Caution: Humans at Large

My typical day is pretty laid back. Wake the humans, go outside, get cookies and belly rubs, chew a bully stick, snooze, look out the window and watch the humans leave. Then I can get some serious napping in as well as window watching and snoozing. When I hear my humans arrive home I can count on belly rubs, treats, a walk outside and play time. Nice and laid back, just how a pooch wants his day to go.

And now comes the Christmas holidays and there is way too much human activity.

Like this, for example-

They are always getting these on their feet and heading off into the forest.
And how about this-

Called "target practice" it involves loud noises and laughter.


And then there is this-

It turned out OK in the end, they were making meat on a stick. You know I love that!



And then there is this sort of thing-

They ejnoy standing around looking at Mother Nature's creations. We could be home napping by the fire.

Guess who gets to come along for all this human activity?

I'm not crazy about getting left behind


On the up side-

I've met 2 new friends. This is Suzie and Bailey and like my old pal Howie, they are from California. But they live here in winterland now. Suzie is a bit shy.

This is Bailey and we are the same age. We have lots in common like wrestling, treats, and being cute.

Although I miss my lazy dog days, the Christmas holiday is fun too. And in the middle of all that human activity, sometimes there are a few minutes to stretch out, put the paws up and catch a few winks.

Here we go again

The time of snow is back again.

You know what that means....

pooches get cold paws

                         humans become obsessed with moving snow around

                                      icicles grow beside the twinkly lights

                                                    plants grow on the front door.


The canine world is so much easier to understand than the human world. Eat, nap, play, belly rub, fetch. Done.

Humans,
can't live with 'em
can't live without 'em.

White Horse Bluff

White Horse Bluff
Wells Gray Provincial Park
12 k return
4 leisurely hours

wide and sunny trail
crunchy leaves underfoot
lazy grouse
water far below
busy squirrels
talls cliffs to explore
no humans or pups
no leash for me!

2 paws up

Thankful

a lucky dog keeps score
of his goods,
good love
good family
good friends
good home
good food
good fun,
and he is thankful.

Glacier 2

Oct. 3, 2010
Glacier Crest Trail
Glacier National Park
approx 10 k return
about 795 m elevation gained
about 5 hours return

the forest trail is soft and wide
later there are lots of rocks
very few humans
big bear poop
squirrels galore
not much water
lots of rocks to hop on

2 paws up

After looking at all the glaciers, we went down, down, down.

Rocks and glaciers

Hmm...that's not my foot print!

Glacier

Oct. 2. 2010
Hermit Basin and Rogers Glacier
Glacier National Park
approx 6.6 k return
800 m elevation gain
about 6 hours

a steep walk through a great forest
soft trailbed until the basin
rock staircases
moraine walking
rocks to hide in and play on
streams and pools for drinking
dopey grouse
chattering squirrels
very few humans, 1 pooch

3 paws up

The Basin is big.

Chili on the rocks.

The Hermit lives way up on the hill.

me

moraine walk.

a puppy playground

Lake Louise

Mt. St. Piran/Bee Hives/Mirror Lk. Loop
Banff National Park
Total Elevation gained approx 1,400m
Approx. 15.5 k round trip

a sea of tea-seeking humans for the first 3 k
bring a leash
soft trail, rocky and snowy on Mt. St. Piran
squirrels at Mirror Lk.
keep you eyes open for "larches"
water for swimming

2 paws up

on top

what's a larch?

So if that is the bee hive, where are the bees?

The summit of Mt. Saint Piran- where milk bones taste better.

My Summer Vacation

You may recall my last summer vacation. It did not go well for me and I decided to boycott all subsequent vacations. Time heals and I had another vacation this summer. It was much better.

Here are some of my adventures-

Fight Lake Trail
Wells Gray Provincial Park
approx. 22 k return

Steep for the first 40 minutes to Philip Lake
nice soft trailbed
huckleberries (I don't care, but the humans do!)
huge meadows to play in
Canada Geese honking and pooping
water for swimming
mosquitos and black flies, oh my poor naked belly

2 paws up

                             Smoke filled Caribou Meadows

                           smokey sunset at Fight Lake

                         Yahoo! Sleeping in the tent is one of my favorite things to do.

Fight Lake to Battle Mt.
Wells Gray Provincial Park
approx 5 k

wildflowers rule
soft trail
streams for drinking
a tuya with volcanic rocks
not much shade

2 paws (the smoke filled sky brought the score down)

I am on 52 Ridge looking over Bull Valley towards Battle Mountain.

                       Afternoon sun over the Clearwater River Valley


An afternoon picnic at Barview, Clearwater Lake.

                        Canoeing. Another interesting human invention.

                                      I finally figured out how to canoe!



Pyramind Mountain Trail
Wells Gray Prov. Park-
again

                          A smoke filled trail on Pyramid Mountain.

Flatiron Trail
Wells Gray Provincial Park

a soft trail
no water
some blow down for hopping over and scooting under
shady pines

1 paw up

                          Flatiron trail is also smokey,



Shiela Lake
Wells Gray Provincial Park
approx 5 k return

easy trail
streams and a lake for water
soft trailbed
birds taunting

2 paws up

The wind was strong and I was freezing at Shiela Lake. 

The Human Family

I've had the opportunity to study the human family.
Not so different from the canine one.
To illustrate the similarities, I have created this photo vignette for you. I hope you like it!

Play is an important part of the family. They can be nasty with one another, in a playful way.

Sharing food is a common activity in the family. It always puts them in a good mood.

The family is loving. They demonstrate this caring feeling all the time.

One way a family feels connected, is by hugging. Four hugs a day, that's the minimum.

Families enjoy exploring new things together. They feel strong and adventurous.

Being thoughtful and exchanging ideas is a way for families to grow. Help is never far away.

Families benefit from experiencing cultural events. Laughing, singing, clapping are good for the soul.

Shopping for bargains is a family tradition. OK, canines don't do this. It's a human thing.

The family vacation. They love to do it. They always overpack. They could learn a lesson from us canines. Kibble and a leash and a decent road map.

That's all a dog needs.