Protection on the creek

+1

0

The rain had just stopped the creek was running at full tilt boogie . Shy was held up in the Shy Rider waiting for me to get through with what she thought was boring as heck gold panning . I stumbled over the slick rain covered river boulders and thru the red willow covered river bank hauling all my gold finding garb back to the truck . As I approached the truck I hollard to Shy , but there was no response . the roar coming from the high water racing down the narrow canyon was loud enough to keep the fine tuned listeners on our girl from hearing me .

For a minute I thought Shy had gone wondering and that I’d have to go looking for her , but as I rounded the driver side door that I had left opened .. a big white fluffy head popped up in surprise .. Hey Shy bears !! .. Time for a smamich don’t you think ? She watched me as threw the stuff in the back of the truck  I pulled off my big rubber boots and dumped  ice cold water out of  em .

 I broke out the wally world Subs And gave Shy hers. she packed it off into the bushes where she could dissect it without hurting my feelings . As she ate I broke out the fly rod so I could make an attempt to catch some dinner . After tying on a Green Zug Bug I let Shy give it a good sniff .. She approved of my choice .. Should catch a fish shouldn’t it Shy girl ! ..

We headed on foot up stream to find some calmer pockets of water the might hold some good native cutthroats. As we Worked our way under a low stand of red willows we came out into a small clearing filled with sage and weeds . I stopped and looked back at Shy …  Dang girl my feet are soaked .. and so are your legs .. Shy had stopped she was looking past me up the creek , her grizzly bear hump on her back started to grow her lips tightened as she stuck her nose into the wind trying to get a smell of some unknown threat … Then I heard it … Grrrlup gluup ! .. OOh crap ! what was that .. I spun around my hand on my shooter …that sounded like a…. what a bear ? .. Then Shy went into full blown guard dog mode .. She spread her front legs wider and made herself closer to the ground reading herself for an attack  .. then she let out big deep growling barks .. I tried to follow her stare to what was coming through the bushes to get us . but her focus kept changing .. She couldn’t zero in on what was making the noise nor could I .

 Slowly I moved forward through the knee high brush .. Grrlup pluppp … came from the right .. I frose .. What the heck was that .. it’s close .. Shy what is it ? Get it out girl ! … More barking from Shy ..her tail is up and frozen at full curl , she means business   .. Gurlupp plup plup plup .. ok this is ether a sick Bear or a friggin something strange .. I move towards the sound .. Shy’s At my 2 o’clock creeping along with me . Thump glump plup plup plup. . It’s right there in the brush ahead of us Shy.. get ready .. another 4 steeps there’s noticeable dip in the vegetation then a five foot drop to a small channel with a little water running in it    

As I stand at the bottom of the ditch with Shy above and behind me  I hear the odd, glup plup plup plup .. the water surges with a little wave as it passes my feet .. Shy lets out a few more barks .. we walk 30 feet up the ditch .. and there it was in the creek.. it spit at us as we stood looking at this stage sounding critter  .. Dammit Shy ! false alarm it’s just a friggin well pipe belching up water …

Shy was still not so sure about it so she gave it a growl and a stretched neck sniff as I climbed up the other side of the bank telling her to “come on lets go”  She slowly crossed the ditch and followed me to the creek side were I threw my bug into the swift waters in hopes of a fish dinner . After a bit I hooked a fish and pulled it to the shore thinking Shy’s gonna love this only to turn around and see she was not waiting by my side . Shy had wandered back over to the  “gulg glug” noise and was sneaking closer to get another look . I just watched to see what she’d do . What she did was classic , She looked and sniffed and still couldn’t figure it out so she got as close as she dared the squatted and peed . then came over to smell my fish ..

Thanks for reading . Hope enjoyed our funny story