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Doggie Dash 2026

Saturday, Methow Trails once again hosted the Doggie Dash at their headquarters in Winthrop on a glorious sunny day. The Doggie Dash is a long running event that features a six-legged race with one person and one dog per team AND it’s a costume contest. Some folks want to win the race; others want to win the costume contest and take home the coveted Golden Poodle. It’s a traveling trophy which returns each year. There are three categories – adults with small dogs, kids and adults with big dogs. There were only two small dog teams. The other categories had more teams so there were two heats to determine who would go on to the finals race. The day started with a costume parade before the races and the best costume was decided at the end. This is always a favorite winter event with lots of spectators.

Spring Scenes

Sometimes, winter seems never ending with a long drawn out mud season. This year, the snow melted quickly and now everything is green again. It’s still possible to find patches of snow in shady, north facing places and the dogs celebrate each of those little patches. Tiny wildflowers are in bloom and the balsamroot and serviceberry are ready to color all the hillsides. Bees and other insects are out foraging. Butterflies are showing up. For now, it’s quiet around town and trails offer solitude. Soon the pass will open and that will all change but for now, the dogs and I are enjoying being out on the landscape.

A Little Time at the Beach

We all got away to the Washington coast last week to dig razor clams and walk on the beach and generally relax. It was lovely. The weather was pretty good too. Not very rainy or windy, for a change. There was a Bald Eagle nest across the river from where we stayed. I saw the birds near it but they weren’t using it, yet. I saw one shorebird – a Greater Yellowlegs, I think. Sunsets were lovely. There’s not many things better than a beach sunset. Both dogs found a tennis ball. And we ate fried razor clams and fresh ceviche too. We got our limits on three of four days. Here I am with a limit of fifteen clams.

Another Doggie Dash

Methow Trails hosted another Doggie Dash at their new headquarters in Winthrop on Saturday. It was a fabulous, fun event with lots of participants and many spectators. The Doggie Dash is part costume contest and part race. It’s pretty clear that some folks are there for the costumes and others for the race. Volunteers are a big part of the Doggie Dash, helping setup, take registrations, judge, emcee, photograph and clean up when it’s all over.

The event started with warm up laps and then a costume parade before the racing got underway. There were two kids’ heats with the top two in each heat going to the final. Then there were six adult heats with the winner of each heat going to the final. After both finals, there was the all important costume judging. It’s pretty clear that my favorite dog costume did not win. Oh well, there were so many choices. So many people vying for the coveted golden poodle award!

In the races, watch for the German short-haired pointers. The huskies didn’t have a chance against those strong, athletic dogs. And I think this is the first time I’ve seen a woman win the race. In fact, all three top finishers were women!

Next Stop on a Roadtrip

We continued north, driving all the way through Yellowstone National Park and ended up at a Forest Service campground just a few miles away from the park boundary. It was a nice place to stay with a string of beaver ponds along a creek and lovely fall colors. There were trails through the sagebrush outside the campground that were perfect for dog walks. Our friends from western Montana, including their dogs, joined us for a few days. The girls and I stayed there for ten days. After so many days of trying to find a good place to camp, it was such a relief to be in a nice place with clean air. The night sky was clear and I could see and photograph the comet again.