More New Friends and Beautiful Forests!

What a beautiful day! Sunshine and misty forests with dramatic clouds...and just me and the dogs raging round together...love it! Today we had Jayda and Skip joined with our new friends, local girl Kako and visiting woofer Kohla! Both girls were awesome dogs, full of energy and slotted in really well to our Canine Energy posse! Here are the shots....

Pleased to meet you Kohla! She is super high energy and a really good girl! She fitted in perfectly playing chase with Skip and Jayda round and round and round as they do, and spent time sniffing noses and ears with Kako and big licks all round. She comes really well and is an asset to our pack!

Pleased to meet you Kako! She is a super lovely girl who comes and plays and is so good all round! She has had some lessons on her manners in the past with new dogs, and it really shows as she was a rockstar today...she only yapped at the others once then was best buddies for the rest of the hike! She sat quietly with me while the other three galloped round. I was SO impressed...she was such a good doggie! This shot was beautiful then her head moved at the last minute...d'oh! There are plenty more to come though :)

Off we go! I love the tails..Skip, Jayda and Kako have plumes..whereas Kohla's pokes up like a waving stick!

The newbies share a drink...cute!

Ha ha - Jayda gets a kiss! She looks stoked!

Bit of a lame shot as nobody is looking at the camera! Ah well C'est la vie - it's the only time we all sat still together the whole hike!

Love the views...Skip and kako take a look down to Loggers Lake

Forest Gallops

Down we go...

Almost at the lake!

Ahhh refreshing!

The long road home...

Ready for home, dirty, happy,wet woofers and me!

See you next hike, ArOOooooooo!

New Friend, Beautiful Hike

What a beautiful day! We hiked the lush forests with our new buddy Weatherby! A super cool Bernese Mountain dog, just a few months old and already sooooooo good! The thing I love about this breed is the way they seem to flow when they get excited...legs go everywhere in a fluid motion of stoke and it is soooooooo funny to see! Weatherby was not sure if he was allowed to rage with the others, so he spent time next to me, then playing a little ways ahead before a look-back, then trotting right back to me. I kept saying '...go on boy, let loose!' and he replied each time, '..well I will have a little dance, but I'll be back in 2 seconds as this is all rather new...!' Kayla, Theo and Jayda...our other hounds played really well with him, and he watched in amazement at Jayda's typical moments of sudden energy where she gallops round and round and round just for the fun of it! I laughed hard many times today...the vibe was chilled, fun, and it was another great day on the trails. Life is good, dogs are awesome...here are the shots!!

Pleased to meet you Weatherby!

off we go!

into the forests...lovely

Ha ha - a split second before the shutter clicked they were all looking at me! C'est la vie...still love the shot and the fact that they all trotted across the woodwork, and sat nicely when asked, even if it was only for a couple of seconds!

time for a drink and a dip

LOVE this shot of Theo...our oldest, most lovely boy!

weeee! on we ran

The last time I hiked this section of the trail it was barren and open, with only a few Skunk Cabbage poking through (check out some of the April blogs) now look at the lush green Devil's club, skunk cabbage and other foliage! I love how it changes...knee deep winter wonderland, barren looking stick-like wasteland, lush green...it's a spot in between old growth where creeks converge...check out the woodwork! Momentum is the key for these parts. It's always fun to change trails now and then!

Jayda mid-gallop!

Once we had wound round the trails it was time for a climb...

Weatherby takes a look at the valley below

At our high point we took a rest and the dogs gathered round me for licks and wet noses in the face as they do; it was a lovely moment that I tried to capture but missed everyone except Kayla, who looks like she is listening to me! I was probably chattering away to them as I do...or saying rude words to the mosquitoes!

Doing the look-back, what a good boy! It was time to head down to the truck...so off we jogged!

 Love this...this sums it all up today: Kayla with stick in mouth happily chewing on it somehow as she runs and breaths and barks at me! Theo loping along grinning, coming back every now and then to say hey, Jayda tail up with her dainty trot mid-pack, and Weatherby just makin' sure I am still there and that I know he's a gooooooood boy!

