Leader of the Pack

Adventure Pack

The pack was on alert for wildlife on the trails today.  First, Roger Roger saw a chipmunk and ran up ahead along the trail after it.  A bit later, Thompson saw a squirrel and chased it up a tree.  The squirrel commenced taunting him with squirrel chatter.  Then, near the end of our hike, Milo and Rucksack wandered off through the brush together only to return a couple minutes later.  I'm not sure what they saw.

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Adventure Pack

Oliver frequently gets comments from hikers who are impressed by his ability to keep up with the pack, and suggest that he hitch a ride on Benny's back or that I carry him.  Oftentimes, these comments are inspired by the fact the Oliver lags a bit behind the group.  What they don't realize is that Oliver is just busy exploring, sniffing, and peeing on things at his leisure, and happily bounces ahead of the group to continue on if we pause for a minute.
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Adventure Pack

Milo hung back a bit on our way up the mountain on the Chautauqua trail this morning and made friends with other hikers.  Once we got through the ascent, he stayed with the group much better.  Rucksack, on the other hand, kept running up ahead.  Roger Roger and Benny were somewhere in the middle, wandering where their noses took them but not lingering nor pressing forward too much.

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Mamacita returned to the pac...

Adventure Pack

Benny made frequent, sudden stops early on in our ascent.  Milo had a little trouble going over the rocky section of the Flatiron Loop today.  Meanwhile, Rucksack and Roger Roger trotted along right at my side.  The whole pack ignored a dog we passed who barked and growled at us, and made some friendly greetings with other passing dogs along the trails.

Play Pack

Coco, Charlie, and Stella all had a nice walk around the ...

Adventure Pack

Benny loves to stop in place whenever we come across other hikers on the trails.  He got sympathy from one hiker who told him, "I know how you feel," as she leaned on a rock, catching her breath.  Meanwhile, Rucksack and Roger Roger were raring to go and wanted to keep up the pace.  Oliver walked alongside Benny and followed his taller brother's lead.

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I kept a close eye on Thompson after letting him off leash ...

Adventure Pack

Milo was happy to hang out with other hikers who were taking breaks along the trail again today, but seemed chipper enough when we were on the move.  Roger Roger found a pinecone and chewed on it a bit.  I can only image Rucksack was thinking, "No, that's not how you do it!  You're supposed to carry it without breaking it!" as he watched his little brother crunching it up.  Thompson kept pace throughout the hike but was definitely happy to take ...

Adventure Pack

Oliver was lagging behind on our way up the mountain today and passing hikers expressed sympathy for him trying to keep up with the big dogs.  They didn't realize that Oliver was just preoccupied with sniffing around.  Eventually, I waited for him to catch all the way up and then let him take the lead, and he happily bounded ahead.  Meanwhile, Benny was less enthusiastic about the climb and took every opportunity to pause and greet people along the w...

Adventure Pack

Milo kept up with the pack today without taking any breaks to lie down like he did last Friday.  Benny and Roger Roger had fun running around together a little bit on our way down the mountain.  Again, Benny kept our young packmate busy so Rucksack got a break from big-brother duties of serving as Roger Roger's object of harassment.

Play Pack

Mamacita and Stella both enjoyed wiggling around on their backs in the grass at the...

Adventure Pack

Milo got tuckered out on our way up the mountain this morning and he took every opportunity to lie down and have a rest whenever we stopped in one place for ten seconds or longer.  Meanwhile, Benny went back and forth between Milo and the rest of the pack, sometimes lingering behind with his buddy and sometimes trotting to catch up to the rest of the group.  Roger Roger got into a playful mood and starting chewing on Benny's ears and jumping on him, to wh...

Adventure Pack

Oliver took his time coming up the trail today.  Every time I looked back, he was well behind the pack, sniffing at the brush along the edge of the trail and peeing on things every few yards.  Benny followed about halfway between his little brother and the rest of the pack.  Rucksack and Roger Roger again made some human friends.  The hikers were visiting Boulder and had a Labradoodle of their own back at home, so they instantly gravitated towar...