A Hiking Experience

So I gathered up the family and we went for a long hike today. At the top of the trail, after a couple of hours of fairly steep climbing, we saw an excellent view of the Salt Lake Valley. For that portion of the adventure, I have no complaints.

However...

Going up, we passed the obligatory "National Forest" markers as well as the signs saying what you can and cannot do in the canyon. When we arrived at the trail head, there were more signs.

One said "All dogs must be on a leash and must have current rabies and other vaccinations."

That one really kind of got to me, especially after seeing it the second time when we had hiked back down the trail and were ready to leave. At several points on the trail which this sign heads, I would have been in jeopardy of injury had my dog actually been on a leash the whole time. There are jagged rocks, tree stumps, and other things all over the trail, several of which you have to climb over and up (I had to brace my wife coming down those same points on several occasions).

Had the dog been on a leash, I would have been dragged to my knees or broken an ankle at many of these points simply because navigation up/around them on four legs is much different than for those of us on two.

Luckily, I ignore laws that seem stupid to me and ignored this one. So I emerged unscathed.

Now I know why our dog was the only dog we spotted on the whole trail. Others who've been up that trail before know that it's treacherous with a dog in tow (or towing, depending on the dog).

Yet another example, I guess, of government stupidity in the face of reality. I love bureaucracies...

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