Yesterday I took my first walk of the year up the trail on the tiny mountain we live on. Coco and I walk it every day - she pulls me up most of the way. I got Coco to provide me with exercise and control my blood pressure without drugs. It has worked for me so far even though I was a slacker over the winter. Our walk yesterday was nice - the snow is gone but on the way down I fell - slipped on leaves with mud underneath. I did not get hurt thankfully but jarred my backbone and bruised my hip and leg a bit. Coco finally saw me lying on the trail and came running over just like Lassie. I got up finally and hobbled on home.

This morning I looked at the trail and knew we had to go again. No falls this time. I worked hard with Coco not to pull as we were coming down and held onto trees on the steep parts. My balance is not great so when I start to fall, I generally go down. But I will simply up my awareness of the trail and not give up. I need that trail. The exercise and the solitude of it is good for me.

Which brings me to this patch above. My dad worked in the Civilian Conservation Corps when he was a teenager at the Cross Clearing Camp near Tupper Lake. He was telling me on of the jobs they did was building a ranger cabin on Mt. Morris. They had a horse to bring the lumber up but it turned out the poor horse was too old and tired to carry the lumber so the workers carried it up the mountain on their shoulders. I had been thinking of taking him up our trail with me and Coco but I worry about him falling. But I would bet he would have an easier time of walking up the trail than I do.