When we go on these hikes everything is so quiet and still. That isn’t really our style. We decided to mix it up a bit. This nature business was BORING!
Daphne: You got nothin' home slice!
Daphne: Headlock! You are mine! You are going down brotheh!
Pruett: You wish!
Daphne: You got nothin' on these kung fu moves. I see that scared look in your eyes!
Daphne: Dive bomb roll! What's up now puppeh bee-atch?!
Daphne: Oh noes! Don't call it a comeback!
Let's turn the tables. Mom! We're coming for you!
I'll use my special eye lasers to keep her in my sight! We've got you now! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!
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Bark/Bury
Tags: asheville, black german shepherd, blue ridge parkway, disturbing the peace, dog fight, gsd, kung fu moves, north carolina, puppeh bee-atch, white german shepherd
Barked by Daphne, Barked by Pruett, Hiking, Oh Noes | PruettDaphne | 
June 3, 2009 8:40 pm | 
Comments (8)
Tags: asheville, black german shepherd, blue ridge parkway, collage, contest, gsd, Hiking, montage, north carolina, off leash, shepherd's ledge, tongue, white german shepherd
Barked by Daphne, Barked by Pruett, Hiking | PruettDaphne | June 2, 2009 2:10 am | Comments (10)
Daphne - I’ve got one more thing. You should probably mentally prepare yourself for this. We are an outside, get down and dirty kind of family - even Mom. We go hiking and hang in the garage and help Dad work on the car and play in the grass and mud and creeks. Lucky for me all the dirt disappears on my black coat but you are going to show EVERYTHING! So while you may be dressed all girlie in pink you should be ready to be a rough and tumble and outdoors kind of girl. 
Bark/Bury
Scenery Smenery - this dirt is delicious!
Mommy giving me hugs.
Dad teaching me sit. Note the nose lick.
Running through my first creek!
Bark/Bury
Checking Out the Views
Fall is a beautiful time of year I’m learning. I don’t have much to compare it to but it seems nice. It is still a little hot for my liking but the leaves turn all sorts beautiful shades. Mom and Dad thought it would be fun to drive to the mountains so we could experience some fall foliage and hiking.
Mom bought a book when she knew I was on my way called, “Best Hikes with Dogs: North Carolina.” It lists, by region, 51 trails with rules, directions and rates the difficulty of each one. Mom has told me (notice I had no input on this) that our goal is to explore each and every one of these trails. Yikes! I better grow up fast!
The first trail we chose to tackle was the Price Lake Loop Trail in Western North Carolina off of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Trail 1/51
The Scoop:
Length: 2.3 miles (of which I made it about 1.4 miles - more to come on that)
High Point: 3,410 feet
Elevation Gain: 35 feet
Difficulty: Easy
Scattered showers were forecasted for day but we all decided we’d rough it out and make the trek. The leaves don’t stay on the trees for long and we didn’t want to miss the show! We took a quick pitstop in Boone, NC to get some drinks/snacks then headed for the trail. The rain stopped so we took this as a good sign.
The rules said all dogs must stay on a leash but there was no one around so we thought we’d see how I did on my own. Mom and Dad said I needed to stay close so I did just that. I respected them as my parents and made sure not to lead. I went right where they did and made sure my family stayed together. I didn’t wander off once.
My paws got all muddy and then I had to scratch my head. It messed up my hair. :(
About half way down the trail we ran into some problems. It seems the trail washed out at some point but no signs were posted to warn us. Some one had put down a few narrow boards/bridge to weave through the flooded portions. We were half way through the trail so we figured we better keep going. Dad decided he should carry me since it was just a small 2 x 4 for some sections. Mom was on her own. I am a big boy and thought that Dad should help Mom across, not me. I cried and wiggled around but Dad said that he was carrying me and Mom could make it across on her own - end of story.
The rain started to fall after that and I was just miserable. I hate rain - it is like a giant shower and I hate getting bathed! I trudged along for as long as I could but about 2/3 of the way to the end I just gave up. This wasn’t fun anymore. Mom and Dad understood. Mom picked me up and carried me out. Luckily we were only about 15 minutes from an overlook park area. Mom waited there with me while Dad went the remainder of the hike to get the car and pick us up. Thanks Dad!
Next stop was Blowing Rock, NC. I opted to stay in the car in my crate while the ‘rents had some lunch and shopped. That stuff is just so boring. I got a great nap in after a great day with my family!
I can’t wait to do more. Next I think we’ll do one closer to home and shorter in length so that I can hopefully make it the whole way on my own four paws.
I love the fresh air!
Some of the steps were too big for me. Luckily Mom was there to give me a boost.
Bark/Bury
