Leader of the Pack

The Adventure Pack

Everybody spent the hike practicing walking on leash together today.  Coco and Wesley were both very good; Rucksack tends to try to pull ahead pretty often; Benny was lagging behind for most of the hike.  He looked like he needed to relive himself so we stopped several times along the way and waited for him but he just stood and looked at me, or chewed on some grass.  Eventually, though, the source of Benny's lack of energy became evident when he...

The Adventure Pack

Coco tried getting Benny's attention by flaunting a big stick around in front of him but Benny had only a passing interest.  Coco gave up for a while then found a new stick, but this time she was more interested in having it for herself than teasing her packmates with it.  Rucksack's been gathering some seeds in his coat lately.  I picked out about 30 and that was only a fraction.  Oliver had a good time on the trails and again had no troubl...

The Adventure Pack

Coco and Beny were very playful at the beginning of today's hike.  Mogul was again the only pack member to actually lie down in the stream we passed near the trailhead - Rucksack, Benny, and Coco just splashed around in it.  Rucksack picked up a stick about halfway through the hike but then he dropped it only a few seconds later and didn't bother with it anymore.

The Play Pack

When Benny and Coco played together at the p...

The Adventure Pack

Rucksack and Wesley started off the hike with an enthusiastic romp through the stream at Gregory Canyon.  The both got very wet from the chest down as they ran back and forth between the Saddle Rock trail and the stream that runs alongside near the base.  As we made our way further up, Wesley lost a bit of his steam but Rucksack was still full of energy and hauled a stick along with him.  Coco tried a couple times to snag Rucksack's stick but Ruc...

The Adventure Pack

Benny had a great time running around on the trails today.  Mogul led the pack for the whole hike.  Benny would wander off the side of the trail to follow an interesting scent then look up and see Mogul ahead, and excitedly gallop over to catch up.  Coco and Rucksack shared a stick for a little while until it snapped in half.

The Play Pack

Mogul found a Husky mix who hopped all around him while he stood stiff. ...

The Adventure Pack

Coco started off the hike with a small stick today.  Rucksack tried stealing it from her but Coco was off leash and Rucksack was on, so she just ran away with it; that doesn't mean she didn't keep coming close to tease him, though.  Coco also spent some time flopping in the tall grass and wiggling around on her back while Benny stood over her and stared.  Later on, Wesley took a turn wiggling on his back and Coco got excited and hopped around all...

The Adventure Pack

Coco seemed a little sluggish and moody this morning.  She was very cuddly in the car but when we got onto the trails she barked at the first two hikers that passed us.  Oliver had a lot of fun hiking with his brother and the other big dogs.  When I offered him water from the Camelbak spout he ran away at first.  I let it just dribble out and he came over and started drinking and was totally used to it by the end of the hike.  Benny fol...

The Adventure Pack

We tried out the Gregory Canyon Trail today because by the trailhead it looks really well shaded and there's a creek that runs through; but once we got a little ways in, the shade was totally gone and we weren't that close to the creek anymore.  We headed back and went up the Saddle Rock Trail, which is a bit steeper of a hike but is pretty well shaded throughout.  We paused at the creek and everybody splashed around in the water but Coco was the only...

The Adventure Pack

Rucksack was back to his exploring self today, wandering around up ahead and seeing what was off trail.  Coco also did her fair share of off-trail exploration, as usual.  Mogul kept up and actually stayed ahead of me for most of the hike.  Benny followed his packmates around, checking out whatever interesting smells they found.  The cloud cover helped to keep things cooler than I expected throughout the hike.

The Adventure Pack

Rucksack did a little more exploring again today instead of just following in line like yesterday.  Oliver stayed close by throughout the hike.  Benny lagged behind a bit but that's not unusual for him.  When we got back down to the grassy area of the Chautauqua, Coco ran off down another fork a ways.  She did the same thing around the same area yesterday.  Once she came back she had to go on leash a little early so she wouldn't go off ...