What is that smell?!?
Sometimes, Nola just can’t resist the call of the wild. I can’t blame her—I'm drawn to it too! Last year, while hiking to Clegg Lake in the high Uintas, I noticed a terrible smell following us on the trail. It was awful. A local hunter had once told me that black bears have a strong odor, but I hadn't been close enough to verify it. Nola, however, seemed unaffected, so I continued on. A short while later, I stopped to check the bottoms of my boots and my pack, thinking I had picked up something. Nola quickly joined me to investigate, and that’s when I realized: the stench was coming from her! Rotten fish was stuck all over her prong collar, her bandana, and her fur. Nola had been rolling in dead lake trout, and she seemed to think it smelled great. Luckily, we were still near the lake, so I was able to rinse off her collar and clean my hands. Once we got back to the car, Nola hopped in the back and fell asleep. I climbed in, trying not to gag from the smell. It was an hour and ...