Adventure Pack Arlo and Griff wanted to pee on a lot of things in Chautauqua Meadow today. Rey and Racer made some stops of their own but not as many as the boys. Rey, Racer, and Arlo were all very thirsty during each of our rest stops; Griff passed on water until we were back at the trail head. He and Rey enjoyed roaming through the grassy meadow together while Racer and Arlo trotted at my sides. Racer went up to our OSMP volunteer friend Reid for some love at the trail head

Adventure Pack Tozai, Ruffers, Nelly, and Bear made the most of the occasional shade trees the dot the Chautauqua Meadow Trail. When we made it to Gregory Canyon, we didn't make so many stops, since the whole lower part of the trail is pretty well shaded. Bear was the only one to lie down in the shade. Everybody drank a lot of water. There was a loud crack of brush underfoot, somewhere up ahead at one point along Gregory Canyon Trail, and I wonder whether it was a bear passin

Adventure Pack Griff, Arlo, Racer, and Imogene enjoyed their hike through Chautauqua Meadow and Gregory Canyon. While Racer has typically been the member of the group to drive most of their scent investigations, Griff was the one leading the parade today. He kept veering off into the field to explore, and the rest of the pack followed suit. Once they got going, they all wanted to sniff for a while each time, so we made slow progress through the meadow at first. When we starte

Adventure Pack Bear, Tozai, Rey, and Ruffers enjoyed breaks in the shade on their hike through Chautauqua Meadow and Gregory Canyon. It wasn't all that hot out but dogs were feeling the sun. It was pretty busy at Chautauqua today, and everybody very politely moved to the side of the trail with me whenever other hikers came through. Tozai got a little pat on the head from one, which he was happy about. Rather than lingering behind like usual, Ruffers led the way back through C

Adventure Pack Yoshi, Tozai, Lou, and Nelly headed out across Chautauqua Meadow, stopping in shaded spots whenever we came by them. It was a hot, sunny day so each bit of respite was appreciated by the dogs. Everybody took water from the CamelBak. The trails were busy and a lot of hikers admired how calm and orderly everyone was. The heat no doubt played a role in tempering Yoshi and Tozai's normally boisterous and playful demeanors. Lou and Nelly are almost always pretty mel

Adventure Pack Racer, Arlo, and Rey were all quite thirsty during today's hike through Chautauqua Meadow to Gregory Canyon. Griff did not partake in drinking from the CamelBak. Perhaps he wasn't as thirsty as his packmates, or perhaps he just saw me taking photos of his packmates while they drank and he didn't want me to catch him in an awkward pose. In any event, he was feeling thirsty by the end of the hike and drank some water from the bowls at the trail head along with ev

Adventure Pack Tozai and Lucy roamed Gregory Canyon, looking for trouble to get into. One moment of rebellious independence for Lucy was to make her way through the brush underneath the long footbridge rather than taking the bridge itself with the rest of us. Tozai was ready and waiting to pounce on her as soon as she found her way back up to meet the rest of the pack. Ruffers and Bear kept each other close company through Chautauqua Meadow on our return. The overcast weather

Adventure Pack Racer, Imogene, Arlo, and Griff headed out across Chautauqua Meadow to Gregory Canyon under grey clouds, much like the pack did yesterday. The rain held off for our entire hike this time. Griff was in more of a wandering mood than usual, which reminded me of his younger days when he would venture out across a field with little regard for my calls to heel. Imogene was poking along on her own, close to the trail, but then went on a sprint by Griff and lured him b

Adventure Pack Ruffers was back to being lead scent finder on our hike today, with Tozai closely following her discoveries. Bear and Rey tended to be a little slower to join in the sniff party but always checked things out as well. We took cover under a tree in Chautauqua Meadow when the light sprinkles turned into a brief rain shower. After that, Tozai poked at Rey while she tried to stand her ground and defend her position. I interrupted whenever Tozai started steamrolling,

Adventure Pack Lou was doing a good job keeping pace up the mountain today. The cool, overcast weather probably helped with her stamina. Nelly also had no trouble, even though she and Lou both had a moment of hesitation when our connector trail met up with Chautauqua Trail and I turned to head up the mountain rather than down it. Tozai and Yoshi had plenty of youthful energy and didn't have any hesitation at any point; however, they didn't have a lot of energy left to romp ac