Adventure Pack The pack met a friendly young pup at the Chautauqua today. Dylan was first to say hello; Carl eagerly followed up; and Ruffers was last to sniff greetings before the puppy went on its way. Sputnik was content to drink water and ignore the pup behind him while his packmates socialized. The leaves of one particular pinnate plant along the trails - the classification of which I am clueless - are turning bright red, which lent a very pleasing palate to the back

Adventure Pack The pack headed up the Mesa Trail so I could test Google Fi reception there, since that area proved to have spotty reception from Mint Mobile when I tested it earlier this year. The Google Fi connection was solid when I called my parents. I'll be testing it out on some of the other trails the pack frequents, in the days to come. The Mesa Trail was pretty quiet. We saw a few other hikers, but no other dogs. Sputnik was dragging a bit during our ascent. On

Adventure Pack Ruffers and Dylan brought up the rear on a hot hike at the Chautauqua this morning, while Sputnik and Riley trooped along with me. Once we reached the crest of the trail, Dylan stayed caught up while Ruffers continued to take her time. When we came to a trail crossing, she lingered in the middle of the intersection among some other hikers who laughed about her deciding to hang out with them. Everyone enjoyed lying in the grass at the Chautauqua Park to cool

Adventure Pack Sputnik helped warn the neighborhood around the Chautauqua about the approach of a fire engine, when he joined in with his own howl to match the sounding siren. Dylan chimed in with a few woofs. Surprisingly, Avo was the one pack member who didn't react at all to the big, noisy truck that passed by. At the end of the hike, Avo flopped down in the grass at the Chautauqua Park, while Dylan lay down and Sputnik sidled up to me. Variety Pack There were countless

Adventure Pack Carl rubber banded back and forth between lagging behind to sniff around, and racing ahead to see what his big buddy Griff was up to. Sputnik and Racer stuck with me, both eagerly taking water at every stop along the way. Griff waited until near the end of the hike to quench his thirst, and Carl took small amounts here and there. Variety Pack Avo rolled around in the grass a bit this afternoon, and none of the others payed any attention to her while she was a

Adventure Pack Ruffers kept up more on the hike today, without quite so many stops to linger and sniff around beside the trail. We encountered a woman hiking with her baby in a backpack-style kid carrier. We passed them on our way down the mountain, then they passed us. A short while later, when we were passing them again, Dylan suddenly became very wary. He crossed over to the far side of me and let out a little woof. For some reason it was only this third time we passe

Adventure Pack Sputnik and Griff roamed off leash together while Carl and Racer hiked along with me at the Chautauqua this morning. Sputnik was a little less insistent about getting water today, but still drank a lot each time I offered it. The cool weather made for a pleasant hike as we took our time on the trails. Carl was a bit all over the place early on, but eventually settled into pace. Variety Pack Avo was feeling a bit restless through the walk today, and kept cros

Adventure Pack We encountered a leashed cat again at the Chautauqua this morning. Surprisingly, Ruffers was the only one of the pack who was particularly interested in the feline trekker. Riley and Sputnik passed by without missing a step, as the cat lay low to the ground at the side of the trail, trying to become invisible. Later, we saw brave magpie hanging out on some trail fencing as we walked through the Chautauqua Meadow. It stayed there even as the dogs and I appro

Adventure Pack Dylan and Sputnik enjoyed the cooler weather on today's hike, and headed up the mountain without any hesitation. It was a very pleasant hike throughout. Dylan sniffed hello with a few other dogs, and Sputnik was very calm about passing by them. Sputnik was still incredibly thirsty, and kept nosing my hand to request more water from the CamelBak. Dylan was far less pushy, and only drank a little whenever I offered it to him. Variety Pack Zoey, Ruffers, Lou,

Adventure Pack The pack was slow up the mountain again this morning, as the heat took a toll on everyone's energy levels. Carl approached some people at the trail head, and got some pets from them while the rest of the pack edged toward the shade of a large, nearby bush. Despite drinking most of the water from the CamelBak while we were on the mountain, Sputnik and Racer hit the water fountain at the trail head hard upon our return. Griff and Carl took a little water - bot