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... Steve Hall, my son in law, a resident of Melrose since 1994, has a new family member, Zeke.
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A few years ago, I introduced you to Karen and Steve's dog, Russell. He was a charmer who walked the streets of Melrose for almost 14 years. When he passed away last Fall, the family was very sad.
"Monday night I got home a little earlier than usual, maybe ten minutes early. A combination of light traffic and my commuting partner needing to get home for a Boy Scout meeting that evening. "I decided to skip the usual routine of snacking in the kitchen and taking Zeke for one of our usual walks in the area. Most of our walk routes take about 40 minutes, or a little less than an hour. Tonight I skip snacking and take the dog for a walk into the Middlesex Fells. In ten minutes we would be there. "I have a favorite loop that would give us a nice hour walk. He and I would enjoy the change of pace and benefit from a nice walk in the woods as a break from our usual sidewalk routes. "It was getting dark. The skies were cloudy, but it did not look like rain. I had my cell phone, but no flashlight. After all, I would be out of the woods before it got much darker, and what could possibly go wrong? We left the house about 5:50. "We got to Whip Hill park in minutes. We were both moving quickly, a faster pace than usual. We entered the Fells. A few rabbits streaked across the trail in front of us, and Zeke was excited. All his young dog energy was at its peak. Minutes into the Fells we ran into a friend walking a golden retriever. The dogs greeted each other, but Zeke's over-excitement was annoying the retriever. We chatted briefly and continued our walk. "The rest of the woods were quiet. There was no breeze, and the humid air seemed to get warmer. The trail was becoming harder to follow in the vanishing light. I had forgotten how the woods get dark faster and earlier than the neighborhood streets. "We continued on the well-known path. We encountered another dog walker. Zeke and the coon hood greeted each other, slapping each other's heads in canine joy. After a vigorous encounter, we continued on. "My scheme on this loop was to keep turning left. Here were several trail junctions, and each time the rule was to turn left. Finally we would cross a wide path that was our starting point. This intersection is large, and has hard-to-miss exposed rocks. "We kept hiking, and kept turning left. In the dark, I now know, we missed the can't-miss trail. "Finally, about 6:30, I realized that we had missed our turn. But the path ahead was not what I would have expected. I turned back, but nothing looked right. I turned again and resumed in the original direction. If we were where I thought we were we would soon come upon some Stoneham houses and a neighborhood street. "That neighborhood never appeared. It was now hard to see the ground, and no houses were in sight. Our pace quickened. "Around 6:45, I saw bright lights ahead. We left the trail to bushwhack though the forest toward the lights. After several difficult minutes we ran face first into a tall chain link fence. I could just make out a sign, "State Police K9 Training Facility, Keep Out." I was crushed. My cleverness failed. We turned and re-traced our steps back to the trail. "My next fear was that we could not find the trail, and would be really lost. However, we were able to locate the trail, and continued on. After a few minutes we came upon a larger trail, more of a fire lane. I flipped a metal coin (did not even have a quarter with me, they were safe back home with my flashlight)turned right and set out again. "I called Karen to let her know that we would very late getting back home. I knew she would be both worried and amused. "After about a five minute push, I could hear traffic. The trail continued toward the noise of cars rushing by. Eventually we emerged from the woods in a meadow across from the Stone Zoo parking lot. I do not think we could have emerged out of the woods at a point farther from home. I called Karen to let her know we had found civilization, and were making progress. It was about 7:00 PM. "From there it would take nearly an hour to get back to the house. At about 7:50 we arrived home, tired and hot but safe and sound. "I think I will bring a flashlight on our next adventure, along with common sense and better judgment," he quipped. I am sure the next time Steve and Zeke try this adventure he will be a good Boy Scout and have his compass and flashlight in his pocket. November 6, 2009
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