Friendship Bogs

[manumuskin]

Which one is better out of these two HDR shots?



Sophie cut her leg wide open today and since se stayed behind me I didn't see the blood in the snow till we started back.By then we were well over a mile from the car.All in all she walked over two with a nasty gash.Took her to the vet when I got home and he taped her up.Blood everywhere,all over the car seat,all over the snow.She didn't even limp till we got home and she warmed up.Probably so cold she didn't know she was hurt and she was behind me so i never saw the blood till we turned around.

 

[Teegate]

Glad she is fine now Al. Photo's are great!

Guy

 

[RednekF350]

Beautiful pics Al. The bride and I were out there last Sunday with her sister and the dogs. I love that place.
We may be back in there this coming Sunday too.

I hope Sophie is doing well. Dogs are very resilient in the field and rarely complain about cuts and scratches like people do.

 

[manumuskin]

She was apparently thirsty,I hadn't thought of it because she usually helps herself at every water source along the way but everything was frozen solid.Well all the way at the southwest corner of the big bogs west of Friendship there was some open water running through a ditch,the current was keeping it open and she ran out onto the thin ice along the edge to get a drink (she apparently does not like ice,she stays off of it as much as possible) She broke through the ice and it took her maybe fifteen seconds to get out.I think this may have been where she cut herself but she did not limp and went running up the trail hysterical.Cold water is like a shot of adrenalin to her.I f I had a cut like she had I'd of been hysterical entertaining illusions of death.It's about three inches long and looks like it goes to the bone.
If this weather maintains itself I'd love to go back to those bogs and walk all over them on thick ice.It ain't quite that thick yet but that would be an awesome walk.Gettin ready to snow on it.That ruins good ice in my opinion.

 

[Gibby]

A very nice series Manu! Walking Friendship and the neighboring bogs is a joy during the colder months. You never know what waterfowl you will see and the ice covering adds to the scenic views.

It is good news that your pooch will be OK. Have you tried grooming Sophie's paws? Her fur may be causing her to slip more than she should on ice. Trimming it short between the pads helps.

 

[manumuskin]

No Gibby I never knew that you could trim a dogs paw hair and make them more ice friendly.She is out of commission for about two weeks now so when I go out my next days off she is not going to be happy when I leave her.
I was wishing that the ice was thicker.I'd love so much to be able to get out there and walk into all the nooks and crannies that I would have to slog to in the summer but it looks as if it's not to be.It should be thick enough now but by my days off it's supposed to be in the 50's again.The globe has caught itself and said Oh Crap! I forgot,I'm warming!
I think the area of the Barrens that will always be my center place is the Tulpe/Friendship area.I have other areas I like,the plains,skit branch,the major canoeing streams but If I could never get out of the Tulpe watershed I would still be happy.The Tulpe has it all.

 

[manumuskin]

I cloned that nasty Logo right out of these two HDR makes of Friendship Bog.

 

[Pine Baron]

These are some really nice photos, Al. I love Friendship too, it's one of my favorite places, also.

For some reason, though, I thought these pics would be from the middle of the bogs, looking in towards land... judging from most of your posts.

Glad to hear the pup's OK. She sounds like a real trooper!

John-

 

[manumuskin]

Thanks!
I would have been out in the middle but the ice was not thick enough to walk on but too thick to safely kick holes through to walk on the bottom.Swamp walking is quite dangerous in these conditions.If the ice is very thin you can stomp through and firmly plant each step or if nice and thick you can run through the swamp and laugh at it but if it's in between you cannot stomp through but you will take a step or two and crash through never knowing how deep each step will be till you fall through and never able to carefully plant your foot but taking what you get.This is exhausting and potentially a good way to get hurt.
Sophie is still not healed up.I am getting ready to head out now and she still cannot go.Her leg healed two thirds of the way without stitches but the doctor just had to stitch between her pads because it kept spreading open as she walked.Cost 400 big ones but she's worth it.She was quite hilarious coming out of anesthesia.It will be at least another week before she is woods ready.I think when she ran out onto the thin ice to get to the open fast water in a ditch for a drink and fell through there was something under water that cut her.Then I proceeded to walk well over an hour with her behind me never knowing she was cut.When I started on the back trail is when I noticed blood in the snow.If there hadn't of been snow I still may have not seen it.She never made a sound or limped and half her friggin leg was cut off.

 

[woodjin]

Nice pics Al. The water levels are high.