The climb to the top surprised me this time. In addition to the sounds of a nice family from New Jersey, happy children, a relieved and pleased dad, and the calming sound of a flowing stream, I heard other noises. Other noises that I didn’t instinctively recognize. I knew the birds calls, I hear them all the time. And I’m intuitively familiar with the patter of hikers’ steps in the forest.

But this time, I heard barking all the time. The family who I led on this hike brought their dog with them. We hiked with a dog. A big golden retriever, full of doggy excitement and exuberance. Many hikers bring their dogs along but this was first experience hiking with a dog. And boy was it fun. He splashed in the river, ran down the mountainside just to fetch a stick, and even got in a fight with a swan and a goose. I’m kind of thankful no bears showed up this time. I wonder how he would have reacted.

When a family goes hiking together, they share such a wonderful experience. They come to a calming place in the forest, and they are away from the computer, video games and TV that distract people from conversation. And they embark on an adventure together. The dog too was part of the fun. I watched as the father and children shared a new experience, they learned new skills together. And in this group, they learned the ways of the forest together.

They took responsibility for each other. They looked out for trail markers, they helped collect wood for the campfire, they prepared dinner, they took turns using my knife to sharpen sticks to roast their marshmallows. They put up their tents, they helped each other unroll their sleeping bags, they figured out how to put up a fly tarp (and its a good thing they did, because it poured that night!).

They also took care of their dog, who after a long day of hiking (and fighting with geese) was so exhausted he just lay down on the floor and shivered himself to sleep.

The sleep that people experience after a day like this grants them a profound feeling of restfulness and peace. Their bodies feel good after all the exertion, they feel happy after a day of discovery and relationship building, and they feel satisfied to have worked and accomplished together. Sleep like this celebrates the day’s accomplishments.

The smiles the next morning shone brightly, albeit groggily. Everyone had a good night’s sleep, protected from pitter-pattering raindrops, we davened an inspired prayer. Another fire, a hot breakfast, and a challenging hike later, the bodies were tired again, but the moods and happiness soared. Even the dog was back to his normal, exuberant self.