who tried to set his invisible trap had it exposed by the snow.

Trisket (don’t ask, my daughter named him) loves to be out with me, but he is terribly afraid of cameras. It’s a long story. He equates cameras with flashes which he equates with lightning and when a storm approaches, he’s given a tranquilizer. That’s right; the dog is a dope-head and during thunderstorm season, he goes through a few prescriptions of pills. All that to say that he wasn’t happy when he saw my camera coming, but I did trick him into getting a head shot. He is a pretty dog and very loyal and smart.

I kept hiking until my camera was requiring a flash (which really freaked the dog out). Figuring I was running out of light (hard to tell with the gray skies), we turned around and headed back to the truck. By the time I got home, it was dark. I placed a fire in the hearth and am sitting by it as I write this post and nurse a glass of aged rum on the rocks.

18 comments:

  1. Sounds like a great hike though I'm glad we don't have the snow. It is colder here again though with the highs being in the forties rather than the sixties. I loved the nature photos.

    ReplyDelete
  2. beautiful pics!

    btw, if you look closely, you'll see a huge fancy 'S' in front of the *how* inside a badge!

    (come on back and have a look)! :+)

    ReplyDelete
  3. sage, has winter returned in your neck of the woods today?

    colder than a well digger's who-who here today and looks like for at least another ten days. and there's snow on the deck...

    poop! :+)

    ReplyDelete
  4. well, now i feel like a ninny. if i would have read your whole post, i would have known you have snow.

    Trisket sounds *normal* to me with the fear of flashes. btw, tell your daughter it's a very cute name.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Tim, your hikes inspired me to do such a post.

    Karen, the white stuff on the ground in the pics are snow! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  6. He's adorable! Although a blue leash? You really do have a thing for blue, don't you? :-)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I will be prowling the woods soon down here but not for trout. I'm looking for the elusive morel mushroom.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sage, this is an excellent write. Enjoyed going along very much. thanks!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Trisket is a great name for a dog, Sage! Snow in April? We had 80* yesterday (but it is getting cold again over the weekend).

    To answer your question: it was mr. kenju's fortune cookie - and did he ever need that one!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Cute dog and dog name! Do you take a dog with you when you go fishing later?

    ReplyDelete
  11. Your photographs always make me travel with you along with your words.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Murf, i never thought about the blue leash, but maybe for his Christmas present next year I'll get a leash that matches his color instead of my eyes.

    Ed, you're ahead of us a bit, here morels got another month, I think

    Thanks Pat!

    Kenju, winter has returned! Trisket seems to like his name too

    Peri, I wouldn't take him fishing if I was wading. He'd scare the fish and doesn't like water. I have taken him in the canoe when I fish. Since he doesn't like water, he lays in the bottom and doesn't get excited even when I have a fish online.

    Gautami, thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I highly doubt you'll do such a thing but then I really don't have room to talk...I match Hooch's leash with what I'm wearing for the walk.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Sage - thanks for reminding me to check out this post - gorgeous photos and nice to finally meet Trisket!

    ReplyDelete
  15. We support Trout Unlimited.

    I love your pictures and I love ole Trisket. I think that is a very nice name. Mine don't mind the camera. They think it is an extension of me I guess. Though they do seem much happier when I leave it at home. I guess they know we will be walking faster with fewer interruptions.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Those are truly amazing photographs. It must be cold in your neck of the woods but it is also absolutely beautiful.

    And what a nice looking dog! You tell Trisket it's quite alright to down a few tranqs to deal with thunderstorms. And I hope the photograph wasn't too uncomfortable for him, but this way we all get to see how great a dog he is.

    PS - what kind of dog is he? I don't know much about dog breeds.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Murf, Trisket has 2 leashes--both blue!

    Diane, I thought you needed to meet Trisket, after all the pictures of your two beautiful dogs (yours must not mind the camera)

    Deana, trout season isn't far off (it may have already opened in NC)

    V, Trisket is a pound dog. His mother was a Aussie, we're not sure about the dad, but probably a collie mix

    ReplyDelete