Pittie Go Hike
Just a dog who likes to hike
Hiking Pinnacle Mountain TN
Hi, everybody! It’s me, Amber! Today, Mama took me on the longest hike I’ve EVER been on! It was AWESOME!!
I have to confess, though, that I wasn’t sure I wanted to go. Mama wanted to put me in the car EARLY in the morning, and I prefer to sleep in. My bed is always so warm and comfortable–why would anybody want to leave that?! But, Mama just picked me up and put me in my car crate and away we went. I slept all the way there, so when we got there I was pretty much ready to go.
Mama got out of the car and that was when I realized that she had her backpack, so then I knew it was going to be a good day! AND, she had MY backpack too–so I knew it was going to be an extra-good hike! AND THEN, I found out that my friend Ms. April was going with us and I knew it was going to be a GREAT day!! I got more and more excited, especially when I realized we were also at a whole new trail that I’d never been to before! Yay!!
Mama let me sniff around a little bit, then we started up a gravel road. We had barely started when Mama pulled me off the road and onto a dirt trail and we started hiking up through the woods. I was so happy! I love the woods! There are always so many good smells and usually I can find squirrels and chipmunks to chase and sometimes there are deer or turkeys to see too! Today, though, I found lots of good smells, but didn’t see too many critters to chase. Hmph.
Anyway, we hiked up the trail and crossed a creek and kept going up. The trail wasn’t hard, though. It wasn’t steep to walk up like some that Mama and I have done, at all! So we kept going around and up and around and up. I heard another creek and got excited because I like to splash in the creeks, but it was waaaayyyyy down the mountainside. We kept going and going and I was sniffing everywhere. After a while, we came to a road.
Can you believe that? A road in the middle of the woods? And a place to leave the car. I heard Mama and Ms April saying that we could have left the cars there, but I was glad we didn’t! I like to hike in the woods and parking way up there would have cut my hike short! I pulled Mama past the car place as fast as I could in case she wanted to go back and get the car and drive up there. I just wanted to keep following the trail and hike some more!
I pulled Mama on and Ms. April followed us and we went on up the trail. I smelled some more critters in the woods, but still didn’t really see any. One place, the trail was really small. Mama said it looked like it had been washed out by water; but I didn’t see any creek or anything so I’m not so sure! We kept going and I was pretty sure we were almost done because we had gone almost as far as usual, but I couldn’t figure out how we were going to end up at the car. It seemed to me like we were way far above where we started.
But, then, we went around a turn in the trail and there was a big tower on top of the mountain! Kind of like the Fire Tower at Bays Mountain, only not as shaky and scary. I didn’t KNOW there would be a Fire Tower here too!!! I was so excited!
I started up the steps, but I could see down thru them so I got a little nervous and went back down. I wasn’t going to go up because I was scared; but Mama went in front of me to show me it was okay, and Ms. April went behind me to be sure I wouldn’t fall and I went all the way to the TOP!
At the top, I could see a LONG way, and I could see thru the floor–I didn’t really like that–but Mama didn’t make me move around. So I stayed near the steps, mostly, for a while until I got more used to being up so high. Mama got me some water out of my backpack and I drank a little bit, but I was pretty nervous and didn’t drink much.
After Mama and Ms. April looked around and took a bunch of pictures, Mama said it was time to head back down to the ground. I was kind of scared going down, but Mama went in front of me and kept encouraging me until we got all the way down. Then she told me I was a Very Good Girl and a Very Brave Girl and hugged me and I jumped all over the place because I was soooo excited that I did it!
When we got done sniffing all over around the bottom of the tower, then Ms. April and Mama took off their backpacks and got out snacks! And Mama got a snack for me out of MY pack too! I didn’t even know I HAD a snack. If I had known that, I would have tried to figure out a way to eat sooner! I always want to eat! I finished MY snack and then Ms. April and Mama let me share their snacks too. It was FANTASTIC! I had a drink of water and then I was ready to go some more.
When Mama and Ms. April were done with their snacks, they put their packs back on and Mama put my water bowl back into mine (I checked to be sure there were no more snacks–there weren’t!) and we headed back down the trail the same way we came up. I was afraid that maybe we would stop at the closer car-leaving place, but when we got there I saw that Mama’s car or Ms. April’s car weren’t there so I was extra-happy because I knew we were going to hike some more.
We kept following the trail back the way we came and we started seeing people every now and then and I got petted by some of them. Some of them were running and I wanted to run with them, but Mama said I couldn’t. A couple of them were on bikes and I wanted to chase them, but Mama wouldn’t let me do that either. It was okay though, because I started to get tired as we went down the trail and pretty much stayed near Mama and Ms. April.
We got back to where the little creek crossed the trail and I took a few minutes to cool off my paws and splash and get a drink, but it wasn’t really big enough to swim or anything; so after a minute or two I pulled Mama on down the trail. There was a nice man who was hiking the same way as us and he talked to Mama for a few minutes, but we were hiking faster than him so we got too far ahead after a few minutes.
When we got close to the end of the trail, we saw a man and another dog on a nearby trail and I wanted to go see the other dog, but Mama said he didn’t want to make friends and would be scared of me–of ME, can you believe it?!–so I should just leave him with his man. I did, but I wanted to go show him I would be his friend, so I kept looking back at him. I’m pretty sure that if Mama had let me, I could have made friends. Oh, well–at least I have my other friends. And Mama said maybe next time I could make a new fur-iend, so we’ll see.
