Mara returns to the Mountains

[Bruce G Charlton]

Bill, Well done both of you! I'm guessing the two of you didn't climb the whole 15,000 ft and back as an unplanned excursion in daylight? Which perhaps suggests you live at a pretty high altitude already?

[Bill Ryan]

Posted by Bruce G Charlton (here)
Bill, Well done both of you! I'm guessing the two of you didn't climb the whole 15,000 ft and back as an unplanned excursion in daylight? Which perhaps suggests you live at a pretty high altitude already?

Yes, we live at 9,000 ft (which means we're well-acclimatised to thin air) and the trailhead started at 12,770 ft. So we didn't start at sea level!

What's amazing to me, and continues to be every day, is how astonishingly she's adapted to not being able to see a thing. There's another thread here, called Bill's searches for the Wawa Grande (Ecuador's Bigfoot) (the title isn't a joke!) featuring all our adventures in the local mountains, some of them long, arduous and interesting. There are more photos there than I can count.

So she's been a mountain dog all her life, and just loves it up there. She's always joyfully happy in that environment. When she lost her one remaining good eye, I posted a video of her running about in a very safe-and-easy local grassy field, saying, "Look, she can still run around a little, she's not confined to the house yet."

https://projectavalon.net/Mara_runni...ig_field_2.mp4


And I wrote a poem about how the hills would call her back to play... but alas, not till her next lifetime.

~~~

"No more big hikes," said Bill.
“Your plight of blindness was unplanned.
Oh, Mara, Mara, can't you understand?"
But Mara shook her head.
"Say it again" she said,
"And slowly, please.
No rocks, no lakes, no quinoa trees?
No llamas and no deer to chase,
All that gone, without a trace?”
“No more mountains,” Bill replied.
And Mara sighed.
"For always, Bill?" she whispered, "Will it be
Like that for evermore, for you and me?
Or will there come again a day
When the great green hills will call me back to play?"
Bill bowed his head:
"Some day… some day," he said.

~~~

Then, I started to dare to wonder if she could actually return to the mountains (at least in the foothills), choosing just the right place and taking great care, also enlisting the help of my friends (who have a drone and duly recorded the event). That produced the video that started this thread.

https://projectavalon.net/Mara_retur..._Mountains.mp4


That seemed like something truly miraculous, and (bless the Avalon members! ) that post was thanked 114 times. Following what seemed like a most extraordinary success, we began to repeat that route fairly regularly (in what I called the Puma Valley, as I'd seen very large cat prints there, prompting a discussion about whether I should carry a gun!), each time going incrementally a little further and higher.

