A Very, Very Short (and Hot) Trip to Cherry Creek

I almost didn’t include this blog entry, but I think it’s important to share my failures as well as my successes. This walk was my least successful one to date, but that's why I am sharing it.

Today, I attempted to take Maple on a hike at Cherry Creek State Park—a quick excursion for a few miles as an excuse to get out of the house, walk, and give her a little more practice riding on her bag. My outings have been relatively few and far-between since my last camping trip, so I felt excited to finally push myself to get out of the

house. The weather outside was free of rain, it was not quite noon, everything should be perfect. Right?

However, we only made it a few minutes in before she started meowing—and not in the cute way, she was very obviously complaining. I’ll admit that I didn't check the weather: the sun was out in full force, the temperature was close to 100 degrees, and the heat beating down on us was borderline oppressive. I tried putting her inside her carrier to see if that would make a difference. Nope. After going a few more minutes with her crying the whole time, I pulled over into the shade to find her panting. I was obviously concerned and pretty freaked out because this is a sign of stress or overheating. I poured out some water for her, but she only had a few licks before she was done.

At this point, I knew it would be irresponsible to continue, so we headed back to the car after less than 10 minutes and no significant walking. Needless to say, I was a little disappointed because it took a lot of effort for me to want to leave the house today.

It’s a bit disheartening when plans don’t go as expected, especially when you’re trying to do something good for yourself and your pet. But I guess it’s a learning experience. Next time, I’ll definitely check the weather more carefully and perhaps try earlier in the day when it’s cooler. Have you ever had a trip that didn’t go as planned? How did you handle it? Let me know in the comments below—I could use some tips!