This is Deputy Digby Pancake.  Are there things in your day, or in your week right now that are just beyond worrying about?  Like you have worried so much about it that you don’t want to worry anymore?  Maybe it is like that bear that was climbing a tree at our campground this weekend.  When another person asked Girl Person if she had looked up in the tree and saw the bear, she said nope.  She also said that she was real tired, and asked if it was still there.  The person said nope.  It had been there a half hour earlier, but wasn’t mad or anything.  Girl Person said that she wouldn’t worry about it then.  She was sure the bear wasn’t concerned we were there.

And I bet your worries are kinda like that.  I can guarantee that what you are going to spend your time worrying about probably won’t even happen.  It may be the things that you worry about that take away from the good things too.  That lesson was learned for me this past weekend at Crabtree Falls on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

You see, we were happy to get back to the Blue Ridge Parkway after trying to avoid that big storm for two weeks.  Truth be told, and I always tell the truth, we are more tired than that hour after you eat an entire pizza by yourself that you ordered with extra cheese.  And a stuffed crust.  And maybe extra pepperoni, but never pineapple. Are you crazy?

The persons decided that we should stop for a picnic first, you know, to eat and be lazy before hiking.  And we sat there so long that we wondered if we should have a picnic every day.  And I definitely say yes to that question.

What is it about the mountains that make you feel so small?  Yes, I know the obvious answer.  Because the mountains are big.  But try to climb those mountains.  Try to look at them, not just from a distance, but feel them underneath your feet.  Smell them in the waterfall mists and the flowing creeks.  And that is when you will know why I love the mountains so very much.  But lately, those mountains have become harder to climb for me, and definitely the climbs are not as fast.  So the persons wondered if I could make the 1.5 miles, each way, uphill climb to the waterfall on the Crabtree Falls Trail.

But, if you don’t try something, how do you know that you can’t do it?  Sure, some may tell me that I can’t eat all the pancakes at an all you can eat pancake buffet.  But if you would let me try, I can guarantee that I may surprise you.  And if not, nothing lost except my waistline which I haven’t been able to find since 1985, even though I wasn’t born yet.

Life is about challenges. And as long as I can get a nap after that challenge, it’s a deal.  But just because you have a challenge to meet does not mean that someone can’t help you meet that challenge.  And so, as we made our way uphill, over rocks and over creeks and on top of stairs and more stairs, Boy Person decided that in order to meet this challenge, he might have to carry me up on the way back.  When I heard this, it took some of the pressure off of me.  And I knew that if I could just make it to the waterfall, I could rest.  And the worst case would be that he would have to give me a hand on the way up.  Sheriff Brickle was feeling a bit of the pressure too.  So Girl Person said that he could walk with Boy Person on the way back.  You see, she is a bit of a heavy load to carry.  And she is not as fast.  And well.  I guess she is the slow one of the family. Did I say that in my outside voice?  Must be all that pizza.

But once we got down to the waterfall, we met some Sharpei Persons who were pretty much older in dog years than me.  You see, they had found the courage to go to the Falls!  I could not believe it.  They might have taken longer to get there than most, and longer to get back up, but I knew this.  They would see more on their journey. They were helping each other all along the way by lending hands, and they even took time to shake my paws.  I just wanted to shake my booty.

Like I said, life has challenges.  But you don’t have to do it alone, although I would prefer to handle the pizza alone and or the pancake buffet alone.  Who am I kidding? Both.  But as I get older, I realize that life is more fun when you actually let yourself be helped.  When you can step out of that mindset that you don’t need help, you will actually feel lighter.  You will actually have time to see more.  And if you have a brother like Sheriff Peanut Butter Brickle, if he is helping you, he has less time to arrest you…like during that hotdog episode last week.

Wherever we travel and wherever we roam, we always learn a lesson along the way.  For us, getting back to the mountains helped us to remember that when you take time to feel humble and small, it will be the big challenges in life that you can face.  And that you can do it! So. Do it.  

-Deputy Digby Pancake

Join us this week as we explore more of the Blue Ridge Parkway! We may even have a few surprises in store!  

We are excited to let you know that we were featured on Airstream! Read the full article here!