It gradually became crystal clear that being blind was no impediment to her at all. I came up with this new poem, to complement my first one:

~~~

“I smelled a puma on the breeze,”
Said Mara. “Can you tell me, please,
Where was I? I could sense the trees,
The grass, the rocks, the lakes, the streams…
Was this just a wishful dream?”
“It was real,” Bill replied.
“You were right there by my side.
In the mountains, there with me
Though I knew you could not see.”

And Mara shed a happy tear.
“I never thought that I would hear
Such news. My life is blessed,
My blindness was a bitter stress,
And I believed we’d never go
Again to all those peaks we know.”

“Oh Bill,” she whispered, “Will this stay?
The hills will always let me play?”
Bill smiled, and then he raised his head.
“Yes, I promise.”

And it was said.

And now, after reaching the top of Quitahuayco yesterday, it's clear again that there are MANY MORE things we can start to do, including revisiting the locations of some of our earlier adventures in more distant valleys.

If anyone had told me, when I was so delighted to see Mara able to run about in the local field for all of 20 happy seconds, that just over a year later together we'd reach the 15,000 ft summit of a genuinely challenging mountain on a long 4 hour hike, there's NO WAY I would have EVER EVER believed them.

[avid]

Wonderful Bill, your bond with Mara is amazing, long may it last

[Pam]

Posted by thepainterdoug (here)
Bill this is wonderful and fascinating to me. Somehow Im up there with you two as well ! what inspired you to bring the painting?
do you bring the painting often on your walks?
and Mara blind, and yet through my sight i created her painting.

did you by chance see the news blog I sent out on my musical Hypnotta? I made an analogy to climbing Mt Everest, in the undertaking of writing and creating the show
and now I made it to the summit!!

mountains on our minds!
thanks for this hi res pic!! i love it/ pd

I think that this must be the greatest honor ever done a painting!!!!!

[kudzy]

I’m so delighted that your trusty companion can do these difficult hikes with you. Between Mara the wonder dog and Pema the supergirl you sure do keep excellent company.

Just curious, did you get Mara as a puppy and train her yourself? I got my first dog just under three months ago. She’s a five month old mix breed from the rescue. We’ve already done many short hikes around here and I’m training her to run alongside me on the mountain bike, on the leash! I’m also training her to walk behind me on the leash attached to my backpack so I can use two hands on the trekking poles. Don’t worry she gets plenty of time off leash as well.

Happy Trails, I’m very happy for you two!

[wondering]

Bill, I've thought several times that the high rocky terrain looks like it would be very hard on her paws...is that an issue at all?

[Pam]

Posted by kudzy (here)
I’m so delighted that your trusty companion can do these difficult hikes with you. Between Mara the wonder dog and Pema the supergirl you sure do keep excellent company.

Just curious, did you get Mara as a puppy and train her yourself? I got my first dog just under three months ago. She’s a five month old mix breed from the rescue. We’ve already done many short hikes around here and I’m training her to run alongside me on the mountain bike, on the leash! I’m also training her to walk behind me on the leash attached to my backpack so I can use two hands on the trekking poles. Don’t worry she gets plenty of time off leash as well.

Happy Trails, I’m very happy for you two!

kudzy, I am so happy for you!! I am so glad you are working with her as a youngster in all sorts of situations so that she can go everywhere with you and is really well socialized. I am also happy you are doing the off leash stuff as well. The running with your bike is a great way to really give her a workout. Walking on a leash is fine but if that is all a dog does it's not a really great workout. You are doing exceptionally well for your first dog. All that work with her will pay off.

[Ravenlocke]

Thanks for sharing the photos, stories and touching poems, Bill. Both you and Mara look great and she looks really content to be with you on your excursions in the mountains. Keep on tracking and sharing with us, its great!👋👋👋❤️

[kudzy]

Thanks so much Pam, I really appreciate your reply.

Like I said this is my first dog/puppy, so the learning curve has been very steep. I've read four Cesar Millan books and two books by the Monks of New Skete. Cesar really emphasizes the importance of walking a dog on a leash to build a strong relationship, establish yourself as the pack leader and to exercise their brains not just their bodies. Plus I like to hike and backpack and many places require dogs be on a leash. And I want to be respectful of non-dog people's fears and concerns.

I've REALLY been enjoying working with her. I've always loved dogs but patiently waited until my life was free enough to devote the time that they so deserve and need.

Bill's adventures with Mara have been an inspiration. The dog/human relationship is very unique and special. I feel blessed to have her in my life.

Happy Tails!

[Pam]

Posted by kudzy (here)
Thanks so much Pam, I really appreciate your reply.

Like I said this is my first dog/puppy, so the learning curve has been very steep. I've read four Cesar Millan books and two books by the Monks of New Skete. Cesar really emphasizes the importance of walking a dog on a leash to build a strong relationship, establish yourself as the pack leader and to exercise their brains not just their bodies. Plus I like to hike and backpack and many places require dogs be on a leash. And I want to be respectful of non-dog people's fears and concerns.

I've REALLY been enjoying working with her. I've always loved dogs but patiently waited until my life was free enough to devote the time that they so deserve and need.

