Boise Trail Dog Blog

passing along a message-

2010-10-07T21:46:00.000-06:00

Trail Rangers are seeing a trend toward more bags left along the trails - we were asked to pass this along:
Just finished a short hike and counted 5 bags of dog poop along the route, that had clearly been left there overnight. We are getting comments from trail users lately that are dismayed at the number of bags left along the trails. Please help us pass along the word - it is the dog owners responsibility to not only bag their pet's poop, but to take it to a trash can.

i've noticed that same- along with an increase in general poop. the thing is that we're probably preaching to the choir here, but anything that can be done to spread the word would be appreciated-

because every dog deserves a happy and healthy life

2010-09-15T21:55:00.001-06:00

from life with dogs

How often have you had a chance to have a 20 pound bag of dog food donated to a shelter simply for writing a blog post? It’s really that easy. Pedigree has upped the ante big time. And please spread this message: The food drive is not limited to pet blogs. Here is the full scoop:

• Each year, more than 4 million dogs end up in shelters and breed rescue organizations. Pedigree created The PEDIGREE Adoption Drive to help shine a spotlight on the plight of these homeless dogs.

• This year the PEDIGREE Adoption Drive is raising awareness for homeless dogs by donating a bowl of food to shelter dogs for everyone who becomes a “Fan” or “Likes” The PEDIGREE Adoption Drive on Facebook. So far more than 1 million bowls have been donated.

• Special for BlogPaws West: For each blog that posts about the PEDIGREE® Adoption Drive through September 19th, PEDIGREE® will donate a bag of their new Healthy Longevity Food for Dogs to shelters nationwide. It’s simple: Write a post, help a dog.

•Thursday, September 16 through Sunday, September 19, the Pedigree BlogPaws bloggers will host a Blog Hop, to help raise awareness for the “Write a post, help a dog” effort.

It is so easy to make a big difference. Please set aside a few moments to write a post. Include the bullet points above. Because this is not limited to pet bloggers, there is tremendous potential. Go to Life With Dogs on Thursday to leave a link to your post.

summer lovin

2010-08-17T22:02:00.000-06:00

as in the trails could use some! i've heard from other dog owners that (as usual this time of year) the military reserve trails could use some tlc- around the dog park and elsewhere. red fox isn't looking too good either ( i haven't has time for a clean up there recently), so i can only imagine that the other areas are showing the usual busy summer time nastiness.

thanks to everyone who volunteers time to clean up opp, and if anyone has a chance to do some extra pick up it would be greatly appreciated-

gorgeous morning!

2010-07-17T09:23:00.000-06:00

wow! over a month!

2010-07-17T06:01:00.000-06:00

been out, people have been very pleasant & the weather's been good, so not much to report. i did want to share this, because the trails that are created with money from this event benefit all of us:

The Boise Tour de Fat is back this year on Saturday, August 21 at Ann Morrison Park. The event is one of my favorites because of the unusual entertainment/ theme and good cold beer which in turn brings in a unique crowd. The event includes a themed bike parade through downtown Boise before the kegs are tapped in the park. The purpose of this event is to raise money for trails and outdoor opportunities for mountain bikers, hikers, walkers and runners in the Boise area.

The SW Idaho Mountain Bike Association (SWIMBA) event does not run itself, so we need volunteers to sell beer tokens and wrist bands. Shifts start at 9:00 am and run 3 hours each until 6:00 pm. Each volunteer gets a cool t-shirt and 2 beer tokens, to compliment their personal contribution to the community by helping put on this great bike festival for Boise. If you would like to volunteer please contact: Margie Rosenberg, the event coordinator and president of SWIMBA at mag83701@yahoo. com

the money raised biulds trails for all users and greatly supplements what ridge to rivers would be able to do on its own. plus, it's a great time!

how lucky we are!

2010-06-30T21:59:00.001-06:00

the ridge to rivers trails are such an wonderful resource.

it is truly amazing to be able to start every day with a walk from my house on trails that have such a variety of birds, vegetation & wildlife so close to an urban area.

although i use trails more recreationally than socially (ie. i try to be out when it isn't crowded) i have been lucky enough to meet some great people because of the system.

add to that the fact that so much of the system allows off leash dogs and we have a unique situation that sometimes gets taken for granted. this is a reminder to myself not to do that.

saw bodhi & his mom this morning & had a great time rubbing mr. wiggle butt's belly & catching up with ilene. halle was disappointed bod didn't want to play, but he's all about the people....

the flower book says sagebrush mariposa tulips (as far as i can tell). sego lily shaped, different coloring.

echo did the look out thing as we came down chickadee but i couldn't figure out what he had. i should know by now to trust him that there's something there, though. bottom of the hill was a muley. so proud of the dogs for sitting & staying while i took the photo. the white stuff is hemlock, noxious weed.

yesterday there was a wedding (white dress, jackets & all- it was great!) on top of camel's back. this mroning there was a fiddler (also great!)

happy trails!

bullfrogs!

