On Friday, my only day off in the middle of a seven-day stretch, I decided to tackle the lengthy 8.8 mile loop that is the Bear Run Nature Reserve. This area is just north of Ohiopyle, where I stopped in the morning to pick up some snacks for the trek. Bear Run is owned by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, who also manages Fallingwater, located conveniently next door. (More on this later...)
The parking area for this hike is both large and well-marked. There are also two large maps detailing all of the trails that can be found in Bear Run. A pocket that advertised "free hiking maps" was empty. Fortunately, I had brought my own. Since dropping my copy of 50 Hikes in the creek during Hike 13, I now only carry a photocopy of the two relevant pages containing the hike description and the all-important map. GPS is great, but batteries don't last forever. A hardcopy map is a smart backup. 
Setting out from the parking lot, both dogs and I plunged into the forest. We walked through a pine tree plantation, easily identifiable due to the perfectly spaced rows of tall pine trees. It's an unreal environment, like something out of the Matrix - a computer-generated forest built according to mathematical symmetry and rigid lines. See photo.
After that, we passed through lots of rhododendrons as we made our way uphill along the Ridge Trail. This hike traverses several different trails, but all the junctions are nicely marked and the guide is easy to follow. It was at this point that we heard what we thought was a bear. I have been hiking the Laurel Highlands for quite a while now, and this was the first time I truly thought I might encounter a bear. There is no alertness more acute than what one experiences in the forest, alone and listening. No bear, though. Whew.
Around this time in our hike, only a mile from the car, Red ran away (again). I played it cool and kept making my way back to the car, assured that he would meet up with us sooner or later. However, there was no sign of him. At the car, I unloaded my gear and got Cash situated inside. Now to find Red... We drove up and down the gravel access road that ended our hike, but no Red. On a hunch, I drove down the main road, looking for Red wandering along the side of the highway, but again, no dog. I made my way to the security gate at Fallingwater and asked if anyone there had seen a dog wandering around. "No," the man in the booth said. "Wait a minute..." and got on the radio. After some dialogue, which I could not hear, he told me that I would have to talk to the head of security (who was standing nearby).
The security chief was a very nice guy who told me that yes, there was a dog found "down by the house." I said, "THE house? Fallingwater?" "Yep," said the security chief, "he was wandering around the house and the folks on the tour spotted him. One of our maintenance guys took him home."
I was both shocked and relieved, having found my dog. He went to Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright's most famous building, didn't pay admission, disrupted the tour and went home with a stranger. Aaaaghhhh!!!
After a short call to Ben, the maintenance guy who was nice enough to take care of Red, it was only a few minutes before they both showed up in a pickup (Red LOVES trucks!), and I was reunited with my dog. He acted as though he had been on a great adventure. "Dad, I had a blast! There was this really cool house in the woods, and a stream running right underneath it, and lots of great stuff for a dog! Then I went to this guy's house. Do I get a treat or what?"A big THANK YOU! to the staff of Fallingwater for helping me get my dog back. Ben, I really appreciate your generosity in taking Red to your home and making sure that he was safe. I cannot tell you how much your selfless and compassionate behavior meant to me. This act of kindness is just the kind of thing we need more of in the world.
Not sure that I can risk hiking with Red anymore, but I'm glad that he had the time of his life.
The Kaufmann's would have chuckled, too, I'm sure.
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