Final shot: the crew wait patiently for their treats and cuddle..gotta get a quick photo first! See you next hike...ArooOOoooOooOooOooooooooo!

A solid posse today!

Ha ha today was so funny, we were a tight posse of running dog and woman! I was chattering away to them as we ran, barking at them military style at times to distract from wildlife in the bushes (squirrels aplenty!) and chilling peacefully in the lake for a 5 minute rest...it was wonderful :) We had Jayda, Danny, Roger, Sadie and Bosley. Here are today's shots:

Well they are looking kind of pensive in this shot...but don't let that fool you!

off we go...!

onwards and upwards...Danny had a job to do today, he was our pack dog, and had a little leash time for good manners and to keep him from eating small furry animals that emerge squeaking from the bush once in a while!

...time for a breather! Lolling tongues all round!

Chill time at the lake to refresh and rehydrate! Aw Jayda, you are such a sweetie!

...So are you Bos-man!

Sadie poses nicely with the foliage!

ha ha waterwings!! Luckily I took the contents out while Danny had another swim...his first dip was sans pack, but he must have felt like another paddle!

back on the trails...moseying at this point. The pre swim stoke quelled as we trotted along sniffing and peeing on everything!

 Back at the truck time for a cuddle, treat, a drink, then home. See you all tomorrow, arOOOooOOOo!

Forest climbs, raging creeks, cool dogs....

Today was awesome - as it always is, you can't go wrong with dogs....we had an eclectic bunch today, from the 'very old but running like a spring chicken' Theo, to the 'high energy awesome facial expressions' Middy with Kayla, Skip and Jayda in between!

Today's crew - from L: Jayda, Kayla, Theo, Middy and Skipper!

Starting with a sniff...and a mosey about...

Up we go!

into the forests...love this hike!

Big grin from Theo - he is as deaf as a post and a raspy old bugger but canters along with a loping graceful stride and keeps me in his view as he shuttles back and forth playing with the others and coming back to look up at me...I love him, very much...and have only hung out with him a few times...but some dogs just get to ya right away...(pause to wipe a speck of sentiment from my eye...) Ah-hem! So back to the shots...

 We change trails from Young Lust to Comfortably Numb...cross the river and gallop on! I love this part of the hike as you get to see  line of dogs conveyor belt running in front of you!

spoooky...scaaaaary.....

Middy-moo! Middy came along today, she's from Bubbles Dog Spa and smelled lovely on collection! She is a super funny girl...she pulls awesome faces when looking up at you when playing stick, or sitting for treats..and when you call her name she looks up and really listens as you talk, flapping up her ears and if she likes what you say...her tail swings slowly side to side like a metronome! Once she gets going she is like a rocket  dog, especially when playing with her buddy Skipper...

They had a mid-hike rage round and round and round! It was so funny! Skipper wpould lay low, and herd her like our sheep dogs do back home...and Middy puts her neat little hackles up and just dances rings around him!

I love this pic of Kayla...her emerald eye matches the moss in this shot!

 I love it when they wait at cross roads! Kayla and Jayda were leading the pack as me moved back onto Young Lust to head down and home, and sometimes we go up, to complete Comfortably Numb from the Wedge main entrance...so it's always good when they wait for my "..This way!" command...good doggies!

ha ha - this sign makes many awesome photo's! Middy here was standing there listening to me tell her to take it easy on the way down!

Skip and Theo heading for home...

Yup...I am a tree hugger! Stopped for a short break and a treat here, then bounced on back down to the valley!

post break meanderings...Skip and Middy heard something squeak in the bush..and not long after this shot took off at a gallop to investigate, Theo plodded along next to me and he actually bumped into me when I stopped to call Middy and Skip back in! Bless!

Back down in the valley it was time for a swim before heading to the truck and home...good times, cool dogs, and quite the work-out today, phew! See you all next hike..ArOOoooOOOOo!