Bill's adventures with Mara have been an inspiration. The dog/human relationship is very unique and special. I feel blessed to have her in my life.

Happy Tails!

One of the greatest blessings I have ever received in my life is the precious time I had with my dogs. I will always treasure those moments and I can't help but get excited when I find other dog lovers and particularly people like you and Bill, both of you first time dog companions. You guys are just really, really amazing. I shudder to think of things I could have done better with my pups. Never intentional things, just hindsight. You are making an amazing start.
I always loved Cezar, and actually I am a fan of "Dog daddy". He is not for everyone, but he works with rescue pups that have severe behavioral issues from never receiving training or were abused and he shines with that kind of dog.He is very helpful for dog fostering which I have been doing. Obviously not an issue with your pup. Cezar is great with all kinds of dog behaviors.

[Bill Ryan]

Posted by wondering (here)
Bill, I've thought several times that the high rocky terrain looks like it would be very hard on her paws...is that an issue at all?

She seems totally unfazed by all the loose, sharp-edged rocks. She's never once had a cut on her paws, and her pads seem very leathery. Here's an 18-second video of her (and me!) descending from the summit of Quitahuayco. See how she feels her way down very carefully and safely — with her tail wagging all the time.

https://avalonlibrary.net/Bill/Mara_...April_2024.mp4

[Bill Ryan]

An exciting, fun day out yesterday. Mara and I made it to the summit of Quitahuayco (15,000 ft) for the second time — going even further, way down the other side to have a cold swim (her, not me!) in what is the highest lake in the area, and then looping round the side of the mountain to return to the way we'd come. It was an arduous 4 hour hike, and Mara had zero trouble with any of it, enjoying the entire thing just as much as I did.

There'd been some rain the previous few days, so there was quite a bit of soft mud in the Puma Valley. And look at this... the last of these three photos seems to suggest there were two pumas, not just one.


(High res image: https://avalonlibrary.net/Bill/Puma_...May_2024_1.jpg)


(High res image: https://avalonlibrary.net/Bill/Puma_...May_2024_2.jpg)


(High res image: https://avalonlibrary.net/Bill/Puma_...May_2024_3.jpg)

Here we are, happy on the summit...


(High res image: https://avalonlibrary.net/Bill/Bill_...May_2024_2.jpg)


(High res image: https://avalonlibrary.net/Bill/Bill_...May_2024_1.jpg)

And here's Mara on the way down the rocky slope to the high lake on the other side, just as steep as it looks.


(High res image: https://avalonlibrary.net/Bill/Mara_...uayco_lake.jpg)

As I've said before (many times now!), if someone had told me a year ago Mara would be doing things like this, there's NO WAY I would EVER EVER have believed them.

[HopSan]

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)

What's amazing to me, and continues to be every day, is how astonishingly she's adapted to not being able to see a thing.

It gradually became crystal clear that being blind was no impediment to her at all.

My family had two sweet dogs, and because of their uttermost charming stupidity, I soon understood that vision is very little to them. Perhaps tertiary help. Their spatial world is of smell, hearing... Eyes, too bad, who cares! Let's run!

[Bill Ryan]

Another hike yesterday, and another summit. Not quite as high as Quitahuayco last week, but nearly.

I wore my hat this time, and never took my mountain glasses off. Even though it was mostly cloudy, at 14,000 ft almost on the equator just after the biggest solar storm in 20 years, the UV levels were crazy-high and way off the charts. (The sun felt like it was biting my skin with sharp teeth when I rolled up my sleeves for a moment and the sun was out. )

Here we are on the way up:


(Large image: https://avalonlibrary.net/Bill/Bill_...4_May_2024.jpg)

And here's Mara on the summit, just beyond the peak you can see behind us above. (Do zoom in to the hi-res image for the detail if you have a moment. )


(Large image: https://avalonlibrary.net/Bill/Mara_...4_May_2024.jpg)

[Bill Ryan]

Dear Friends, just under a year ago (20 August 2023, the first post on this thread), I dared to see if Mara might just possibly be able to somehow venture out in the mountains again without mishap, injury or stress. She passed the test with flying colors, and the event was captured by my young friend Noam with his drone. Everyone, self included, was astonished.

A couple of days ago (30 June), Noam and I went out again, Mara now a happy, able, agile veteran of blind-doggie mountain hiking. She's adapted supremely well, and loves every minute of it. So here's the second drone video of Mara in the Mountains, a few weeks short of the anniversary.

It's just under a couple of minutes, quite a large, high-quality video that might take a while to load or buffer. If anyone can't play it, do please let me know and I'll see if I can reduce the file size a little.


https://avalonlibrary.net/Bill/Bill_..._June_2024.mp4 (350 Mb)

[RunningDeer]

Wow, Bill! Amazing how Mara keeps up with your pace without assistance. You’d never guess she was impaired.

Lots of happy tail wagging.

BTW: Both on the post and the additional link played fine for me. I made a back-up copy because Diane (wondering) couldn't see it. I'll remove if you prefer.

[wondering]

I'm sorry to say that it won't play for me....🙁

[thepainterdoug]

Bill Its a beautiful video, very refreshing for me to see. Just great!!

pd

[RunningDeer]

Posted by wondering (here)
I'm sorry to say that it won't play for me....🙁

Diane, can you see this copy?

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=ennpwK5fCJc

[Orph]

Thanks RunningDeer. The video works perfectly.