Anyway, right after that, we got back to the car and I heard Mama say that we hiked TEN MILES. That’s a long way–the longest I’ve ever done! But it was great! I didn’t want to stop, so I laid down on the ground and wouldn’t get in the car. Mama had to pick me up and put me in my car-crate. I would have hiked another ten miles if Mama had let me. I bet Ms. April would have too! Silly Mama, making us stop! But, then, I’m just a dog who likes to hike!
Hiking with my new furiend
Hi, everybody! It’s me, Amber! Today, Mama took me back to Bays Mountain and I was very excited! It’s one of my very favorite places to go and I almost always get to splash in a creek or the lake or something, too, which makes the hike even better!
Today, though, when Mama got me out of the car, there was another dog with its mama walking near our car. I got VERY excited! I LOVE to make new friends! BUT, the other dog was kind of scared of me. Can you believe that?! Scared of ME?! So, I just sniffed her a little bit and then Mama told me her name was “Ellie” and she and her mama, Ms. Amy, were going to walk with us! I was so happy!!
Mama tugged on my leash and I started up the Chestnut Trail, which I love. I kept looking back to be sure Ellie and her mama were with us. I didn’t want to leave my new friend behind! She stayed pretty close to me and I let her sniff me some, so she would see that I wanted to be her friend. After a few minutes, she was sniffing all the things I was sniffing and we were friends! I showed her where all the best squirrel spots were and where I see deer sometimes in the woods and she was excited too! She likes to chase squirrels too!!
I didn’t climb any trees today, though. I’m not sure if Ellie would like that, and I wanted her to be my friend, so I figured I’d show her how to do that next time! Mama says her mama might not like that, but I bet Ellie will!
I took my time up the trail and sniffed a lot so Ellie could get used to me and the trail and know that I was her friend. By the time we got to the end of Chestnut Trail, I knew we were going to be besties! There’s a creek that runs down the Azalea Trail where Chestnut and Azalea and Big Oak all come together and I showed Ellie that it was fun to splash and get a drink and cool our paws off before we took the mamas down the Big Oak Trail. She was very excited to see everything I showed her since she’d never been to Bays Mountain before! There were lots of squirrels around and we chased several up trees by the trail and I showed my new friend where all the good muddy spots are after it rains. I tried to show her everything, at least everything on THOSE trails!
At the bottom of Big Oak Trail, we came back out to the gravel road and my favorite swimmy spot.
Ellie doesn’t really like to SWIM, but she does like to splash, so I showed her that she could splash there without actually swimming and we had FUN! I got my leash tangled up in a tree branch, so I got extra swimmy time! I’ll have to remember that–swimmy time is VERY important and I can never get too much!
Mama thought she was going to have to take off her boots and go swimmy too, just to get me untangled; but she managed to pull me loose without getting herself wet. Then she made me get out of my swimmy hole and head on up the road. Ellie was cooled off too, and she was getting tired, so I showed her the gravel road and all the interesting things there. I even showed her where we could usually see the wolves that live on Bays Mountain, but they weren’t where we could see them today; so, I’m not sure if Ellie believed me or not. I’ll show them to her next time, maybe.
Mama made me go back to the place we left the car. I tried to go start up the Chestnut Trail again–I was hoping that my new best friend Ellie and I could go hike some more and the trail was RIGHT THERE–but Mama picked me up and put me in my car crate. Booooo!!! I saw my new friend and her mama go to their car and then Mama took me home. She says we will go hiking with Ms Amy and my new friend Ellie again soon and maybe we can go to some other parks too.
But there is so much more to show my new friend at Bays Mountain! I have so many trails to tell her about and show her! And LOTS more muddy spots to show her! I sure hope we get to walk again soon! But then, I’m just a dog who likes to hike!
hiking panther creek
Hi, everybody! It’s me, Amber! Today, Mama took me to a place called Panther Creek State Park. I’d never been there before and it took us FOREVER to get there! I’m not kidding–it seemed like we drove all day. I didn’t think we’d have TIME to do any hiking. Mama says I’m being too dramatic, that it was only about an hour or so and that we drive that far to get to several of my favorite places; but it SEEMED a lot longer. Of course, I was excited to go somewhere new and I didn’t sleep AT ALL on the way, so maybe that’s why it seemed to take so long!
We parked in a big parking lot and Mama got me out of the car. I didn’t see any trails, so I didn’t know what she was thinking. But Mama usually has a plan (at least, I THINK she does) so I just started sniffing around. There were a lot of people around. I saw kids on a playground and people playing a game where they hit a ball back and forth across a net. That seems like a lot of work–just throw it like Mama does!
We walked around a big field and I sniffed and sniffed and then we went across a road and down a big hill and found a creek! I was so excited! I LOVE to explore creeks! I splashed for a minute, then Mama pulled on my leash a little bit and I turned around and there was a TRAIL! Right beside the creek! I decided this might be worth driving forever after all!
We followed the trail along the creek and then it went up a big hill. The creek wasn’t there anymore, but I could see a road beside us on the other side of some trees. After a few minutes, we came out at the road into the park and went across it onto another trail! There were trails EVERYWHERE!
This trail went down into the woods and after a few minutes we turned towards my left paw and took a smaller trail even deeper into the woods. It was kind of muddy, which y’all know I like! And there were funny tracks in the mud that Mama said were from horseshoes. I didn’t know that horses wear shoes! I wonder if dogs ever wear shoes? Maybe Mama can find me some and I can leave funny-looking tracks too! That would be funny!