2010-06-21T22:40:00.000-06:00

gorgeous morning- first time i've heard the bullfrogs this year. lots of orioles and a quail sitting right by the trail who didnt move as we walked by.

fleabane added to the wildflower procession

great walk. strange conversation with 2 women with 3 dogs who asked me if we were on an on leash trail when they saw me leash up & get off to the side. they were gathering dogs when they asked, but when i said no they quit doing that. so i asked them not to let their dogs run up, explainin that mine play rough & will take people out at the knees running around. and i am not going to try to hold onto them if someone is not going to control their dog. one woman said something about not knowing why people didn't want the dogs to meet. you know what, it doesn't matter why. if someone asks, keep your dog away. it's pretty easy.

why, oh why do i never remeber to say "it's off leash under control, so if someone asks for a dog not to approach them, the dog should be controlled"?

regardless, the women were nice enough, no harm, i just wish i could find a better way to articulate.

in chicago now, be fun to see what's new when we get back out on friday. happy trails!

slacker

2010-06-17T21:49:00.000-06:00

i've been a big slacker on posting, but not on getting out. it's bizarrely green for this time of year due to all of the wet (tho the cheat is turning regardless)

there have been a few sunny days

wildflowers are putting on a show

people have been great- smiling, pleasant, either restraining their dogs when they see mine leashed or sitting or not asking questions is i ask them to keep their dogs close. have seem more off leash dogs in the on leash trails, but it seems to happen this time every year.

happy trails!

catching up

2010-06-11T17:14:00.000-06:00

what a gorgeous morning! we've been out & it has been very nice, between those times we couldn't get out b/c it was too wet or there was traveling.

the trails could be cleaner, but the users have been great lately. people keep their dogs with them without argument or question and are nice about it. i overheard a woman today telling her friend as she grabbed her dog's collar that she did that b/c she wasn't always sure how her dogs would react. i thanked her.

it's not an uncommon situation- one i have with echo- but so easy to deal with if your dog is well trained enough to come when called & stay with you, and other dog owners respecvt that & keep their dogs with them. doesn't have to be a big deal, we all get off leash time, it's all good.

anyway- here's hoping for things staying dry & a great weekend- happy trails!

oh what a beautiful morning!

2010-05-25T22:01:00.000-06:00

it was frosty yesterday.....

but gorgeous this morning

i caught part of the oriole! (not the best part, but proof he's around!)

trails getting busier in the mornings again, but everyone is really nice & polite. seeing more off leash dogs in the on leash area again. it seems to cycle.

Hammer Flats

2010-05-22T07:43:00.000-06:00

I wanted to share the information below on the situation with hang gliders and Hammer Flats. Hang gliders had been using the Crow Gliding area with land owner permission for 35 years and were locked out when the city purchased the land with levy money. At this point, everyone is locked out of the area, and the city is talking about turning management over to Fish & Game, who in turn said "if people are thinking in terms of additional recreational activities, they're probably going to be disappointed." More information below.

Our money purchased this land. Although I don't necessarily think that we need miles of trails or off leash access in every part of the foothills I strongly believe that purchasing land with public funds and taking away access, particularly for an activity that's being going on for 35 years without apparent detrimental effects, is very wrong. Especially when decisions are being made artbitrarily behind closed doors without public input.

Please get involved as you see fit.

Marianne

Are we being hammered at Hammer Flats?

Back in 2001 Boise voters passed a $10 million dollar open space serial levy to do five specific things. By statute, serial levies must do that which they say they will do. When we voted, our ballots stated that "approved levy funds will: Protect water quality; Preserve wildlife habitat; Provide increased recreational areas for walking, biking, and other outdoor activities; Limit overdevelopment and traffic; and Protect natural vegetation that prevents mudflows and washouts."

