Snow hike for Savi and CeCe

 Surprised to have a snow-free day, the weather people were wrong!  We had a super opportunity to take Savi and her daughter, CeCe, almost 10 months old, for a hike at Campgaw.  The trails were not icy as feared and the dogs had a blast running together.  After the hike, we took them to JB's Pet Supply, where Savi immediately had to jump on the counter for a treat.

 CeCe above...

 Savi, it's all about the ears!

Enjoying the fall

We are fortunate to live close to some fabulous state parks and Harriman State Park in New York is one of my favorites.  Last weekend, I took Trixie and Savi for a short hike and even though it is past peak fall foliage, it was still beautiful and we enjoyed having the trail to ourselves.  

After the hike, we drove a short distance to one of the many lakes in Harriman and Savi did some water retrieving.

\Scenic view of the lake.

Savi even had an audience, a group of Japanese tourists, who thought she was quite entertaining. They were snapping away at her swimming and water retrieves.  Wonder if she'll show up on a travel blog!

 Savi absolutely loves to swim and retrieve and it is terrific exercise.

We fit the hike and swim in before the sunset.

Fabulous Friday the 13th

 No bad luck on this Friday the 13th!  In fact, it was a stellar weather day here in the Northeast and we took full advantage and took the dogs for a 3-hour hike to one of favorite local trails in Harriman State Park.  My friend, Lori, a fellow Weim lover, joined us for an afternoon of beautiful nature and great exercise.

 The reward at the top of the trail - a view of New York City!  It was a bit hazy today, not as spectacular as on a clear day but still impressive.

 Jam and Savi spent the hike hunting, exploring and just having a wonderful time and barely stopped for us to get photos.  They will sleep well tonight.

 Trixie is the perfect hiking companion and will pose or do anything for a treat!

Snow hike

Trixie

Both the two-legged and four-legged family members enjoyed a hike on the snow covered trails at Harriman State park yesterday.  The weather was unusually warm and the trails were safe to walk on with little ice.  The dogs had a blast, ranging out and running all over the woods.

Life's a beach

 Trixie enjoying a beach romp to Ryder Beach.  A nice cool day and chance to get our toes in the sand as part of a 6-mile hike from the Atwood-Higgins House, the oldest house on the Cape, from Bound Brook Island to Ryder Beach and then loop back to the house.

 Trixie and her shadow

One of Cape Cod's beautiful beaches

GSA: Sunburst Trail Hike

 As part of our Grayhart Southern Adventure, Kel and I had made a goal to hike as much as possible in this beautiful part of the country.  Despite the heat, we persevered and took the dogs on three amazing hikes.  The third day of hiking, on Thursday, July 26th, led us to the Sunburst Trail in Pisgah National Forest.  Debbie had recommended this hike for its shady trails through the forest which leads to a lovely waterfall plus lots of streams along the way for the dogs to drink from.

 From the parking lot to every turn on the trail, butterflies were everywhere!  Not sure what butterfly bushes drew them here and there were hundreds on the ground in the parking area.

 This trail is a forest road with a gradual incline and offers lots of shade, making it quite pleasant even on the hottest of days.

A view from one of the turns in trail.  Unfortunately, we missed the turnoff for the waterfall and walked further than originally planned.

 Surprise!!!  Always important to look ahead as there was a large, easily 6' long King snake on the trail,  The rest of him was coiled up in the grass.  We grabbed the dogs, Kell took a photo and off we went back from where we came from.  There are poisonous snakes in this area, Copperheads and Rattlers, so no taking any chances with this snake.

 Although we missed the waterfall, we hiked about 5 miles and enjoyed the exercise and experiencing a different part of the area.

 When we made it back to Debbie's house, it was show training time for Mia, getting ready for her show weekend in Greenville, SC.  Debbie has her own agility yard and it was perfect for practicing conformation, obedience and of course, agility.

From hiking to stacking, Mia sure got a workout!

GSA: Max Patch hike

 On Wednesday, July 25th, Kel and I headed out to one of my all-time favorite places to hike - Max Patch in Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina.  So much natural beauty and a combination of open views from flower fields to cool trails through the woods.  The summit of Max Patch has a bald top, so you get awesome 360 degree views of the Smokey Mountains.  The Appalachian Trail goes through here and we met a group from Texas who were backpacking on this part of the AT.  There are many options of trails to take from the parking lot, a short hike right to the summit or the 3.5 mile loop that we opted for and enjoyed immensely.  Again, the heat wave continued with temps in the 90's but we were prepared with plenty of water and lunch.

The best surprise was the abundance of wild blackberries!  Acres and acres of nature's bounty and not only did we snack on these sweet treats, but Savi became an expert picker, eating the ripe ones within her reach!  Blueberries also grow in the area but were not yet ripe.  After our hike, we retrieved a bucket from the van and went back and picked fresh berries to fill the bucket.  That night, Debbie made delicious preserves out of them.

 Savi was on the hunt and to our surprise, was found pointing a wild quail!!!

 

 Mia and Savi

 Neat wild flowers and the sign for the different trails...everything was very well marked.

 At the summit, we had our picnic lunch and rested.  We met many people from all over, including Florida, Texas, Michigan and the Carolinas.  You can click on the photos to enlarge them.

 Roll at the summit from Savi!

 Kel, glamour girl at the summit!

 Always time for a photo op with the dogs.

 Savi running through the fields at the top.

 And what to do after a great hike on a hot day - go swimming of course!

 Savi didn't hesitate to retrieve her bumper, one of the many awesome prizes she won for qualifying at the Tarheel Weimaraner Club Agility trial, the previous weekend.

 Splish, splash...

And on our drive out of the park, this was an interesting site.  The driver, an Amish looking man on the left, with his son, absorbed in texting on his phone!

Thanks to our