Anyway, we hiked along the trail thru the woods and I sniffed everything and chased a few squirrels. I didn’t see ANY chipmunks, though, and those are my favorite to chase! There were lots of birds, and we even saw some deer. I wanted to chase them, but Mama wouldn’t let me. Hmph.
We came to another road and I could see the trail on the other side, but Mama said she didn’t know the trails in this park very well and wasn’t sure how long that one was, so we couldn’t go on it today. Instead, we followed the little road downhill and came out at a lake! I was so surprised! There were people with a boat at the end of the road (Mama said they were taking it out of the water to go home), but there was lots of space on the shore, so I got to go explore along the lake. I even got to swim! There were all kinds of white birds on the shore and flying around and I had fun chasing them a bit and then swimming some more. It was GREAT!!
Mama let me do that for a while, then tugged me back to the little road and we went up the hill and onto another trail into the woods, back the way we came from. I was having so much fun!! There were muddy spots all along this trail and I got my paws good and dirty! The only bad thing was there were no actual puddles for me to splash in. Splashing mud around is even more fun!
This trail wasn’t too long and we came out on a dirt and gravel road. Mama wasn’t sure which way to go, so I picked. We went towards my left paw again, because I was pretty sure that was the way AWAY from the car! I wanted to keep hiking as long as I could!! I got fooled though, because after we followed the gravel road for a few minutes, we came out on a regular road and Mama took us across it and turned through a field and in just another minute we were back at the creek near where we started.
I don’t know how she always seems to know how to get back to the car! I got to splash in the creek some more and then Mama took me up the big hill and back to the car. I didn’t want to leave–the creek had cleaned the mud off my paws and I wanted to at least get them dirty again–but Mama just picked me up and put me in my car crate. I remembered it would be a long drive home, so I settled down for a nap and a lovely dream about the trails we just explored. After all, I’m just a dog who likes to hike–even in my sleep!
Hiking cherokee little mountain
Hi, everybody! It’s me, Amber! Mama took me to a wonderful muddy icy slippery trail today and I LOVED IT!
First, we drove in the car for a little while and then when we stopped, we were just kind of in the woods beside the road and there was a gate and Mama got me out of the car and put a funny harness on me with a camera on my back and off we went–right around the gate and into the mud!
I knew right then that it was going to be a GOOD hike!
We headed up the trail–and I do mean UP. I was sniffing and sniffing and we were hiking up and up, but at least it wasn’t too steep this time. Mama made me go slower than usual because she said it was slick, but I didn’t have any problems.
There was still lots of snow on the trail and two muddy places where people had walked before. I kept going back and forth trying to smell EVERYTHING, but Mama walked in the snow in the middle because she said the muddy tracks were more slippery. I STILL didn’t know what she was talking about. I didn’t have ANY problems. Mama says that’s because I have “four-paw drive”, then she just laughs and laughs. I don’t get it, but Mama is silly sometimes.
The trail wound around the side of the mountain a bit as we went up and it was really pretty, but with all the trees and stuff we couldn’t see very far. We kept hiking up and Mama let me sniff all I wanted to. Finally, we came to a spot where the trail was almost flat, but there was a little trail off towards my right paw and I turned that way.
Mama followed me and the trail went down just a little bit and then steep up and up and up until….nothing. We got to the top of the little hill and the trail just stopped and we were surrounded by trees. I wanted to go sniffing through the trees, but Mama wouldn’t let me; so, we turned around and went back to the big trail and hiked on around the mountain a while.
The trail went back up some more and then got flat again and kind of looked like we were at the end in a big clearing. I thought Mama would make me turn around again, but instead she took me across the clearing and I realized there was a little dirt trail going off into the woods! I was so happy!!
We followed the trail and it went down a little bit. There was a big tree across the trail after a minute, but I just jumped over it and went on. I had to wait on Mama–she had to climb over it. I don’t know why she doesn’t just jump this stuff like I do. It’s much, much easier!
So, the trail went down a little bit more, then turned off a little bit and went up and up and up. We found a little open space in the trees and there was a chair that somebody had left there leaning up against a tree, but we didn’t see anybody. There were just trees everywhere. I found a space between some trees that I thought would be the trail, but Mama said it wasn’t–that the trail ENDED where we were. Phhhtttt. Booooo!! I wanted the trail to keep going! Instead, we had to turn around and head back down the trail towards the car.
I took advantage of Mama wanting to go slow so she didn’t slip and fall, and made sure to climb the hillside up and down as far as my leash would let me. I didn’t see any squirrels or anything, but I smelled where they had been–deer too! I’m pretty sure I could have found some if Mama had just let me go the ways I wanted to!
We went down and down and down until we got back to the area where we left the car and I made sure to splash in every single mud/ice puddle I could find. I mean, who knows when I’ll get the chance again?! I got VERY dirty! It was FANTASTIC!! When we got back to the car, Mama had to pick me up and put me in the car and she got all muddy too! I thought she would get mad, but she just laughed and said she figured I’d had fun (I did!).
She took the little camera off my back and then she got in the car and we drove all the way home again. Mama says we’ll come back to this trail in the spring and summer because it will probably be drier and prettier–especially when the Ro-Do-Den-Drains are blooming. I can’t wait! I bet I’ll still be able to find some muddy places to play in. I’ll be glad to go sniff and see, but then I’m just a dog who likes to hike!
Hiking on biltmore estate
Hi, everybody! It’s me, Amber! Today, Mama put me in the car and drove for so long that I fell asleep in my car-crate. When I woke up, we were at one of my most favoritest places: Biltmore! I was soooo excited!