This spring, Boise spent the last $4 million dollars of our trust fund buying the 700 acre Hammer Flats property including the Crow Gliding Area just above the Crow Inn. Immediately and without any public meetings or input, the City announced that Hammer Flats would be managed by IDFG (Idaho Department of Fish and Game.) One IDFG manager was then quoted saying this about Hammer Flats "if people are thinking in terms of additional recreational opportunities, they're probably going to be disappointed." Some reports stated that no new trails and roads would be built. Other reports indicated that even existing roads and trails could be closed. One thing is for certain, our expectations and our open space is being spun by Boise City and the IDFG.

The Fish and Game mission statement reads "All wildlife.. shall be preserved, protected, perpetuated, and managed. for. continued supplies of such wildlife for hunting, fishing and trapping." In other words, IDFG grows fish and animals so that they can be harvested. Nothing is said about managing people and outdoor activities.

What we don't know; Why are Boise hikers, runners, bicyclists, hang gliders, climbers, equestrians, dog owners, and other outdoor enthusiasts are being ignored by the City in favor of IDFG and their mission statement to grow and harvest animals? Why is Hammer Flats not being integrated into the Boise Park and Recreation system where its many uses including winter habitat can be balanced? Just who in Boise City is making the decisions to ignore the citizens, and the letter and intent of the serial levy?

What we know: The final half of our Boise open space trust fund is now being earmarked to benefit the IDFG. Private meetings are now being held between IDFG and Boise City. Outdoor user groups have not been contacted by Boise City, including those who have expressed a desire to utilize the open space at Hammer Flats. No public meetings have occurred. The first time "we the people" will have an opportunity to comment "on the deal" will be when the City Council votes on the matter after IDFG and Boise City finish their private meetings. IDFG has already locked the gates to our land and has posted their signs prior to any agreement. IDFG will use No Trespassing Laws to enforce "their" lands.

John Kangas,
Lifetime Boise Resident and Spokesperson - Idaho Hang Gliding Association

Crow Gliding Area Update for May 21st,2010

Our team has been very busy this week. Today we sent Public Record Requests to both the City of Boise and Idaho Fish and Game regarding their closed door meetings. They should receive the requests on Monday, and under State law they will have 3 days to respond.

Also today, we had most of our story published online at the Boise Weekly.

Last week, we had an article published in the Idaho Statesman, both in print and online. The day the Statesman article came out the paper ran an online poll. With 650 responses in just one day, twice as many readers felt that the property should remain open for recreation compared to those who felt the property should be locked up for deer only.

All outdoor groups in Boise need to be made aware of these articles. We need to expand everyone's understanding of this emerging situation. Keep the letters and phone calls going in to our elected representatives. They work for us and not the other way around.

Thanks,

Blaine, Lisa, Patrick, Aaron, and John.

wow! been a long time!

2010-05-19T21:35:00.000-06:00

one thing that dog owners should be aware of is the situation with hang gliders and the newly purchased hammer flats area. hang gliders have been using the property for 35 years through an agreement with previous land owners and are now locked out as the city determines the future use of the area. read about it here .

most of the people i know did not vote for the serial levy to purchase land and have historical uses taken away. do i think that there should be a million miles of trails added? no. have the hang gliders co existed with wildlife in the area for the past 35 years? it seems that they have.

most disturbing is that this seems to follow the same pattern as the off leash dog issue of arbitrarily making a decision without having any discussion with the affected user group to look for solutions.

please get educated & get involved if it seems appropriate. the hang gliders are asking people to write to the mayor and council.

we have been out on the trails, just been busy...... in the meatime, the grass has gotten high

the arrowleaf balsamroot is still blooming

as are new additions.

i saw my first oriole of the season the other day, but he wouldn't give me a good photo opp, will have to keep trying.

i'm afraid i've missed the lupine on corrals, but will try to get up there with a camera soon just in case....

meantime, happy trails-

hull's gulch interpretive trail

2010-05-01T22:40:00.000-06:00

nice hike this morning on the interpretive trail. i don't usually hike that one for several reasons- i've heard it can be snaky, there are boatloads of poison ivy by the creek, it's narrow & windy & i seem to run into a high pecentage of "dogs must run free" people on it. but since it was 8 am and kinda icky out i decided it would be worth a try.

the owls were out on the way up. of course i didn't have the big camera, but i did the best i could.

currant

desert parsley

larkspur

prairie star

red twig dogwood

halle & echo had a great romp. i had to talk myself into getting out this morning, but i was so glad that i had once i was out- listening to the meadowlarks & the running water and watching the dogs sniff and run and totally be in the moment engaged with their environment always does its magic.

happy trails!

it's beautiful out there!

