Fall Hikes: Hellooooo, chipmunks!

With all the squirrel and chipmunk activity this time of year, walking Henry anywhere near a wooded area requires the patience of Job and strong shoulders.

It's really tempting to let him loose and watch what he'd do off-leash, speeding through the leaves and brush. Of course, I'm not about to try it. I've invested quite a bit of time and money in this animal, so I'm not ready to see it run, run, run away, even if it would be a good show.

Today we hiked out to Raven Rock overlooking Cheat River canyon. It's an easy hike of about 3 miles round trip, and it's especially nice for dog walking because there's a reliable stream for doggie drinks.

And for the humans, there's a great view of the canyon.

Last Saturday, we were in Virginia and walked about 3 miles on the Crawfish Valley trail, which we call "the bobcat trail" because because several years ago we happened upon a real, honest-to-goodness bobcat there. We keep hoping to see another one, but it looks like that may have been a once in a lifetime experience.

The leaves weren't really colorful in SW Virginia last weekend, but there were several pretty trees along the way.

We hiked out about a mile and a half and planned to lie down in the sun for a while. Unfortunately, Henry just doesn't get the concept of resting on a hike. So after his relentless pestering, we finally gave up and walked back to the car.

Heeling Bootcamp

You know how in college when you have to sit through pesky prerequisites (e.g., Survey of 18th Century British Drama) to get to the classes you really want (e.g., Reading Contemporary American Prose in a Hot Tub)?

Well, I think that's sort of what we're doing in this new class. It is hard-core heeling. Heeling bootcamp is how I'm thinking of it. If Henry can't heel by the end of this, there is absolutely no hope of him ever heeling, and I'll just forget the idea of him doing Rally, which is OK, because that's a recent whim that I can forget pretty easily.

Autumn at Coopers Rock State Forest

We had a rare weekend day at home, so we managed to get in a 5 mile hike at Coopers Rock. Nothing strenuous, just the Roadside Trail which is an easy walk with gentle ups and downs. I didn't want to overdo it because I knew I had to spend the rest of the day digging up a flower bed. Ugh.

The colors weren't spectacular yet at Coopers Rock. Most of the leaves were still green, but there was a clump of colorful trees beside the lake (pond?) and another out by the interstate.

As I was taking these shots of Henry, someone else was taking shots of a happy couple using the same autumn backdrop. I'm guessing it was an engagement photo, and yes, I felt like an idiot taking pictures of my dog right next to people striking lovey-dovey poses.

The Roadside Trail is one of my favorites to walk with Henry because it's wide and he has lots of room to run from side to side. I did 5 miles, but Henry probably did about 7 with all of his running back and forth.

The overlook area (photos below) was crawling with people today. We braved the crowd and found a spot at the back of the big rock to eat our lunch.

Back to School...Again

Only a few days until Henry and I start our first real obedience class. Let's hope this goes a little better than my first (and last) Zumba class! Who knows...maybe Zumba would have turned out better if Henry had been there.

Classes at the kennel club alternate between agility and obedience. Because of the holidays, I'm guessing, there's a longer gap than usual between agility sessions -- three months. Yikes!

Since the thought of not having anything structured to do with Henry for three months is unfathomable, we're doing an obedience class. From what I've witnessed, the expectations at obedience classes are a bit different than at agility. Jumping up and greeting the instructors, for example, isn't considered cute.

So my big challenge will be keeping from getting too frustrated and trying to remember that this is all for fun. If we have even a miniscule chance of competing at anything, it will be agility, not obedience. But I've got to tell you, I'm not even sure we'll make it to agility at this point. My head spins when I watch competition videos on YouTube, and I seriously wonder if Henry will ever be able to complete a course without stopping along the way to search for crumbs.

Henry's Big Dig

The best part about visiting "grandpa"? Why, of course, it's excavating the remains of his quickly vanishing dirt pile. Judging from the tunnels Henry's uncovering, there really was something living there at one time. Probably mice.