Alternatively titled: A birthday to remember.
My dear pal Caitlin recently turned another year older. When I asked what she wanted to do for her birthday, she said she wanted to go for a hike. We didn’t necessarily want to go far from home, but we did want to do something new to us. We discovered there was a looped version of a trail we had both done many times, but neither of us had ever done the loop.
This was a no brainer as this trail would take us on new terrain, we would pass by a lake, and it would give us a solid 11 miles of hiking. We set out on the Mount Townsend Loop trail around 0930, and we had the trail to ourselves for nearly the entire first half of the hike. After a few miles we got to Silver Lake where we planned to stop and possibly swim.
It was here I decided to surprise Caitlin with a birthday cupcake.
It took me longer than expected to submerge my skin into the frigid water, but as always I am glad I did. Caitlin jumped in too, ate her cupcake, and we ate some food to prepare for the steeper sections. As we continued on towards the top of the loop the trail became familiar, and the sun felt significantly hotter.
This is when things started to get a little hairy. We had checked the temps before starting this hike because Caitlin wanted to bring her dog Poncho with us, and both of us saw that it was supposed to be a high of 65 or so. It turned out to be much warmer than this, and when Poncho started to slow down we worried it might have been because of the heat.
(Poncho has gone on many hikes with us, she is a seasoned hiker dog, so her slowing down is always cause for alarm.)
We managed to find a section of the trail with snow, and Poncho came back to life almost instantly. We were certain we were out of troubled waters, but we couldn’t have been more wrong. We blissfully savored the views from the summit of the loop without a second thought of the chaos to come.
We managed to get a bit of a way down the summit towards the back half of the loop when we started having troubles with Poncho again.
It started with her slowing down, and eventually she wouldn’t walk at all. She would sit and have little interest in continuing on, and we both still thought it was due to the heat. Caitlin would cover her fur in water, give her extra breaks to drink water, and eventually Poncho would start walking. This continued on until the stops got longer, and this is when both Caitlin and I started to worry.
We were still 3 or so miles from the car, it was getting later in the day, and Poncho did not want to move. Caitlin tried carrying her over her shoulders a few times, but ultimately Poncho was too heavy. We played a game of start stop and gave Poncho as many breaks as she needed, but during one of our breaks Caitlin noticed something was wrong with Ponchos paw pads.
We later learned that what had happened was essentially like the human version of a blister. Her entire paw pads on two of her paws were peeling off, leaving a tender layer of exposed skin underneath. We didn’t know this at the time, and all we were focused on was getting Poncho back to the car. After multiple hours we got to the end of the trail onto the gravel road where we still had a mile walk to the car. From here I let Caitlin stay with Poncho and I booked it to get her car.
I was on such high alert from the anxiety of my mental spiral that I had my bear spray in my hand the entire time. I was convinced a cougar, or a bear, (or a man lol) would find me walking alone and my wandering mind got the best of me.
I got the car, I drove back to the gals, and all was well in the world again. Poncho was down and out for a few days, but the vet wrapped her paws and gave her some happy drugs to help with the pain. She is good as new now, and thankfully Caitlin decided on the warm days of summer Poncho will stay home for these hikes. She also bought some doggy booties which I can’t wait to see her in.
This trail was beautiful, a 10/10 and likely one of my favorites in this area, but it was skewed by the scary moments with Poncho. Both Caitlin and I would like a redo. Caitlin will remember her 31st birthday likely forever, as the one where Poncho had a rough go. I skimmed over this day in a very brief blog post, but in the moment it was really scary.
We finished this hike around 1700, over eight hours after we started. Thankfully we both stayed calm and managed to get pupperoonie out safe and sound.
Q: Have you ever spent your birthday in a less than ideal situation? My most recent was 2024 when I had to take Little to the ER on my birthday. Thankfully birthday are less exciting the older I get.
Blissfulbritt 
34 thoughts on “Mount Townsend Loop Trail”
Sarah W
Wow what a beautiful place😊And I’m so glad that Poncho (great name BTW) has made a full recovery too. I have some boots for one of my dogs as he hurt his foot once when we were on holiday, and have used them a few times since. They’re a useful item to have!
