Adventure Pack The dreary weather kept many hikers at bay today. The parking lot wasn't empty, but it wasn't near as full as it had been the rest of the week. We saw some people and a few dogs at the trail head, but only crossed paths with one other hiker while we were out on the trail. Mamacita, Sputnik, Rucksack, and Roger Roger all hiked along nicely at my sides, but still ended up with watery mud splattered all over their legs and bellies. Variety Pack Ruffers, Griff,

Adventure Pack The trails were busy today, and lots of people commented on how beautiful and well-mannered the pack members were. The mud was dried up today, and Colby wasn't showing nearly as much interest in sniffing around. Griff and Racer were equally casual about picking up scents, though Sputnik was still as enthused as ever about sniffing and peeing on trees all along the trails. Then, we came across a stretch of about 20 yards where the ground wasn't quite muddy bu

Adventure Pack There are very few patches of snow remaining by the trails at the Chautauqua, but Rucksack sought out every one he could find. Ruffers chased him to them and the two of them had fun dodging and dancing with each other. Rucksack flopped down in one snowy patch and wiggled around. Sputnik and Mamacita stayed on leash with me. Sputnik looked on with excitement at his packmates playing, while Mamacita was pretty mellow and content. Variety Pack Rey, Roger Roger

Adventure Pack Colby was very interested in sniffing the freshly-formed mud from spots along the trail where the layer of packed snow has finally melted due to this recent spell of warm weather. Sputnik's nose was mainly directed toward tree trunks, as it typically is. Griff and Racer did a little sniffing here and there, but not with the same focus of purpose that their packmates had. Variety Pack Ruffers, Isaac, Milo, Rey, and Zoey all walked along the Bear Creek Path tog

Adventure Pack Mamacita took her time on the trail this morning. She found a spot to wiggle in the grass early on. There were a few more times after that when she sniffed around and seemed like she was going to go for another wiggle, but she only went for it the one time. Sputnik was happy to sniff around alongside Mamacita. He left plenty of scent marks while he was at it. Roger Roger and Rucksack pulled over with their packmates about half of the time, and stayed on th

Adventure Pack Rucksack and Roger Roger were the ones chomping on the snow this morning, when we passed over one of the few remaining snowbanks along the trails at the Chautauqua. Sputnik had some fun running around off leash again today. He had the same over-the-top intensity as yesterday. I kept Rucksack and Roger Roger on leash with me so it was easier to address Sputnik since he had to approach me in order to get to his packmates. Rucksack and Roger Roger did a prett

Adventure Pack Sputnik and Colby were back to giving each other a flurry of kisses when Sputnik hopped into the packmobile for our hike this morning. Out on the trails, Griff and Sputnik both munched on some snow when we passed over one of the few spots where there is still some on the ground. Sputnik went off leash with Colby for a bit today. Sputnik was being a bit too intense in his play by charging at Colby and jumping into her. Racer did not approve, and started to b

Adventure Pack Mamacita took her time on the hike this morning. During one of her rest stops, she flopped down into the tall grass and wiggled around, slowly sliding into a ditch as she went. Sputnik was happy to take the opportunities to leave scent marks along the way. Rucksack and Ruffers ran around together through the fields until Rucksack found himself a big branch to haul. After that, Rucksack carried his branch along the trail so all the hikers could admire him, a

Adventure Pack Colby and Griff explored mostly on their own during our hike today, but whenever one of them came running back, the other would join in the race. Sputnik chomped on snow whenever we passed over stretches of trail where it wasn't all melted, while Racer was happy just hiking along at my side. She has come a long way regarding her tendency to pull on the leash, particularly since I started using the front-clip harness on her instead of her collar. Variety Pack

Adventure Pack I couldn't even count how many times Sputnik stopped to pee on things this morning. It seemed like it was about every 20 yards, for the majority of the hike. Roger Roger and Mamacita often joined him when he pulled off to the side to sniff and tinkle, and both had some narrow misses as they ducked down to sniff just as Sputnik lifted his leg. Rucksack stayed well out of the splash zone, though he did go check out the smells for himself from time to time. Var