Mama parked in our semi-usual spot–one she picks because I can jump out of the car onto some dirt instead of pavement–and headed towards the Huge House. I was a little bit confused because we stopped by another car and Mama was talking to the lady and then I found out it was my new friend, Ms. April and she was going to walk with us! I love making new friends!
We hiked out the little trail and came out at the steps across the big yard from the Huge House and headed down to walk over there. At the bottom, there are some big turtles that usually spit water. They’re not scary though, like The Turtle I see hiking other trails sometimes, because these aren’t real–they’re made of STONE! They spit water into a big stone bowl and sometimes when it’s hot I stop and get a drink. This time, though, there was no water. Mama said it was probably because it’s winter and might freeze and break something. *sigh* I don’t mind frozen water….
Mama and Ms April and I all walked over to the house and then I tugged Mama down the steps toward the big garden. I took the lead because Mama was talking and I was pretty sure Ms. April needed me to show her the way around–I’m very good at that.
Walking down through the gardens, I found the creek to get a drink and showed Ms. April my favorite parts: the stepping stones across the creek, the big Bald Cypress tree with all the little knobby roots sticking up, the place that Mama calls the “Formal Garden” with lots of little paths around (usually there are lots of flowers and stuff along the paths, but not right now), and all the way down to the Bass Pond and the creek below the dam.
At the Bass Pond, I took Mama and Ms. April over to the little gazebo to sniff around and there were DUCKS swimming around! I’ve never seen ducks over there before! I jumped in and tried to chase them; but, I forgot I was on my leash, so I couldn’t go very far. The ducks just swam away and Mama made me climb back up on the gazebo. Ms. April laughed and laughed, but Mama said I got awfully muddy and that I wasn’t supposed to do that. I don’t really mind being muddy, and I sure would have liked to catch those ducks, but Mama never gave me another chance!
After I climbed back up to the gazebo (with Mama’s help), I took them down to the other end of the Pond and past the big dam and down to the creek to play. I splashed for a minute, but the water was really COLD! I didn’t remember it being that cold last summer! There was a big waterfall coming over the dam so I climbed up on some rocks so I could see better. I couldn’t get quite to the waterfall, so I had to turn around and go back. I wonder if the waterfall water was warmer than the creek water? *sigh* I guess I’ll never know.
After I left the waterfall, I took Mama and Ms. April back up the hill and started to hike back up the trail towards the Huge House, but Mama pulled my leash and took me up another trail that I had never noticed before. It went up a hill and then we were in a big field and I could see the Huge House a ways off and there were ALL KINDS of great smells! I jumped around and sniffed all I could while we walked back to the Huge House. It was FANTASTIC! I can’t believe Mama has never taken me on that trail before! What was she THINKING?!
We got back to the Huge House and then headed back towards the car and I was SO disappointed. I wasn’t even close to being ready to leave Biltmore yet! I could stay there ALL DAY! But, Mama said we had to get in the car, so we left my new friend Ms. April at her car and went to ours and Mama picked me up and put me in my car-crate. I laid down and got ready for the ride home, but we only drove for a few minutes and then Mama stopped again.
I sat up and looked out and realized we were STILL at Biltmore! We were just down by the farm animals! I like it even better down there because sometimes I get to make friends with the animals and sometimes I get to go walk around outside the stores where all the people sit and they pet me. Sometimes, I even get ice cream while I’m there; and once, I got to sit with Mama and Daddy while they ate lunch. I was a VERY GOOD GIRL, they said.
Mama got me out of the car and my new friend Ms. April was THERE too!! I was so happy to see her! Now I could show her some more places to sniff and explore!
We hiked up past the animals and found the gravel road that takes us out to the woods and to the dirt trails, which I REALLY like. There’s a little house back there with goats in the yard and I always want to go say hello, but Mama always goes the other way!
Anyway, Mama and I took Ms. April back near the goats and then turned into the woods and followed the dirt trails around. We found a little side trail that we followed and it took us to the big hotel and a paved trail, but I didn’t want to walk on a paved trail–I wanted to HIKE on the DIRT! So, we turned around and headed back to the woods.
Mama let me lead, so I just wandered around through a little valley and back up a hill on the other side and we came out….AT THE GOATS AGAIN!! I don’t know HOW I did that, but I did! I was so excited! I wanted to go around the trails again to see if I would come out at the goats again, but Mama wouldn’t let me. Instead, we headed back out the gravel road and back down past the farm animals. I wanted to stop and see the pigs, but they wouldn’t come to the fence to see me, so we went on. I DID get to meet another dog–his name was Yay-Ger (Mama says that’s not how you spell it, but I’m pretty sure I’m right!)–so that was fun! But, then Mama made me get back in the car and Ms. April went to her car and Mama drove me home. Ms. April wasn’t at my home when I got there, but Mama says she will get to hike with us again. I hope so–it was really fun to show her around Biltmore! I can’t wait to show her some of my other hiking spots–but then, I’m just a dog who likes to hike!
The hike that ended too soon
Hi, everybody! It’s me, Amber! Well. I was sooo excited this morning. Mama put me in the car and we drove and drove. After a little while, we turned up a little road and drove some more and then the road got all bumpy and Mama slowed down and when we stopped, we were by a gate that I remembered from last year and I KNEW it was going to be a GREAT hike!
Mama told me we were at “Lower Higgins Creek” and that we were going to hike all the way up the mountain to a lake on top. A lake on TOP of the mountain! I’ve never heard of such a thing, but it sounds really cool!
