Yesterday I biked up into the Cobin Canyons and hiked up to my favorite place of solitude to get away from hustle and bustle of the city. The place is desolate and dry, rivers bone dry, the plants a sea of golden brown uniformity with specks of steel-blue sage poking out from the dead grass. I was hoping to wind down a little and get my priority’s in order.

But when I squatted down by the dry river at the end I started to hear a bark.

ARF BARK WAAF

The barks were unsteady and strange, varying from Deep and shaking to high and piercing, Always loud and always in my direction.  It sounded like it was getting closer but the woods were so thick I couldn’t see the beast. What did it want? Was it wild?

The irony did not escape me.

Here I had come to escape the noise of the city, thinking the sounds and smells of nature would calm and cure me of the stress I’ve been experiencing only to be hit at the end by something far more annoying, the droning of a mutt yelping on and on. 

I had to leave, I went back the way I came but I felt the barks turn and follow me as I went. What did it mean? Was there something I was supposed to learn from this? I climbed out of the canyon and into the hills but still could not locate the animal.

I sat there for a little bit until the noise died down and then continued further down back from whence I came and I crossed paths with a Caucasian man in a black shirt and tan shorts carrying a huge pair of gardening sheers with him.

Could this be what I thought it was?

I stopped him to talk and he introduced himself as Jared, a local who along with his friend cared for the paths everyone was using. They were the ones who kept the plants in check.

Who keeps the trails trim was a question I had always wondered but never found a answer for. But it was so simple, a few truly nice people anonymously cared for the trail.

I wish I could give back to the community like this, I don’t work well with people but here was something even I could do. This act of routine kindness really touched me. I’m still trying to work out what it means to me but I’ve always wanted to feel like I’m making the world a better place but I thought I’d have to do  something big or it wouldn’t mean anything.

Clearly even little things like cutting down weeds while you hike matter.