Mud kicked and clung to my calves
and your belly in kind.
Though I didn’t slow down,
you never once fell behind.

At times we snaked off the path,
to avoid sured disaster. 
Ice had already started melting,
so we dared not go faster.

Then the wind howled unkindly
and I thought you’d run away,
but you doubled back to me
after barking it at bay.

We passed some serious hikers
on the way to the top,
though not all sporting companions
most had dogs than had not.

We reached the top in time to see
snow falling on the mountain.
We admired then agreed in turn, 
‘it’s time to get back down it.’

And later as we warmed inside
nursing paw pads and sore feet,
I wrote about the walk we took
and how you stuck by me.

My hiking buddy, Basel.