In the Morning Light

Starting off on my 7-K hike, I instantly found a travel companion. A mutt with a lame front leg followed me from the very beginning, almost to the end, until he found a more exciting group. I felt hurt, so hurt, but at least it eased the guilt I had felt every time I de-shoed and de-socked to wade across the river and my poor, abandoned canine friend barked, cried, and whined on the other side. He always found a way to hurry across anyway, as soon as I started walking away.