Worst Pack Hike, Ever. Seriously.

The drive to the trail was certainly beautiful

First, the marking of the trails was horrible.  We walked for miles in some cases without being sure where exactly where we were and none of the "numbered posts" that the map we got on the website promised existed at all.  Secondly, Mendel can't give his opinion but I personally feel that 25% of his weight is much more than I would ever normally require my dog to carry, even if we were camping.  But, I wanted Mendel to have a well rounded WS title so we did it by the rules.  And we survived.



We started out thinking we were on Brehmer Creek Trail, but eventually I figured out we must be on the Blackberry Ramble trail.  The blackberry bushes were positively terrible once we were on the trail for a bit.  My legs got all scratched up (they're still itchy) and I worried about Lilly with no heavy coat to protect her.  Good thing she was at least wearing a pack, even though all she was carrying was a leash on each side.  I also worried about the dogs' eyes.  We turned back and tried to figure out how we went wrong after about 1/2 a mile.  I was super impressed with how consistently Mendel was pulling me along.  This is a big improvement from the last time I had him on a hike.  He's now pulling with nice steady pressure rather than starting and stopping and weaving all over the trail.

Finally we got back on track and after a quick drink of water were headed down the Brehmer Creek Trail, well, at least we're pretty sure it was the Brehmer Creek Trail.  It was narrow in spots, but for the most part was a pretty nice trail.  We came upon a sign pointing to the Coral Berry Trail so after a rest stop we decided to give it a try.  The one and only time Mendel and Lilly were naughty and tried to pull me off the trail was evidently a result of their noses getting the better of them.  We found what appears to be a deer skeleton.  I had to convince them that there was no way they were taking any of the bones home.

 After the Coral Berry Trail we got back on the Brehmer Creek Trail... until it just suddenly ended.  I'm not sure what in the world happened.  We hiked up a big slope, Mendel helping me along, and then the trail just dead ended.  Maybe some plants suddenly shot up blocking the trail, I'm not sure, but we looked around and just couldn't figure out where in the world we were supposed to go.  I really started to question whether or not we were even on the right trail anymore, we hadn't seen a sign in a long time and never once saw a number marker that our map claimed would be there.  I thought I saw a sign of some kind through the trees a ways in front of us so we decided to fight our way through the woods and see if it would help us.  We wound up on a dirt road.  The sign had been from a lady named Beth who was looking for her lost horse saddle.  

Making our way down the dirt road.

 I figured we'd probably be better off lost on a dirt road than lost in the woods, so on down the road we went to see if we could figure things out.  Then we came to a paved road.  In looking at the map I was pretty sure it was Konitzer Rd, but I was extremely grateful to come upon a mailbox that had the full address posted on it so I knew for sure.  The road was only wide enough for two cars and had tons of hills and turns so I didn't want the dogs on the road.  We walked in the soaking wet dew covered grass along the road for miles.  Once we came to a fairly safe spot in the road we stopped for a rest and some watermelon (Mendel's favorite).

 FINALLY we came to an intersection.  I was pretty sure this was Timberline Rd, but right in line with our luck, there was no street sign to confirm my suspicions.  We decided to head down the road in the direction I thought the car would be and before long it appeared!  I don't think I've ever been so happy to see my little car.

Before we got all packed up and loaded in the car, Mendel, Lilly and I attempted to take a picture together.  No two dogs I'd rather be lost with.  :)  We started and ended at the same spot, where there was parking for the ski trails.

We survived.  I promised Mendel he doesn't ever have to do it again.  :)





The yellow line on the map (and the arrows) show our path.

Skijor Attempt

This Winter, for all practical purposes, has been a complete bust.  The ski trails NEVER opened and I never got a chance to work on improving my skiing.

We did get enough snow to try and ski in the field by our house once.  So, we decided to give it a try.

I'm not going to say it went flawlessly, but we had fun and got some good pics.  Enjoy!

