PEAKFINDERS and Friends Hike Mt. Woodson in Memory of a Legend

On Sunday, 12/18/11, a group of us hiked to the top of Mt. Woodson to honor the life of a true canine legend, Sage.  Sage was more of a human than anything else.  Her ability to connect with all people, all dogs, all cats--virtually every living thing, was one of the many traits that made her so amazingly special.  Mt. Woodson is a wonderful place where Sage and I would go and spend countless hours, just the two of us.  I would rock climb, while she explored around--at times gone for over an hour, but always periodically checking on her clumsy dad.  There's one specific spot that she especially loved (see pic below), and I always knew that when the unthinkable, yet inevitable day came, I would lay her to rest there. Now her ashes have been returned to the Earth, and anytime we look to the east and see Mt. Woodson peaking above the other surrounding hills (complete with cell-phone towers and all), we can rest assured that we are being watched by Sage--a dog that was wise beyond her years, loved by all, and left an impact on everyone and anything she came in contact with that will never be forgotten.  Love and miss you Sagers!          

           

Sage's loved ones...                                                              In her prime--taking in the view..

For more pics of the hike (compliments of Alex Gillet), please see the link below:
https://plus.google.com/photos/110206090926343413165/albums/5688069237956030481?authkey=CNrw58eMgo38Qg

Mantra of the Month: "Be Thankful"

We often spend time complaining about our day to day situations.  We complain about having to go to work on Mondays, while thousands of unemployed individuals without a paycheck would kill to go for us.  We complain that we need to exercise to stay at a healthy weight, while there are people out there with various handicaps that will never get the chance to do an early Saturday run with a a fun loving group.  We complain at times that in order to stay healthy we have to choose healthy foods over "comfort" foods, when there are many people who don't have the luxury of knowing when their next meal is, let alone choose what it is.  When we become too comfortable with our situations, it becomes very easy to lose sight of reality and begin having our own personal "pity parties".   So next time you start falling into this cycle of thought, rise above it and remember all that you are fortunate to have.  Then practice gratitude and BE THANKFUL.

In Loving Memory:  Sage "The Queen" Heslin
5/20/1997 - 12/10/2011