so I went on a hike with my friend and two dogs. it started as a beautiful hike! a new trail, deep in the woods, great weather. the Shawangunk Ridges. stunted trees. critter holes. crevices. greatness.

then, my friend developed blisters and promptly began to whine and get cranky. the views were less pretty. civilization seemed dead on my heels. we had to turn around. they were "that bad."

my dog, Angie, is normally very energetic, spastic, even. she does this thing that I've dubbed "the jackrabbit" because she'll just get hyper and run in circles with her hind legs under her the whole time in some sort of jackrabbit-run fashion. this is important because when she slowed her pace during our descent, i noticed. she eventually stopped walking completely. i had to carry her much of the way, as my friend whimpered ahead, cursing at the other dog for cutting her off as he meandered down the trail.

my dog weighs 54 pounds. she licked my face when i carried her and i apologized like an awful mother. i'd catch up to my friend and she'd smirk, and i'd snap "it's not fucking funny, dude." much of the decent was covered in silence.this was a few days ago. my friend keeps showing me her blisters that she won't pop. they're big and gross on her heels. my dog had thrown out her back, according to Dr. Winters, and is now on muscle relaxers. I kind of want to take some myself. my upper body is vey sore. still. plus the vet visit cost $180.