Foxey's day on Big Virginia Lake

Virginia Lakes is one of my favorite places to explore. The area includes Little Virginia Lake, Big Virginia Lake, Trumbull Lake, Red Lake, Blue Lake, Cooney Lake, Moat Lake and the Frog Lakes all connected by Virginia Creek. Foxey and I usually spend our time hiking, but on this particular day, I brought my kayak.

It was an invigorating spring day. A crisp breeze blew through the trees, down into the glacier bowl, and across Big Virginia Lake. Big Virginia had melted only three weeks earlier and the signs of winter were still present. The mountains surrounding the lake were speckled with white and there were ledges of snow draping off the shore and dripping into the lake. Inhaling deeply, the air refreshed my lungs. Foxey tilted her head back, her nose twitching and stretching to take in a whiff of everything the gentle wind brought as I paddled us across the lake. I read somewhere that a dog’s sense of smell is a thousand times more sensitive than that of humans so I can’t dream up all of the aromas she must have been coming across. The water was a dark emerald green and as I peered down into the clear water I saw fish darting over the large boulders that covered the bottom of the lake.

Will gave me a kayak in January and I had been anxiously waiting months eager to take it out. Foxey had been out on the kayak once before so she knew the routine and enjoyed taking in the various sights and springtime fragrances available for discovery out on a lake. There is the perfect amount of space for her to sit in the front of the boat without hindering paddling. She would get wound up when she spotted a mountain gull flying overhead and at one point her enthusiasm caused her to jump on my lap.

After a bit of paddling, I decided to rest on the far side of the lake and listen to the waterfall, the birds singing, and the occasional splash of a fish. There were other rowboats on the lake and fishermen were sprinkled all along the shore. Foxey and I watched as a couple on a boat reeled in a fair sized rainbow trout.

As Foxey and I floated on the lake seemingly without a care in the world, I cherished the moment and put the hustle of everyday life aside. My mind constantly wonders, reminisces, daydreams, and thinks ahead. As I sat there on the glassy lake, I watched as Foxey’s ever sensing nose captured the smells of the moment and I decided to concentrate on absorbing the splendor around me in that particular point in time, giving my drifting mind a rest.