Leader of the Pack

Adventure Pack

Sputnik and Monarch were very interested in sniffing along the side of the trail this morning, while Coco and Clover were happy to just trot along. Sputnik left a lot of scent marks and Monarch just narrowly dodged the stream a few times, as she was still sniffing the point of interest when Sputnik decided it was time to mark it and move on. Clover and Monarch are continuing to get a little more comfortable with drinking from the CamelBak each week. Progress has...

Adventure Pack

Mamacita, Rucksack, and Coco were all pretty mellow on our hike this morning.  Sputnik was interested in leaving scent marks along the way and pulled enthusiastically off toward the side of the trail whenever the spirit took him.  We passed a lot of dogs along the way today, as more and more people seem to be getting out on the trails during this continuing winter heat wave.  Most of them passed by with a sniff in our direction; however, one pair cam...

Adventure Pack

Coco jumped all over Rucksack again this morning when he hopped out of the packmobile at the trailhead, as she typically does.  It reminds me of when they were both puppies and first started coming out with the pack almost 7 years ago.  It seems a bit of that puppy energy still comes out for Coco in her excitement to hit the trails with her old buddy.  Rucksack comports himself in a more dignified manner, although I'm sure he's happy to have the comp...

Adventure Pack

My sister is visiting from the East Coast and joined us for the hike this morning. She snapped some good photos of the pack and me making our way along the trails at Shanahan Ridge.  Sputnik, Coco, Monarch, and Clover all offered some good poses.  The trails were busy as everyone is making the most of this unseasonably warm weather.  Monarch enjoyed a roll in the dead grass at one point while her packmates looked on.  Sputnik start...

Adventure Pack

Coco has been in the habit of ambushing her old buddy Rucksack when he first jumps out of the car at the trailhead, so I gave him a break by letting him out of the car before her today.  There were a lot of dogs on the trail at Shanahan Ridge this morning.  The pack was calm and friendly for all of our passings.  Sputnik kept his cool and seemed particularly interested in a pair of Labs that trotted by, one carrying a stick.  Speaking of sticks,...

Adventure Pack

Sputnik busted out some playful moves with Monarch on the trails this morning and Monarch responded in kind.  Later on, Sputnik turned his attention to Clover as he buried his nose in the fur around her shoulders.  His demeanor seemed to imply amorous intentions., though he didn't make any actual attempts to mount Clover.  Clover just stood and accepted the attentino from Sputnik without much reaction, save for a coy sniff or two in his direction. &#...

Adventure Pack

Rucksack laid off of Mamacita for most of the hike this morning, but he couldn't help himself during the last stretch and ended up leaving Mamacita with a soaking wet right ear from all of his licks.  Sputnik and Mamacita were both in the mood to kick up dirt after relieving themselves at several points along the trail.  Mamacita often indulges in this habit, but it was unusual for Sputnik.  Coco sniffed  alongside her packmates and left some sc...

Adventure Pack

Rucksack again took an interest in licking Mamacita's ears during the latter half of today's hike.  For some reason, it's only after we've been out for a while when he takes notice of her.  A couple nice ladies asked to say hello to the dogs, and the pack were happy to oblige.  Sputnik was the most enthusiastic about greeting.  Coco and Rucksack were both also happy to have their heads scratched for a minute.  Mamacita didn't walk right up ...

Adventure Pack

Sputnik, Mamacita, and Coco had another calm, pleasant hike at Shanahan Ridge this morning.  The mud and ice patches are small enough now that they were easy to avoid.  My ankle is improving since yesterday's slip, but we still took a slightly slower pace than usual.  We encountered several other dogs on the trails today as the nice weather brought out more hikers than usual.  We stepped to the side of the trail to let them pass with enough dist...

Adventure Pack

I took a slip on some ice on our way up the mountain this morning and twisted my ankle a bit.  Sputnik, Coco, and Mamacita all made it easy on me by being very well behaved and content to take a slower pace than usual.  Sputnik and Mamacita were both quite happy to linger at some spots so they could thoroughly sniff out the area.  Coco sniffed around, too, but was more interested in watching me and sticking by my side.  By the end of the hike, t...