So, we started up the trail and there were snowy spots and icy patches and lots of water on the trail, but I didn’t care. I had my sweatshirt on and I was excited, so I wasn’t cold at all. I could see the creek almost as soon as we started up the trail and I spent most of the first part of the hike running back and forth trying to smell everything I could. Sometimes I went up the hill by my left paw and sometimes I went over to the creek by my right paw and sometimes I just followed the scents straight up the trail. And I DO mean “up”. The trail went up and up and up. We kept finding little places where water was running across the trail, but none were very big so I just walked right thru them and Mama just hopped straight over (mostly).
After we went uphill for a while, I found a little trail to the side that went over the hill and down towards the creek. I headed down the hill–it was pretty steep–and Mama made me stop about halfway down and wait for her. She had to climb a bit, so I ran back up the hill and got behind her, then ran back down below her, then ran back up again. I was trying to show her the easy path, but she went a-whole-nother way. Anyway, we finally got down to the creek and there was a big waterfall!!!
It was so pretty! And there were logs for me to climb on and rocks to jump across and water to play in and it was FANTASTIC! Mama let me play for a little while, but it was kind of slippery so she didn’t get to take too many pictures; and the water was cold, so I didn’t splash too much right then. After a few minutes, we climbed back up the hill to the trail.
We started uphill on the trail again and it wasn’t quite as steep as before, but still kind of. I was having so much fun just sniffing and sniffing and looking around. We got to the top of the big hill and I went to play in the creek again for a minute and found out we were at the TOP of the waterfall!! I was so excited! I went running along the top and kept looking over to see the creek down below and it was slippery and I FELL! I almost slid over the whole big waterfall! I was scared! But then I felt Mama pull on my leash and I used my paws to scramble back up and I got out of the creek FAST. Whew! Thank goodness Mama had a good hold on my leash! She says that I am apt to get into trouble and that’s why I’m always on my leash. I don’t know about that, but I sure was glad she had me that time–it was a long way down to the bottom of the waterfall!
I climbed back out of the creek and headed straight back to the trail. I was ready to find the lake at the top of the mountain so I could swim without falling over a waterfall. We kept hiking up the trail and came to the creek again and I could see that the trail went on up the mountain on the other side of the creek. There wasn’t a bridge, so I just swam across the creek and started up the trail until I felt Mama tug on my leash again. I turned around and she was still on the other side of the creek! I watched her for a minute and she tugged my leash again and then I realized: she wanted me to go back! But…I thought the lake was up the trail at the top of the mountain?! The trail OBVIOUSLY went across the creek. WHY would she want me to go back?!
So, I swam back across the creek and grabbed a piece of ice to chew on as I climbed out and shook off and waited to see what Mama was going to do. Mama looked at the creek, then walked downstream a little bit and looked some more. Then she looked up the creek and shook her head and said there was no way she could get across without getting wet and that it was too cold to do the whole hike with wet feet! I didn’t see the problem–I was wet and I wasn’t cold–but Mama said she didn’t have a fur coat like mine, so we would have to go back to the car and try to find the lake another day. I tried to pull her back up to the creek crossing so I could swim across again and show her how easy it was, but she wouldn’t let me. Instead, we headed back down the mountain towards the car. *sigh* I SO wanted to see the lake on TOP of a mountain!
But, we followed the trail back down the hill. Mama let me sniff some of the little side trails (she called them “deer trails”) a bit, and I got to explore the area closer to the creek more than I did on the way up so it wasn’t all boring. Mama says we will go back to try to find the lake again, when it’s warmer out and she doesn’t have to worry about having cold, wet feet the whole way. I sure hope she doesn’t forget! A lake on top of the mountain sounds AWESOME! I can’t wait! But then, I’m just a dog who likes to hike!
Dreaming of a hike
The weather around my area has been cold and rainy and snowy and blustery. I just curl up on the couch and look out the window and hope for the sun to come out so Mama will take me for a hike, but it’s just not happening. I get so bored and so sad that I’m not in the woods, but neither I nor my Mama like to be cold and wet. At least the house is warm and Daddy built us a fire in the place at the wall and Mama says the weather will be better soon.
For now, I think I’ll just stay snuggled near the fire and maybe take a nap…
The hike I dreamed about is one of the first hikes Mama took me on, even before she was my Mama, when she was NotyetMama. Back then, I lived at a big place in a HUGE crate with lots of other doggies around. Mama would come and get me every few days and take me for hikes so I could get some exercise. I loved hiking, even then, and never wanted to go back to my crate when we were done.
The very first actual hike that NotyetMama took me on was to a trail at Warriors Path State Park called Fall Creek Loop/Devil’s Backbone. As you can guess, there was a creek involved which just made the hike even better, as far as I was concerned!
I didn’t know what NotyetMama was doing–we drove down a really bumpy gravel road and across a little bridge that I didn’t even think the car would fit on and then the road ended at a gate. NotyetMama parked the car and we got out and she took me around the gate and there was a TRAIL! I got really excited! The trail actually split into two directions: one straight ahead and one towards my left paw and up a hill. I started to go straight, but she pulled me up the hill instead. I didn’t mind–there was LOTS to sniff either way!
We went up and up and up and I could see a big field over to my left paw and a bunch of weeds and little trees and stuff beside my right paw and I could hear critters moving around in both areas. I didn’t know WHICH way to sniff! I was running back and forth and back and forth trying to smell everything I could while we went up the hill. It was AWESOME!!
We finally got to the top of the hill and headed down the other side and at the bottom there was a little creek. I was kind of disappointed because it was small, but I splashed and got a drink and then headed back up the hill on the other side.
