Kiwi started the day at sunrise so we could catch an early ferry to Whidbey Island. It was a very warm weekend up here in the northwest, uncomfortably so, but there are others that have it worse. I wonder if dogs get brain freeze when they gulp down an ice cold slurpee?
The pic below kinda sums up the day for Kiwi and I. We did not know anyone and most folk were busy with their four-legged friends herding and such, that we called it a day around lunch time.
This on shot of another red ACD, shows it in herding action with ducks. Ducks, sheep, and cattle were the classes? offered at this herding trial. I still want to get Kiwi engaged in herding, but I prefer participation to observation, so I'll continue looking for local herding trainers.
One of our highlights while returning back to our dog house was the stop at the Wildernest Outdoor Store. Here Kiwi and I have made some of our outdoor purchases. There is a wonderful lady by the name of Lindsay that help us find the right backpack for Kiwi, the Palisades 2 by RuffWear (size small for Kiwi, who is at about 33 lbs, with plenty of room for any future growth). With Whidbey Island behind us, we cruised home and prepared for a full day on Sunday.We had a guest along with us on this day trip, so it was decided to get in several nice "view" hikes/places during our hikes. Kiwi was up and ready, when are ACD's not?, and supervised us loading the backpacks into the Ferrari (silver, as can be seen in previous pics). Mount Ellinor was the first stop and for the first time, Kiwi lead us up the summer trail. Roughly the second half of the climb was out of the treeline and the warm, weekend sun certainly made its presence felt.
Here is a good upward climb at a decent grade. When clicked on, you can see other hikers on the trail. Notice how blue the sky is.
I threw this picture in for viewing because of the oh so contrasting white snow at the bottom. I was confident that there would be no snow after the warm weeks in July but there were a couple places that we had to make our way across. Man, did I regret not bringing the sun glasses. Had to squint so much and concentrate so hard at just my feet, that I think I missed bigfoot when he ambled by. Or that could have been Kiwi barking a "I told you so".
And another view of the steep grade pictured above, but from another angle. Showing the "stairs" that helped the two-legged climbers.
Kiwi using her brains to cool off at every opportunity.
A quick snapshot of some mountain goat fleece and one of the little rocky peak residents. Some type of striped squirrel.
A couple of shots looking east at Lake Cushman and the Puget Sound. Notice the skyline? Much more haze than in June. We need a good rain and some strong wind to clear things up a bit. Could hardly make out Mount Rainier.
So we started back down. Slowly, carefully, and making good use of our water suppy. The steepness of this hike, caused me to look on with more appreciation of the hikers who were using trekking poles. I think that trekking poles should be considered if one is attempting a level 3 or higher hike (1-5 scale). Even though we took our time, it was still hot. For the first time ever on a hike, Kiwi would actaully lie down and wait for me to catch up. And that lying down took advantage of any shade that was available. I offered her water frequently, but I was still concerned. Once we made the treeline, the shade was most appreciated. Felt like a 10 degree drop.
After leaving Mount Ellinor and driving along Lake Cushman road, we stopped for lunch at Hoodsport. I snuck Kiwi inside the small, corner restuarant and kept her beneath our table while I supplied her with cold water and ice. She was fine and luckily she didn't get asked to leave until our meal was finished. Whew.
Then it was north on Highway 101 up to the Duckabush recreation area. There is a short, easy, cool 1.6 roundtrip hike to Merhut Falls. There are two main falls that combine, real close to one another for a 115 foot drop.
Just look at the color. Doesn't that look cool and inviting? Getting late, goota go walk the furmeister. Add more later.And here we are again. Oh yes, Merhut Falls. Our companion on this trip comes from a dry, arid climate. They were really impressed with the falls. It was very nice, cool and enjoyable to crawl down and around the falls. Very moist, but oh so refreshingly welcomed after the early morning hike. Kiwi was certainly up and perky during this time.
From the picture above, which was taken about 60 feet away, we explored both the upper and lower falls first hand and with all four paws. Kiwi was brave enough after some coaxing to walk out on the horizontal log at the lower fall. She probably wouldn't have done so if I hadn't got out there first. It was only 3-4 feet deep so no worries.
Here is the closest shot of the princess I could get while messing around at the upper fall. I tried to put her on a slippery rock for an elevated angle type thing, but she would have none of it at all. Too smart. ;-)We enjoyed a good 30 minutes spelunkering around the falls and relaxing in the cool mist.
On the way back to highway 101, we stopped to walk around in the Dosewallips river. Well that lasted about 45 seconds for us humans. Cold, very cold, but refreshing none the less. Kiwi couldn't get enough. As you can see here, she might be giving us a hint at more detailed aquatic exploration techniques.
The final leg of our day took us to Mount Walker. We were plenty tired so we drove to the peak and took advantage of the designated lookouts. Late in the day, so not a good shot, but this is the peanut-butter loving, hiking buddy with Seattle and the Puget Sound behind her.
No comments:
Post a Comment