Leader of the Pack

The Adventure Pack

There weren't any lizard encounters on the trails today but Wesley had a fleeting curiosity in a grasshopper that took a couple leaps to cross the trail just ahead of us.  Benny was stopping in place and planting his feet every 30 seconds or so at the beginning of the hike so I tried taking a slower pace.  When he kept doing it, I lined up behind him with the rest of the pack and let him lead the way instead.  At first, he moved very slowly and s...

The Adventure Pack

Coco and Benny often mouth at each other's faces and groan in the back of the packmobile while we're picking up their other packmates and heading to the trails in the morning.  Today, their groans and whines were quieter and I glanced back at them to see that they were just nibbling gently, grooming each other.  When we picked up Rucksack, he lied down in front of Mogul and Mogul rested his head on Rucksack's back.  I guess everyone was feeling v...

The Adventure Pack

I slowed down and let Coco, Rucksack, and Wesley go first when we came to that tall rock along the Anemone Trail so Benny could see the stepping stone beside it, and he went up it without a problem.  I've been noticing a lot of lizards on the trail this week and I wasn't the only one - Wesley caught sight of one just a couple yards ahead and darted up the trail after it but the lizard slipped into a crevice between a couple rocks and out of reach.  Co...

The Adventure Pack

When we passed a certain spot along the Anemone Trail today, I was reminded of this time last year when Benny was just a little pup.  There was a big rock in the trail that Benny had trouble with multiple times.  It's tall, so it's a big leap up it, and the first many times we passed it Benny planted his front legs on the rock but didn't have the strength or momentum to get his other half up.  Today, he did the exact same thing!  Even now th...

The Adventure Pack

We hiked the Anemone trail today and it was pretty hot when we weren't in the shade.  A short while into the hike, Toskey became very adamant about stopping for a breather each time we passed under a tree.  Everyone gulped down the water besides Mogul, who never cares for more than a couple licks.  I thought the trail there was all opened now, but the loop at the top is still barred off due to fire damage from the Dome fire.  Rucksack wasn't...

The Adventure Pack

Rucksack was particularly friendly and nosey with his packmates today.  Usually, he's more interested in staring up ahead or picking up sticks, but today he frequently turned to his packmates and sniffed/nudged them with his nose.  Mogul was the most regular recipient of Rucksack's nosings since they were walking side-by-side but he also leaned over to Benny and Coco as well.  Coco found a long, slim twig along the side of the path and Benny want...

The Adventure Pack

The pack started off very interested in the smells to be discovered today.  In the first 10 minutes, we had made three stops because everyone was drawn to the side of the path by their noses.  Even Oliver, who usually does his own thing, joined with his packmates Benny, Coco, and Rucksack to sniff out the spots.  The first was just a patch of grass, the second a stone wall, and the third another patch of grass.

The Play Pack

The Adventure Pack

Rucksack found a small stick to carry along with us today, but a moment later Coco outdid him with a bigger one.  They walked next to each other, each with their own stick, for a while until Rucksack dropped his and started gnawing at Coco's.  Benny began to gnaw on the other end and then Coco dropped it.  Later on, Coco found a new stick that Rucksack promptly stole away from her.  Oliver stayed out of the stick negotiations, only venturing...

 The Adventure Pack

It was hotter out today than I had expected and the pack was panting a lot since we were walking around Wonderland Lake where there isn't much shade.  At one point, Coco lied down in the grass in the shade of a big tree and we lingered there for a few minutes so everyone could cool down.  Later, we went through an underpass under 28th street and took another, longer break.  This time, Toskey and Benny lied down to cool their bellies on the ...

The Adventure Pack

Benny, Oliver, and Coco enjoyed a new route today as we started at Wonderland Lake and headed up a narrow trail into the mountains overlooking North Boulder.  Because the trail was narrow, we had to go almost single-file:  Coco was behind me to me right, Oliver was to her left, and Benny brought up the rear.  The trail was empty aside from our pack, but we came by a few friendly dogs when we got back down to the path around the lake.