Cotton’s First Summer Vacation

By C. G. “Cotton” Runnels

As I trotted down that mountain trail, I could hardly believe that only six months ago I was a motherless child living in the red clay under a Georgia stoop. All that changed when a kind couple collected me and fetched me to my new home in Montgomery.

Soon I was on vacation in Western North Carolina. I got up each morning and was allowed to run in the meadow, hunting for the critter friends that lived there. I would end my run down by the stream where I barked at the water as it rushed over the rocks. Sometimes my daddy drank his coffee by the stream and rubbed my belly as the birds chirped their soothing reveille.

After breakfast each morning, my folks planned the day’s adventure. Sometimes we went sightseeing and some days we hiked. We traveled to many waterfalls. Often humans stopped viewing the waterfalls and directed their attention to me. Daddy said I was a showstopper. Mother reminded me to be humble, that I was crafted by God just like all the wonderment that surrounded me. I liked it best when little children patted and hugged me. Their touch was different from anyone else’s. It was full of the wonder that I shared with them.

The best days were the ones when we went hiking. My mentor, A.B. Bear, taught me all about trail hiking. He made sure I seldom got more than a few yards ahead of my folks and always stayed on the trail. Bear encouraged me to look back often to make sure my humans were OK and to scout the trail ahead for any danger. We hiked along streams and often found waterfalls. I loved to drink the cold, clear mountain water, and it felt so good on the pads of my feet. Bear and I would leap from one slippery stream rock to the next until we had crossed the water. I tried to catch the water as it rushed between rocks but always ended up with a mouth full of nothing.

My folks always packed a trail lunch, and we all ate before we started the hike out of the woods. Bear and I got to eat Vienna sausages off a fork and drink bottled water from a dish. I am glad we rested, because my little legs were tired. The hike out was mostly uphill, but I soon forgot how tired I was as I embraced all the smells, sights, and sounds of the mountain woods.

In the evening I lay on the porch and listen to Mother and Father talk. Their voices were a comfort to me. The mountain air felt so cool on my face, and I heard sounds that I never heard during the daylight. The night was darker than any I have ever known, and I snoozed off as the fireflies twinkled. I dreamed each night of another full day with both my folks and my best friend, Bear. It was a wonderful holiday. Next year, I’ll be 1 year old and a big hound. I can hardly wait.