Leaving Our Mark

Our little Kenai came to us, the runt of the litter, a mere two pounds some odd ounces, the one least likely to survive, the one with the least expectation to thrive. But, survive and thrive he did, for our little Kenia has grown not just in size, but also in experience. He has become king over his parents and siblings, that is in terms of claimed territory. For you see our little one has marked his way throughout our nation and across Canada as well. From the day we received our mighty warrior he has been a great and amazing traveling companion, exploring and marking up areas as his own throughout several Canadian provinces and thus far 26 of our US states.

Aside from leaving his mark scattered at every stop and campsite, claiming it all as his along our path, he has joined us on some pretty amazing adventures. Together we have made fond memories as we travel around enjoying so many wondrously beautiful and fascinating places.

Together we have trekked through awe inspiring Arctic tundra under the brilliant midnight sun and strolled around the majestic Appalachian Mountains as the sun dances above tall trees. We have viewed gorgeous Canadian Lakes filled with delicious fish and spied out car windows at mysterious southern swamps invaded by scary creatures. We have played amongst great tall pines covered in sparkling white snow and tiptoed across endless desert sands scattered with prickly cacti of all sizes. We have felt the cool spray shooting out from marvelous waterfalls in deep canyons and the gentle slap of lapping waves against the sands of pristine oceans beaches. We have listened to the bellowing call of the mighty moose and the howl of the dangerous wolf in the hills of the north, and we’ve chased the interesting tiny green frogs and sporadic lightning bugs of the south. We’ve viewed, at a distance, the great grizzly in the woods and stood among small lizards on scorching hot red rock. We have seen the lovely yellows and oranges of sunsets spread wide on open plains and watched the golden sun sink below high pointed peaks casting heavenly shades of purple and red across them. We have walked in cool misty clouds on mountain tops and traveled in valley’s next to the creeks, small streams, and great rivers those clouds feed. We have gazed upon some of the tallest snow covered mountains in the world and been through dark long tunnels in the earth. We have felt the heat from steaming active volcanoes and the cold of pure glacial ice. We have smelled the salty sea air and the mountain conifers sweet sap. We have searched for favorite treats in little mom and pop stores and scoured hillsides for berries full of flavor plucked fresh from the earth. We have been dazzled by the neon lights of large cities and amazed by the millions of twinkling lights in a clear cloudless night sky.

Yes, our little runt has been there with us through one adventure after another as we have enjoyed our nomadic journey. While he leaves his mark claiming ownership of each new spot we visit we have tried to leave our mark of caring. We have tried leaving each place a little better than we found it, sometimes that is by picking up trash left by others or helping a stranger who has crossed our path.

Our journey is not at an end yet, we look forward with enthusiasm and delight to the memories we will make together exploring the rest of the US states. And, someday, we hope, our little warrior runt will leave his mark throughout other countries as we explore the wonders they have to offer.

You might like this fictional story about a dog’s magical adventure. Click below to check it out!