We kept walking and went thru some woods, then some more field area, then back into the woods as we headed back downhill again. This hill was long. We went down and down and down and at the bottom, the trail we were on met another trail.
NotyetMama took me to the left again and in just a minute I saw a BIG creek beside the trail! I was so excited!!! NotyetMama let me look and splash a little bit, then made me go a bit further and we came to a place that Mama called the “swimmy hole”.
She let me splash there for a long time and it was great! The water was so cool and I loved it, but as I was splashing around I found a deep spot and went all the way under the water! My head and EVERYTHING! I started paddling my paws and felt NotyetMama pulling on my leash and in just a minute I was back on the trail with her. I was a little bit scared–I didn’t know really how to swim yet!–but then NotyetMama took me further down the trail and I kind of forgot about being scared and went back to sniffing everything.
We kept following the trail through the woods and came to a big bridge across the creek. NotyetMama told me not to be scared, but I really wasn’t anyway! I just went up and over and kept following the trail along the other side of the creek.
We came to a place where another trail went way up a steep hill, and I pulled NotyetMama up the hill as hard as I could. It wasn’t too hard to get her to follow me and we climbed up and up and came out in a big field. I was just hiking along, sniffing everything I could, when we went back into some woods. After just a minute or two, we came to a HOUSE. In the MIDDLE OF THE WOODS. What was a HOUSE doing there?
I sniffed all around and didn’t smell any people, so I was really confused. NotyetMama wouldn’t let me go INSIDE the house for some reason, even though I could see the whole inside. I sniffed all the way around and really didn’t find anything super-interesting, except for the house itself; so, when NotyetMama pulled my leash back the way we came from, I followed her pretty quickly. Back through the woods, down the hill and back to the original trail we had been on. I was afraid she was going to make me go back to the car, but instead we turned and hiked out a bit further.
I was sniffing and sniffing my way thru the woods and the trail came out at a place where the creek went into a LAKE! I was sooooo excited!!! I ran and ran and climbed the rocks and splashed in the water and ran some more and climbed some more and swam around the deeper water and IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!!! I knew right then that I would LOVE hiking forever!
I was having so much fun, but this time NotyetMama said we did have to go back. I was very sad, but she said she would come and get me and take me hiking somewhere else soon. So I went back to my kennel and told all the other doggies about my adventure and then curled up on my little blanket and went to sleep to dream about my day and to hope maybe someday I would have a Mama who would take me hiking all the time. I didn’t know it then, but soon I would have my very own Mama and Daddy and big brother Dexter. NotyetMama became Mama and I was happy because I knew she would take me hiking a LOT. And as you all know: I’m just a dog who likes to hike!
A hike across watauga dam
AT: Wilbur Dam Rd to the Watauga Lake Shelter
Hi, everybody! It’s me, Amber! The weather was SO GREAT today and I was so happy because I was pretty sure Mama would take me hiking. But do you know what she did?! She put me in my crate and took my BROTHER for a hike and left me at home! I was SO MAD at her!
Luckily, she realized I was upset and only did a short hike with Dexter and then came and put me in the car and away we went. We drove for a while and at first I looked around, but then I figured out that we were headed toward one of our usual hiking spots, so I laid down and took a nap until Mama stopped the car. I sat up, and we WEREN’T at one of our usual trails–we were somewhere completely new!
Mama said we were at another part of the Apple-At-Chin Trail and that we were going to walk across a lake. I thought she meant we were going to hike across a bridge across a lake and was warning me because sometimes bridges make me nervous, but she wasn’t. But, I’m getting ahead of myself in my excitement to tell all my friends about this. Let me slow down a minute!
So, Mama got me out of the car and we walked just a few steps down the road and then turned into the woods on a little trail I had just barely seen. It went up a pretty steep hill, just for a minute, and at the top there were rocks for me to climb on and I could see a big lake over towards my left paw. Mama let me climb around for a minute, and then SHE climbed some of the rocks and I realized the trail went right across the rocks and followed her and we went on.
The woods were pretty quiet–I didn’t see ANY squirrels or chipmunks or deer–but I got lots of good sniffing in, and there were some super-interesting smells! I kept trying to follow them, but Mama said I needed to stay on the trail because I kept getting my leash tangled up in the Ro-Do-Den-Drain bushes and Mama kept having to untangle me. After the third or fourth time, I decided Mama was right and pretty much stayed on the trail or just barely off it for my sniffing. I still got some good smells in!
After we explored the woods for a little while, the trail came out to a road. I figured we’d cross the road like we’ve done on other trails, but we didn’t! Instead, Mama said we needed to hike down the road, so that’s what we did. That was pretty interesting too. There were big rocks beside the road and I sniffed and climbed some. There was one really big flat rock and I wanted to climb it; but when I tried, I just slid back down.
I tried two or three times, but I just couldn’t do it. Hmph. Never found a rock I couldn’t climb before. Mama laughed at me sliding down. She said it was too steep and slick and said we needed to go on, so I gave up.
Just a few minutes walk down the road we went around a curve and there was the lake and the road went right across a big pile of rock across the lake! Mama said it was called a “dam”. It didn’t look like the dam at Bays Mountain Park, but I guess there are more than one kind because Mama said this was one and was called “Watauga Dam” (I checked with Mama on the spelling of that one! Whew!). The road went right across the top and the water was only on one side. It wasn’t scary at all! It was almost like walking on the trail BESIDE the water, and I could see a road going down the other side. It was WAY bigger than the dam at Bays Mountain too–I could barely see the bottom on the side without water!