Bikejoring for WS points

It's our first day of overnight temperatures below 40 degrees and Mendel is loving it.  We've been building up distance and now we're ready to tackle our first qualifying run.  The plan is 6 miles - three miles out and three miles back.

Mendel waits patiently for the bike to get set up:

The first two miles of crushed limestone trail are familiar territory we've been on before.  The trail is dark, but I'm nearly over my fear of running in the dark and the cool air is enough to encourage Mendel to keep a good pace.  Mendel crossed a number of noisy bridges with ease now that he's learned there's nothing to be afraid of.  He also did beautifully at the handful of street crossings we had to navigate.  He clearly understands the "Easy... time to check for cars" command.  

Approaching a street crossing:





A few "on by" commands were necessary to keep his senses focused on the trail rather than on the hunt.  "On by" seems to be one of his favorite commands, likely because it's followed by a whoop of praise and "good boy's" from Mom when he gets it right. 

Not long after making our way down a densely wooded and dark section of trail we encounterd a new challenge: a tunnel that runs under a street passing above the trail.  At first Mendel didn't seem bothered by the tunnel, but once the sound of my bike tires in the gravel echoed in the tunnel around him he recoiled.  This is the first time the two of us have had a close call.  I wasn't expecting the loud echoing and was unprepared for his reaction.  My front tire neared the slack line and my heart dropped.  Fortunately, I was able to come to a quick stop and the line didn't' become tangled.  I called Mendel to me to reassure him quietly as we rode out of the tunnel side-by-side.  Once out of the tunnel I sent him out front and we were back in action.

The Waning Gibbous Moon joins us on our journey

 



The next segment of the trail was positively beautiful.  We were surrounded by dense forest, the kind of woodland that swallow sounds and give you a feeling of both complete solitude and community among the natural world at the same time.  The sun was coming up behind us, and a beautiful sunrise was visible to the right as we passed a clearing that provided a lovely view overlooking a farmstead.

   

Soon we came to the midpoint of our adventure.  The trail map made it look like we should find a park nearby, but we didn't see it.  No mind, there was a nice wooden bridge that looked like a good place to stop and take a break.  The only problem was that we didn't see any major landmarks near which to take our midpoint picture documenting the trip.  Then I remembered, just a little ways back I saw a 3 mile marker next to the trail.  After our break we headed back to the marker and stopped for a picture. 

Now we were riding into the sunrise and the farmstead was looking even more picturesque.  This time I was prepared for the tunnel.  I whooped and encouraged Mendel all the way up to the tunnel and then cautiously remained silent as we passed through it so as not to spook him.  This time he was only slightly nervous, and was able to make it through in front of me.  When we got out of the tunnel I cheered and gave him a big "good boy" and he took off down the trail quite proud of himself.   

The daunting tunnel ahead, just barely visible by the small reflectors on each side:





About a mile later we stopped for another break and took a quick picture now that the sun had come up enough to get a good one.

Half a mile from the end of our journey we came upon a lady walking on the trail.  Mendel performed a perfect pass and I was one proud Mama.  (I can only assume the lady thought we were crazy with all the cheering Mendel was getting for a good pass.)



The home stretch



We took a couple pictures by the big sign at the head of the trail and headed for home. 

All-in-all it was a great first qualifying trip toward our WS title.

 

Urban Mushing/Skijoring

Note:  Please understand that this video is taken in a VERY rare cirucumstance at Photo 51.  I do not normally suggest or practice running a dog on concrete.
I ran Mendel short distances on my roller blades because I'm fairly stable on them and was able to teach him how things worked without investing in a lot of equipment.  I am also confident in my braking ability on roller places so I could make sure he didn't get hit from behind while he was learning.

PLEASE don't make runnig on concrete a regular practice with your dog!!  It's simply TOO hard on their joints.  Concrete is not a surface a dog should be run on regularly or for long distances.