Thursday

The Dog Rambler E-diary

To 05
July 2012
Walk Dogs on walk Around and over Capelaw Hill Length 6 miles

Gustave, Jerry, Lucas, Otis, Ozzy, Phoebe, Solo, Tim

A misty and hot day as though the mist itself was hot like smoke from bush fires burning nearby. Visibility down to tens of yards and no more. Humid beyond belief. As if it needed a good thunderstorm to clear the air. Although I suspect Lucas would not agree. From Dreghorn we walked into the mist like intrepid explorers. Some of the dogs already disappearing from view as they strode on ahead. Soon having to be pulled up as some ghostly whiter shapes began to form in the mist. Sheep. They plodded along the track in front of us. Then as some very tall dark figures loomed like giants we met the edge of the trees. The sheep moved off to the left and we entered the trees. Mist swirling around their high trunks, entwining itself in the branches. We began our long slow climb. As the ground opened up around us Phoebe made a play for Jerry. So long since they have seen each other. I rather suspect he would like to keep it that way. She launched herself at him, almost flattening him on the ground. He is not used to this. Squirming away from her he escaped into the mist and behind some gorse.

Again some sheep sprang from the mist and once again we found ourselves following them for a while. Once they had turned off the dogs had decided it was way past their time to stretch their legs. Half lost in the mist Ozzy, Phoebe and Tim burled around each other. With safety in numbers Jerry joined in. Having peeked around my legs Lucas too decided it was safe to join the fun. Only Gustave, Otis and Solo to go. And Gustave did, his low body making short work of the long wet grass as he threw himself into the fray. Solo had set himself the task of pace setter and so could no leave the path. It would have been a dereliction of duty. As for Otis he was just keeping himself fresh in what was fast becoming a stifling cauldron of heat. And our climb still had some distance to go. Pushing into the mist, droplets of water condensing onto my skin and the dogs fur, we climbed toward the hidden summit of Capelaw Hill. The paths looking very different in the glow of the mist and its magical ability to change the shape of things. But we got to the top and walked its long ridge. Although for all we would have known it could have been a meadow so thick was the mist still. However, occasional thinning of it brought a soft glow, almost dazzling us, even though it was of low intensity. The muffled light joining the muffled sounds closed down by the pervading mist. Dropping off Capelaw Hill we headed on a narrow, wet path around the back of it. More sheep, like lanterns bursting into light as the mist thinned rapidly into the bowl of the hill. Its ancient corrie, once the home of an Ice Age glacier pushing and tearing at the rocks as it forced it way outward. Today the mist rolling down its sides and enveloping us once more as we moved away from it. Now around the other side Capelaw Hill still on narrow paths before climbing once more to the top. No one running for a while as the heat and humidity oppressed us all. Some sunlight cracking the mist and glancing its rays around us for a short time. It was as though we were inside a globe of light. Then we began to drop off the hill once more heading around its northern shoulder to drop back toward Dreghorn. Brave Gustave leapt at Solo in his weekly attempt to get him to play. As usual with no success. But he earns my respect for his efforts. Meanwhile Ozzy, Phoebe and Tim were running in and out of the mist on another jinking chase. Lucas had

called it a day and was just behind me with Otis. Jerry the only other one with energy as he bounded his way across the heather playing his own games. Not leaving the mist behind we dropped back into the trees and pushed some sheep ahead of us before we returned to the car. Nick

Photo slideshow from the walk

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