BOXER ADVENTURES

 We packed up to head back today.  But first we got in one last stroll through the pine needle covered woods. As we packing, Booker got so nervous.  He acted like we were going to leave him behind. Sisko was completely relaxed and just chilled out. I had a moment of complete panic as I looked all over for Booker and couldn't find him.  Until... He had gotten in the SUV - no way were we going to leave him behind.  What a clown! We had an uneventful trip back with a stop by the water for some lunch and for the dogs to cool off and play for a bit. As we unpacked they happily went to sleep in their beds.  I think they will sleep well for a while!

 After yesterday's challenging mountain adventure we were game to have a relaxing day. We headed to Saranac Lake - about 30 minutes away - to take an easy walk on the relatively new Adirondack Rail Trail.   The trail was busy with bikers of all sorts and people walking the trail.  Although the trail itself is easy, there were lots of sites and smells for the dogs to take in. After several miles we were back at the vehicle to head back from lunch. Then we jumped in the kayaks.  The dogs relaxed as we paddled the entire shore of the pond that our campsite was on. We saw Little Haystack, the mountain we climbed on Monday. Then we got back and the dogs were hungry. Have you ever done anything really dumb?  Well I certainly did.  I left the dog's travel food bag in the screened in room last night.  I didn't notice it was missing until Booker finished up the food already in the bowl.  We looked all over and then I started exploring the woods. ...

 Today's adventure was scaling Debar Mountain. I expected this to be a tough climb and it was - for me anyway! We headed out from our campground to the mountain - about 30 minutes from us.  We had to travel a dirt road to get to the trail head. The first course of business upon getting out was to spray ourselves and the dogs with bug spray as we were SWARMED the second we stepped out of the car.  I use this dog-safe bug spray  on the dogs and on me as I hate the Deet smell and the less harsh chemicals that work, the better! Then we got their backpacks on which I had pre-loaded with food and drink and other essentials. . The first part of the trail was deceptively easy.  We had signed in at the trail head and saw that we were the first ones to climb today and so we let the dogs run free.  Most areas of the Adirondacks dogs are allowed off leash but it's sometimes hard to know where those areas are.  But since we didn't expect to see anyone, we let the r...

 At the campground where we are staying, there is an easy trail that winds through pine trees.  But off that trail is a climb up to Little Haystack mountain.  So we took this morning to tackle this short and relatively easy trail. And arrived at the top. We then took the afternoon to relax with some kayaking. There was no fire tonight, since right after we got back from kayaking a massive set of thunderstorms rolled through. Again, I'm so glad our dogs aren't afraid because we were in the camper and some of those storms in the Adirondacks can be incredibly scary and the thunder was so loud. But they napped while we watched a movie on the laptop.  The storms should move out tonight.  They better because we have more fun ahead!

 We left to go camping today.  I got up early to run before leaving. The plan was to take both dogs.  It was early and I figured I would wear them out a little since it's a long car ride.  But it was 76 degrees, sunny, and 70% humidity at 7:15 AM.  We spent yesterday packing and the dogs knew something was up so when I left to run without them they we not happy. We finished packing the cooler and the car. They were like "Stop taking pictures and lets go!" They did great on the trip and then we arrived and set up. We then had to leave again to go a couple miles down the road to get wood for a fire. We got back just as people were pulling in their camper into the campsite next to us.   As is typical, Sisko showed very little interest, but Booker was dying to meet the new neighbors.   So we left and took a nice long walk around the campgrounds.  We let the dogs sniff around a lot and by the time we got back they were ready to settle down in...

 Today started the first day of summer vacation.  I talked last year about the 4th of July and fireworks. Tonight we could hear and see fireworks in the distance.  We brought the dogs onto our deck.  They couldn't care less. I feel so bad for dogs who are terrified of the fireworks. But I'm thrilled that we could start our vacation without worry.

 Over the last week we have 4 friends who have lost their pets pretty suddenly.  A dog, a cat, a guinea pig and a horse.  All these beloved pets were older but their deaths came quickly and unexpectedly.   None were attributed specifically to the heat, but Marc and I talked about whether the hot temps could have contributed to their passing. We keep a close eye on our dogs and cats.  The cats are all indoor cats so we don't worry too much.  We keep a very close eye on Sisko since the heat effects him so strongly.  But Booker is young, thin, and seems relatively uneffected by the heat. I got home from work today. It was hot, as it has been, but also VERY humid.  Sisko came running to greet me.  Booker also greeted me at the door, but his greeting was markedly muted. Marc shared that he took them out shortly before I got home to walk with them briefly around the trail.  Suddenly he noticed that Booker was just gone.  He said he l...