Nearly 10 years at the Rainbow Bridge

Paws to all. I have been here at the Rainbow Bridge for almost 10 years now. In that time,I have had many grand adventures and met lots of new Bridge pals,but the occasion of my upcoming 10th anniversary has caused me to reminisce a bit on my life back on Earth with my Dad. We would take a trip to Alaska each fall and hike the wonderful trails up there such as the historic Chilkoot Trail in Skagway used by the stampeders in the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898,and the Kesugi Ridge trail in Denali State Park which afforded majestic views of the Alaska Range and Denali (Mt Mckinley)itself. 10 years ago in August 2000,dad and I enjoyed what was to be our last rafting summer together on the Delaware river. We traveled to Alaska in the fall of that year---our 5th time there---and had another wonderful trip hiking in the majestic mountains all around that state. On the way back home,in Montana,dad and I stopped at a rest area near Craig and we took a short walk there as we had been driving for some time. Dad left me outside while he went in to use the restroom as I was a very calm dog and there was hardly any traffic on the Interstate in northern Montana. For reasons unknown to my Dad (and to this day,I`m still not completely sure why I did it) I walked across Interstate 15 while he was inside the restroom and was tragically hit by a car. My heart was aching with pity as my spirit watched Dad emerge from the restroom,call my name several times,and finally discover my body lifeless by the side of the interstate. I tried to comfort Dad as he cried over me and finally covered up my body with loose rocks creating a grave for me by the roadside. This was Oct 6,2000. My spirit then departed for the Rainbow Bridge as Dad drove away down the interstate. I barked a goodbye and Dad must have heard me because in the days and weeks following the accident,he had second thoughts about leaving my body in the roadside grave. It so happened that his sister was going out to Montana to visit a friend in Feb 2001 and by amazing coincidence this friend lived near the site of the accident. They drove out to the rest area near Craig,recovered my body,and had me cremated at the nearby Lewis and Clark Humane Society in Helena----the same shelter where Dad adopted my brother Smiley.

A few days ago,this friend drove by that same rest area and e mailed this to my Dad :
Just got checked in to the room in Great Falls and have to head over to the
> park for the show, but wanted to let you know that I went by where we picked
> Butch up at. I was going to stop and put some wildflowers on "his rocks" -
> but there is construction and the rest area is closed off. Actually, they
> have the rest area all torn up, tons of equipment parked there, and I'm not
> so sure "his rocks" are even still there!
>
> Anyways, was thinking of him, you & John and wanted to let you know! Feel
> free to share this with John - I don't have his e-mail addy handy!
>
> Hugs,
>
> Peg

So it has been nearly 10 years since that day in Oct 2000 and while I miss my Dad,I eagerly await our eventual reunion.
Love you Dad,
Butch ♥

1997 Alaska Trip part 2

After our little hike in the Carcross Desert,we drove across White Pass on the Klondike Highway and soon reached the Alaska border which is located at the summit of White Pass. From the summit of White Pass,the road descends crossing a suspension bridge spanning a rocky canyon then continues down to the Gold Rush town of Skagway. Dad and I spent 4 days hiking the Chilkoot Trail in Skagway and then toured the town itself after our hike. We walked down to the docks to view the cruise ships that sailed here from Seattle and Vancouver via the Inside Passage. I`ve posted 2 new pix of White Pass and the cruise ship on my page.
Butch

1997 Alaska trip Part 1

Greetings from across the Bridge!
In Sept 1997,Dad and I took our 2nd trip together to Alaska. We travelled there in dad`s 1994 Geo Metro which was still a fairly new car back then. We drove thru the US as far as North Dakota before entering Canada at the Saskatchewan border. Then it was west across the Canadian plains until we reached the town of Dawson Creek in British Columbia. This is where the Alaska Highway begins. We drove north on the Alaska Highway for about 500 miles before arriving in Canada`s Yukon territory which is adjacent to Alaska. Here we did a bit of hiking in the Carcross Desert. This is a small area of sand dunes surrounded by majestic peaks. It is actually the floor of an ancient lake.We then travelled on to Skagway,Alaska to hike the Chilkoot Trail,a famous trail from the 1897 Klondike Gold Rush. I`ve posted a few pix from this trip. More details later. Dad and I shared 5 Alaska trips together before I crossed the Bridge in 2000.
Paws,
Butch

Hiking in Rocky Mt National Park

Woofs to all!
As we travelled home from the Grand Canyon and California in 1996,Dad and I stopped off in Colorado to do some hiking in Rocky Mt National Park. We hiked the Twin Sisters Peaks trail that began in a lovely forest and then climbed above treeline onto a bare windswept rocky landscape. The views up here were spectacular,but the winds were quite strong! Photos 2 and 3 show the Twin Sisters Peaks.
Paws,
Butch