We walked all across the Watauga Dam and then, on the other side, the trail went into the woods again and so we kept going. I didn’t know WHAT we were doing–I thought Mama was taking me to walk across the dam, but she said we were going a bit further to find a shelter place. I was okay with that. After all, I like to hike A LOT!
So we headed through the woods, and we were just up the hill from the lake. With no leaves on the trees, Mama and I could see the lake and the dam and it was really pretty! We went back through a little valley, kind of away from the lake, and climbed the hill as we went. At the top, I could see the lake for a long way–it was even bigger than I thought! We kept following the trail and I kept sniffing and I found a place where people had had fires and so I tried to pull Mama that way, but she said that wasn’t the Shelter place we were looking for and we kept hiking along.
Not too much further up the trail, we found a creek and I was SO HAPPY! I was getting thirsty, and I didn’t even have my backpack this time because Mama said this would be just a short hike. I don’t think she knew it was going to be so warm. Anyway, I was super-glad to see a creek and I splashed and drank and cooled off pretty good. Mama let me take my time and when I was ready, we went on.
We didn’t have to go too far before I found a little trail that turned off of the trail we were on and went back across the creek. Usually, Mama doesn’t let me take the little side trails, so I was pretty surprised and excited when she let me go that way and followed me. The little trail wasn’t too long, and we found an opening in the woods with some short walls and a place for fires. Mama said we had found the Watauga Lake Shelter.
It didn’t look like a shelter to me. I could see over the walls and there was no roof, but I guess it would be a good spot to hang out for a snack and water break. Mama said it probably USED to have bigger walls and a roof and people could spend the night there if they were hiking long sections of the Apple-At-Chin Trail and not going home in between. That actually sounds like a GREAT idea to me: getting up in the morning already at the trail! No long drives to get there! Wow! I think I’ll have to talk to Mama about doing that. We could just LIVE on the trail! WOOF WOOF WOOF!!!!!
After we explored around the shelter area, Mama said we had to go back to the car (that wouldn’t be a problem if we lived on the trail!), so we started hiking back down the trail. Back through the little valley, back across the big Watauga Dam, and back up the road with the slick steep rock. Only we didn’t turn back out the trail we started on.
Instead, Mama turned to a trail across the road and we went completely away from where we left the car. I thought Mama was lost, but we were still hiking and I wasn’t going to complain! This trail went down and down and down, with only a little bit of uphill; but after a little while, we came to some steps made out of rocks. We went down the steps to a gravel road and then followed that to a place where we could see the dam and the lake. Mama called it a “lookout”.
After that, we followed the gravel road around a curve and there was a little building with windows and I could see all the way across the lake! Mama said that was the “visitor’s center”. I went to the door, but Mama said we couldn’t go in. I didn’t understand: WE were visitors. But Mama said it was closed for winter right now. Maybe she’ll take me back in the summer and I can go sniff around.
Instead, we walked up the road–paved now–and looked at the lake over towards my right paw and we saw a boat with a big “sail” on the water going back and forth. It was so pretty!!
I was starting to get a little tired (don’t tell Mama!), but in just a few minutes we were back at the car! I don’t know HOW Mama always goes different ways but finds the car. It’s a total mystery! (And it wouldn’t be a worry if we just lived on the trail!) So, Mama put me in the car and gave me some treats and I snuggled down into my pillow. I took a nap on the way home and dreamed about our hike. Mama said it was a very pleasant hike. I think it was DAM-TASTIC, but then I’m just a dog who likes to hike!
PS: Mama says we absolutely can NOT live on the trail. *sigh*
Rocky fork: A hike to find snow
Hi, everybody! It’s me, Amber! We’ve been having a lot of rain here lately, but Mama and I managed to get out for a quick hike at Rocky Fork State Park today and we found SNOW! I was so excited!
I knew it was going to be a good day when Mama parked the car and I realized we were at Rocky Fork. It’s one of my favorite places to go. There’s a big creek and lots of different trails and rocks to climb on and squirrels everywhere and lots of different smells!
Mama got me out of the car and I wondered which way we were going today. I started to hike up the trail near the car parking place, but Mama tugged my leash and we went up the big gravel road instead. That was okay with me–that road follows the creek and there are lots of places I can go splash if I want to. It was a little cold out today, though, so I just sniffed and ran and looked around.
Pretty soon we came to a place where the trail split into TWO trails. One went towards the creek and was pretty flat and the other one went up a hill. Mama and I went up the hill. Mama said this was called “White Oak Flats” Trail. I don’t know WHY it was named that: it sure wasn’t FLAT. But, as I’ve said before: humans have funny names for things sometimes!
So we went up and up and up and I was sniffing and sniffing and sniffing. Mama and I have hiked that trail before, but it’s been a while and there are always new things to smell and see. There were big pieces of ice hanging from some of the rocks, and I kept hearing things over in the bushes and trees beside the trail, but Mama said it was water dripping from the ice. Sometimes the wind would blow and once I heard a tree branch fall in the woods not too far from the trail. Sometimes the wind makes Mama nervous in the woods; but today she seemed like it was okay so I didn’t worry either.
We finally got to the top of the big hill and when we went around a curve in the trail, we found SNOW! The whole trail was covered in snow and some icy patches! I was so excited! I didn’t know I was going to get to play in snow while we hiked! And even better were the icy patches! They were slippery and I ran and slid and ran some more and slid some more and it was so much FUN!!! I was so excited that I didn’t want to quit playing until Mama pointed out some tracks in the snow for me to sniff.