Brittany
Isn’t it a great name? She’s a sweet doggo. I work at REI and we sell the dog shoes, but I never really thought of a good use for them. Well. Now I know a great use! 🤣
Peg
So sorry for poor Poncho! I am glad everything eventually worked out. I remember my birthday in 2019, we were on our way back to Yakima from a road trip to Florida and North Carolina. I had caught a cold the day before we left NC, and it was the worst cold I have ever had in my life. I was sick the entire day of my birthday. My partner drove all day and I just sat in the passenger seat and slept as much as I could have. I felt terrible, almost as bad as when I had pneumonia. We finally got home the next day, but I wouldn’t want to do that again.
Brittany
That sounds AWFUL!! Being sick sucks on its own, but having to road trip home makes it 10x worse!! A memorable birthday indeed.
Diana
Poor Poncho! I’m glad it all worked out and she has some booties for next time. Hopefully you can repeat the hike; it looks super pretty!
Brittany
It was so beautiful! I look forward to doing it again sometime. Thankfully it’s so close to us.
Thistles and Kiwis
Looks lovely and so glad Poncho is OK.
The worst birthday? Going to see my mum in hospital and flying back to Copenhagen where I lived at the time. I didn’t know it was the last time I would see her.
Brittany
Ohhh friend. I’m so sorry. That would likely be my worst birthday ever. I’m thankful you were able to see her, but a forever pain that it was unknowingly the last time.
Rootchopper
Great post. I’m always amazed that gigs walk in pavement in the hot sun without apparent injury. Not me. I’m a total tenderfoot
Brittany
I have always wondered how they can walk on hot ground. I think for Poncho it was also the terrain that upset her paws. The constant down hill started to push on the pads wrong. Poor gal!
Atheria
I hope Poncho is going to be okay! I totally understand the stress when you both were so remote. Happy belated birthday to Caitlin. At age 58+ now, I can say my 30s were a good decade. Enjoy!
Brittany
I’m over halfway through mine, will be closer to 40 by my next birthday, and I’m trying to enjoy as much as I can. The years always feel harder in the moment, and then in hindsight they really weren’t that bad! Poncho is doing much better now thankfully. We all learned a valuable lesson!
The Rolling Relic
Glad to hear Poncho is ok!
Brittany
It was wonderful news when I found out she was feeling much better!
Grizz Lee Bear
Good story. My dog sits down whenever he gets something in his paw. He is small enough that I can carry him. I think we worry more about our pets than ourselves.
Brittany
I agree wholeheartedly. The amount of stress I’ve caused myself worrying over my geriatric cat is enough to cause sickness. But we love them so much they’re worth the worry. 🤪
Monica Steps
Gorgeous photos!! Speedy healing to Poncho! 💕
Brittany
She is good as new now! Nothing a little rest and TLC couldn’t fix!
Roy McCarthy
Poor dog – if only dogs could talk. Anyway you took great care with her once you knew the cause.
Brittany
I would give anything for animals to be able to talk to us!
Olympus Mountaineering
Very nice post, and what a great location (and photo) of Silver Lake!
Thanks for sharing, and greetings from Greece!
Brittany
I am already looking forward to swimming in this lake again.
Olympus Mountaineering
I can imagine! It looks so inviting!
YellowCable
I glad to hear that at Poncho is ok.
Brittany
Thank you, me too!
Rachel
Poncho is so cute! May I ask what breed?
Brittany
She is adorable! I love her colors. She is a mixed bag, I don’t know exactly what she is mixed with my friend got her at the Humane Society.
niall
Poor Poncho ❤️ but glad to hear she is OK and you all got home safely 👌
Brittany
It was quite the day, and we are all glad it’s over!
Duncan
I’m so bummed I didn’t come along on this one, what a gorgeous scene! I feel so bad for Poncho, that poor girl. I’m so proud of you for pushing through your anxiety and bringing the car to the rescue, you are the best friend anyone could have! We can take this hike on again next summer for a redemption round.
XOXO
Brittany
We both wished you were there. Especially when it came time to try picking her up. We probably would have saved three hours had you been there to carry Poncho. Alas, we made it out as two strong independent women. Three including Ponchini.
gpavants
Hi Brittney,
I have and had some long days from a monster peak. I turn 60 in March. I want to do something with the family. Tell Poncho hi, Gary
Gary Avants Forbear Productions * *garyavants66@gmail.com garyavants66@gmail.com
Enchanted Seashells
I’ll have to ask my son who lives in Seattle if he’s hiked there, he loves to go hiking/camping. I’ve been a few times, but not to this place. Glad the pup was OK!
Brittany
If he hasn’t, it’s well worth the day trip from Seattle to this side for this hike! He would love it.