More pix from 1996 Grand Canyon trip

Woofs from across the Bridge!
Dad has scanned and posted 3 new photos to my page. They are from our 1996 trip to the Grand Canyon and California. They are at the top of my page and show me at the Golden Gate Bridge,San Francisco Bay and Lake Havasu. That was one fine trip that Dad and I went on that year. Although I`ve been to Alaska 5 times with my Dad,that was the one and only time that I travelled to the Grand Canyon and California.
Paws,
Butch

More photos from 1996 Grand Canyon trip

Woofs to all from across the Bridge,
Dad has posted a few more photos on my page from our trip to the Grand Canyon in 1996. They show us hiking the South Rim trail. Storm clouds are present in one photo. During this hike,we experienced thunderstorms and even some hail. It was an exciting hike with equally exciting views! When Dad joins me here across the Bridge,we`ll have many more great hikes together!
Paws,
Butch

Grand Canyon trip

Woofs from across the Rainbow Bridge!

In Sept 1996,Dad took me to the Grand Canyon and we hiked along the South Rim. From the Rim trail,it was possible to gaze far down into the depths of the Canyon. At times, we could even see the Colorado River far below. This was the only time that Dad took me to the Grand Canyon as most of our LONG trips together were done in Alaska. Nonetheless I had a fun time! The photos are posted on my page.
Paws,
Butch

Alaska Travels 1997

As Dad and I continued on our Alaska trip that year, we came upon a nice trail (5 Finger Rapids Trail) as we were driving down the Klondike Highway from Dawson City. The trail is just north of Carmacks and leads thru a pretty dwarf spruce forest down to the Yukon river. Once at the river we were able to see 5 large islands of rock that protrude up from the river---the 5 fingers---and form a set of rapids. Later while travelling the Alaska Highway, we saw a coyote and black bear as well as some funny road signs. On the way home, we visited Yellowstone National Park where we hiked a trail that led thru a field of hissing,bubbling geysers. Dad has posted videos of these adventures on my page!
Butch

Camping in Denali Park Sept 1997

On our 1997 trip to Alaska, Dad and I did an overnite backpacking trip in Denali State Park. We hiked the Little Coal Creek trail which starts off of the Parks Highway and climbs steeply up into the foothills of the Alaska Range topping out onto a plateau after 3 miles. We set up camp by the shores of a small partially frozen lake. The snow depth was about 3 inches here,down from 6 inches a few days ago on our first hike in the area.Dad had to kick thru the ice to get water for supper. I darted inside the tent as soon as it was erected in order to escape the wind which was blowing at a steady clip across the snowfield. The tent was warm by comparison and I remained inside most of the evening! Dad witnessed a glorious sunset over the Alaska Range,the setting sun bathing the mountains in a warm orange glow. Even the summit of Denali,sometimes referred to as Mt Mckinley,was visible. Dad then returned to the tent and fed me and began to cook his own supper. Without warning, a gust of wind lifted the tent partway off the ground and it was a struggle to keep the tent floor even. The winds grew more intense overnite at one point bending the tent nearly in half. Rain was pelting the tent as well and a stream of water was running across the floor of the tent. It was a stressful nite for us both as we were afraid that the high wind would rip the tent to shreads,leaving us exposed to the elements on a dark and cold nite in the mountains! Fortunately the tent held and suffered only a bent pole. We made it safely back to the trailhead the next day. I`ve posted a video clip on my page of this adventure titled "Sunset Denali State Park Alaska".

Butch

1997 Alaska Trip---Hiking on a glacier

On our 1997 trip after Dad and I finished hiking the Chilkoot Trail, we drove from Skagway,Alaska back up into Canada via the Klondike Highway. The Klondike Highway rejoins the Alaska Highway and from there we continued up into the main part of Alaska (Skagway is located in the Alaska Panhandle and is not connected by road to the rest of the state). Once in mainland Alaska, we drove to the small town of Tok where we exited the Alaska highway and drove on down the Glenn Highway. On the Glenn Highway a short distance past the town of Glennallen we stopped at the Matanuska Glacier. Here Dad strapped on his crampons and off we went across the icefields of the glacier. Dad kept me on leash so that I wouldn`t slip into any deep cravasses---cracks in the ice of the glacier that can be hundreds of feet deep. We had fun hiking up the small ice mountains of the Matanuska Glacier and then on down into the valleys. We spent a bit over an hour exploring here. Dad posted a video clip of the Matanuska Glacier hike on my page. Be barking more details later!
From across the Bridge,
Butch