An Okanagan Forest in August

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Doe a Deer, a Female Deer…

I walk my dogs through the forest behind our house every morning. The earlier the better—I don’t like to meet other dogs. I was surrounded and attacked by a group of four dogs last spring; though, Pablo and Fernando circled me and protected us all.

Pablo tends to be over protective in general. Fernando’s curiosity often sets Pablo off in attack mode. If Fernando lunges at another dog in playful curiosity, Pablo takes it as his cue to lunge in attack mode. Thus, I’m not big on meeting other dogs. Lately, I’ve decided to take one of my daughters with me each morning. They aren’t game to get up early but it’s part of family chores to accompany me and the dogs as  I find it difficult to walk both.

However, Pablo and I start more dog training this summer so things will improve very soon!

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Ruby Red Forest Berries.

How could I have known what gifts were in store for Pippi and I yesterday morn? We stumbled upon so much beauty that we both decided it was like walking through a painting…the colours and shapes: gold grasses, green shaggy forest trees dotted with bright ruby and purple berries.

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Twin fawns.

As we walked along the forest path, the landscape soon changed to become an Okanagan jungle bursting with unusual wildlife sightings! We passed a female deer on the trail, she looked thin, like a breast-feeding mother does. We cautiously tried to walk around her as I was sure a fawn was hiding in the grass.

Fawns of the Okanagan.
Fawns of the Okanagan.

The deer on my mountain are very tame. They don’t trust humans but they don’t fear them either. I’ve had more than one stamp their hoof on the ground and snort at me in warning. I told Pip that if it charges to use a large tree as a shield and climb it if she can.

We passed the deer without incident but as she entered the grasses beside us two adorable fawns popped up. We were suddenly trapped between the mama deer and her two fawns. There was no way to pass without upsetting the mama. We had to go up. We climbed a small cliff and then up a steep hills side, using small branches to help us ascend. Once we had passed the fawns, we made out way back down to the forest path.

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Bucks, one peeing the other standing watch…

A short walk later we were surprise by three gorgeous bucks with impressive racks. One trotted into the bush, one took a pee in front of us and the other one stood and watched us. We were deer-trapped again. No way to pass the bucks without upsetting them. After the buck stopped peeing it began to walk toward us. Not a good sign. We backed up fast and retraced our path. The mamma and her fawns were still blocking the path at the other end. We were trapped in both directions: the bucks on one side and the mamma and her babies on the other. Up it was! We climbed  high above all the deer and then back to the path where we entered the forest.

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Young buck on the run…

The morning was magical. I love nothing more than dancing around wildlife. A healthy forest full of wild life means everything to me and to our planet. I am happy to vacate a forest if it makes the residents feel more comfortable.

Oregon Grapes...ripe and ready to eat.
Oregon Grapes…ripe and ready to eat.

The Hike Through My Daughter’s Eyes:

Pippi handed me a lovely descriptive paragraph last evening as I was sorting through the photos of our hike. She loves to write and whenever she hands me one of her creations, I know it will make my day.

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True to form, Pippi melted my heart. When I see myself through Pippi’s eyes, I am humbled.

I truly feel like a pug wagging my curly tail today. Thank you Pip.

6 Responses

  1. Sandra Hart
    | Reply

    No one could be cuter than Pippi!

    No one could be sweeter than Pippi!

    • Mix Hart
      | Reply

      Thanks Mom. She is a treasure.

  2. Penny Wallace
    | Reply

    Lovely description of your walk. Loved Pippi’s paragraph.

    • Mix Hart
      | Reply

      Thanks Penny. There’s always something to discover in our forest–each day is a new adventure.

  3. Johan Dooyeweerd
    | Reply

    Great pix and catchy description – particularly Pip’s observations. She’s 8 going on 30…?

    • Mix Hart
      | Reply

      Thank you Joop. I love when Pippi writes me letters about our day: she has such a unique perspective on life 🙂

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