Bozeman News

Scary's Bozeman is not frightening...

Bozeman Beach

By Scary, 9-08-08

Atticus and I have been bonding.  Walking him on a leash is bonding. 

Since I got a real job (one that is more practical than seasonal wrangling on dude ranches), I have made an effort to take Atticus for a walk every day.  On my days off, we power up the Bridgers.  But for the days that I must go to work, I found a little loop, near our house.  We start at Cherry Lakes, which, if you drive north on Seventh until it becomes Frontage Road, you’ll see the parking lot on the right, just after the bridge.

We don’t actually make the Cherry Lakes loop - that would be so obvious.  Instead, we walk along the path over to Bozeman Beach, otherwise known as Glen Lake.  The trail takes us all the way round the lake, and leads into a maze of trails called the East Gallatin Trail System.  We got lost in that system last week (neither of us are very smart) so now we just stick to the lake shore. 

The entire loop is a couple of miles and takes us about forty minutes at a brisk walk, Atticus trotting beside me on the leash.  He is much happier if he gets to travel next to me, first thing in the morning, before sleeping the rest of the day while I am at work.  If I didn’t walk him how would he release his energy?  He’s definitely much more balanced because of it.

I get off balance with all the litter that’s laying around.  One morning, I’ll take a bag with me, and pick up all the trash that disgusting people have left on the beach.  It’s the kind of thing that makes me want to shoot people.  But it’s only a temporary feeling because Atticus will spot a gopher about the time I am developing my trash rage.  If I don’t catch his look before he launches after it, he’ll rip my arm out of the socket.  If I do catch it, I’ll make him lie down until the gopher dives into a hole.

I wonder how we’ll manage when the snow arrives.  I expect there will be plenty of places I can take him while I’m on skis.  I’ll find them and let you know.  Until then, we’ll be bonding on foot.

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