Wheeler Peak
New Mexico
July 2013
Hiking down, hiking down from Wheeler Peak from an elevation of 13 161 feet in the Sangre de Christo Mountains. The Blood of Christ.
We are interrupted by a tongue.
A couple of hikers pass us with their dog. The sloppy tongue belongs to the dog. You’re not surprised, are you? The woman says, “He’s gonna lap you.”
He laps us. Both of us. We don’t want that.
Y’know, there’s that “wisdom” that a dog’s mouth is cleaner than yours. Take pause for a moment: A dog’s mouth is not cleaner than yours. Residing inside a dog’s mouth is the dog’s tongue and a dog’s tongue is not only his washcloth but also his toilet paper. No thank you, I prefer that your dog not lap me.
The dog on Wheeler Peak barks too, a funny sounding bark. It actually sounds like the words, “Arf, arf.” It could have been “Yuck, yuck,” but I don’t think so.
I wonder why they like licking us more than we like licking them…