Those were exciting too! There were tracks EVERYWHERE and some of them smelled really strong and some I could barely smell. I didn’t know WHAT left tracks like that, but Mama said she thought they were from The Turkey and his other Turkey friends. I’ve seen The Turkey before, but I’ve never seen his tracks. They were funny looking!! They didn’t look anything like my paw prints or the marks the deer leave. And they were all over in the snow! The Turkey and his Turkey friends got to play in the snow too. I wonder if deer play in the snow? I’ll have to try to watch the ones that stay in my yard at home and see if they do next time it snows at home.
But I’m getting distracted. Back to the hike.
After we passed the Turkey tracks, we came to a place where the trail turned into two MORE trails. I told you there were lots of trails at Rocky Fork! So Mama and I turned onto a trail called the “Headwaters” Trail. Mama says “Headwaters” are where a creek or a river starts, so the “Headwaters Trail” leads to where the Rocky Fork Creek starts. I don’t really know about that, but we do usually see some creeks (or maybe the same one, I’m not sure) as we hike on that trail.
Today, the Headwaters Trail had LOTS of snow on it and it got deeper and more slippery the farther Mama and I hiked. After a little while we came to a little bridge across a creek and it had snow all over it, so I hopped up on it and kept going. Mama wasn’t so sure, but she followed me across after I showed her it was okay.
When we got to the other side of the bridge, though, I couldn’t find the trail! It was totally covered with snow and I wasn’t sure which way to go. I tried sniffing, but there were so many smells in the snow that I just wasn’t sure. I don’t know if that has EVER happened! Usually the trail is just RIGHT THERE in front of me. I think maybe The Turkey pushed the snow around to make it harder to find. Mama says The Turkey isn’t that smart, but I have my suspicions!
So, after I couldn’t find the trail, Mama said that was okay and that we needed to head back towards the car anyway. I was pretty disappointed because I wanted to see where the trail goes in the winter and play in the snow some more, but then I realized we still had to go all the way back the way we came and I could play in the snow and slide on the ice on our way!
We hiked back down the trail and Mama let me take my time and dig in the snow and sniff the Turkey tracks some more and I got to splash in a little tiny creek. Mama even let me go off the trail a little bit and when we got back down to the main trail, I got to play in the big creek. I didn’t play too much though because the water was COLD! Mama said it was because of all the snow that had melted and then run down the little creeks into the big creek. How does Mama KNOW all this stuff?! Anyway, she was right: it was cold and felt good on my paws for just a second and then was too cold. I got back out of the water and we hiked the rest of the way to the car.
I was hoping we could go and hike up another trail, but Mama made me get in the car to go home. I bet there was more snow on that other trail. Hmph. Maybe more Turkey tracks too. Maybe next time I can get Mama to check the other trails and play in the snow there. I think we need to check all the other trails at Rocky Fork for snow and Turkey tracks! But then, I’m just a dog who likes to hike (and play in the snow!)!
Christmas Hike at Founder’s park
Hi, everybody! It’s me, Amber! So, Mama says that Christmas is THIS WEEK! I’m so very excited! I remember that my big brother Dexter and I will get presents–maybe even a new toy!–and probably some special treats! It’s awesome!
Mama also says that the weather is NOT going to be good this year. We might get snow (YAY!) and it’s going to be cold, so she’s not sure how much hiking we’ll get to do for the next few days. At least the weather is nice today, except for some wind, so we went on an adventure!
First, Mama put my pretty purple jacket on me, so I thought we were going hiking. I was absolutely ready to get in the car and go, Go, GO! But, we didn’t go for a real hike. Instead we went to a place called “Founder’s Park”.
I’ve been there before with Mama and my fur-rend, Valentino, so I thought maybe Val and his mama would be there. They weren’t. Hmph. But today, there were all kinds of Christmas trees! They were EVERYWHERE! Mama said a lot of the businesses in the area decorated them and they had a contest. I don’t know how anybody could pick a winner–they were all so pretty and fun and Christmassy! Mama tried to get me to stand beside each one to get a picture, but there were a LOT of them and there were a LOT of good smells in the park too so I just couldn’t stand still. I really DID try though!! And Mama took LOTS of pictures anyway, so she said I could post them for everybody to see. She didn’t take pictures of ALL of them, but she got several!
There were trees that had regular decorations, but some had special things on them. One had big pictures of the characters from “The Grinch” (I LOVE that movie!), one was decorated by a car repair place and had wheel-thingys all over it (Mama said they are called “Hub-Caps”), one looked like a big soldier, and one had a big stuffed bear beside it. I REALLY liked the bear. I think THAT tree should win the prize! Mama says they already picked a winner, and they didn’t even ask ME. I don’t know which one won, but I liked them all and so did Mama!
So we walked around the park and looked at all the trees and I sniffed and sniffed and sniffed. I even got to meet TWO other doggies! One of them thought I was too crazy and kind of growled at me, but I didn’t really care. The other one’s name was Isabelle and she was like me and ready to play! We only got to visit for a minute or two though because Isabelle had to go.
After that I was thirsty, so I went and splashed in the creek. The water was cold, but I didn’t mind–after all, I had my jacket on, so I warmed right back up when I got out. The whole walk was all very exciting, even if it wasn’t a real hike!
We walked all around and then around again and then Mama said we had to go. DEFINITELY NOT a long enough hike–I mean, WALK–and I did NOT want to get in the car! Mama says we’ll go for a REAL hike tomorrow if the weather is good, and I sure hope we do. A LONG hike, too, I hope. But then, I’m just a dog who likes to hike!