2010-04-26T22:29:00.000-06:00

i've been getting out in the mornings and loving it, just too busy to post. it's been just beautiful.....

reports of a rattlesnake sighting on upper hull's already, and of a bad tick year, so be prepared-

happy trails!

heads up!

2010-04-25T22:01:00.000-06:00

this was posted on the idaho outdoors group site

FYI…..

Looks like the weather is warm enough for the rattlesnakes to show themselves after a cold winter. This is the earliest we've seen rattlesnakes in the Boise area.

My hiking partner and I came across a 2 1/2 - 3 foot rattlesnake this afternoon.

It was about 50 feet up the trail from the second bridge above the junction of trail 0 and trail 29 in very fine sandy soil along the trees.

For those familiar with the trail, the first bridge above the 0/29 junction has the Coyote picture sign with a poem. The second bridge, on your way to the loop, has a sharp right hand turn after crossing over the water.

lots of changes in a week!

2010-04-22T20:42:00.000-06:00

beautiful morning on the trails- so glad to be able to get out before work again!

things are springing, grass is greening......

soon the bitterbrush will be filling the air with its wonderful scent

happy trails!

so good to be out

2010-04-16T23:25:00.000-06:00

not the sunniest, but gorgeous nonetheless! so nice to be out early again!

next up will be the bitterbrush, which is one of my favorite scents- right up there with sage after a rain

arrowleaf balsamroot starting to bloom- so scent that i know of, but they're beautiful!

the sheep are out between kestrel & red cliffs- be careful. the great pyrenees' job is to protect their flock, and they'll take on dogs, bikes, whatever is a threat in their minds. our trails cross blm & private ground and we need to be mindful of the other uses.

happy trails!

Dog owners wear out welcome at Roosevelt School

2010-04-11T07:16:00.000-06:00

the following was sent by a Boise Trail DOG member who has been actively involved in promoting responsible dog ownership, and appropriate off leash use:

For decades neighbors of Roosevelt School in Boise’s East End have enjoyed a local spot to play Frisbee or a brief game of fetch with their dogs. During much of this time, light use and vigilance minimized conflicts. In the past year however, a large increase in the number of dogs with careless owners and one too many students stepping in poop resulted in a formal dog ban.

Last fall students and teachers tried some creative strategies to encourage responsible use. They put handmade signs up around the school asking dog owners to pick up after their pets, and even hung bag dispensers made out of recycled soda bottles on the fence in several places. Apparently, too many owners ignored this ‘second chance’ at redemption. A family living nearby continued to allow their dog to run loose without any supervision, and another owner simply refused to pick up after her dog when confronted by parents and neighbors. No doubt other individuals added to the problem.

Poop incidents were sometimes a daily occurrence, with students, teachers, parents and building custodians having their days ruined as a result of irresponsible dog owners. Over the past year, a group of around a dozen or more owners had begun gathering at the schoolyard every night to socialize with other neighbors and let their dogs play, treating the location as a de facto off-leash park. Some neighbors began to avoid the overcrowded yard, and many wondered how long it would take for some sort of official action.

Dogs with responsible owners are tolerated in many urban areas despite local ordinances against off-leash activity in neighborhoods, school grounds, and parks. The key seems to be exercising restraint (along with pets) and a zero tolerance for clueless behavior. Principals and teachers have a responsibility to protect the health and safety of students. They must also respond to parent complaints and concerns. Schoolyards are not dog parks; they never have been and never will be.

The irony here is that the Military Reserve OLA and controlled off-leash trails are a few blocks away. Clearly, closing the school playground will not have any impact on poop around the school grounds. That problem will no doubt worsen over time. Without video surveillance or frequent police patrols, clueless owners will still allow their dogs to deposit stinky land mines in the path of students. This is a sad lesson to dog owners: bad behavior of even a handful of dog owners tarnishes the image of all of us.

Don’t take your local neighborhood resources for granted; proactive self-policing and cooperative strategies are key to maintaining good neighborhood relationships. It’s important to do the right thing, especially when you think no one is looking. Don’t wait until it’s too late for your neighborhood.

busy busy

2010-04-07T23:06:00.000-06:00

it's been crazy, but i have been making sure to get out, not matter how much there is to do, and it makes such a big mental health difference.

the weather has been beautiful, the birds are back in force- lots of redwinged blackbirds, meadowlarks, the red tail hawks- and kinghfishers. i just love these guys! they fly off whenever i get in decent range with the small camera, but this shot isn't too bad.

i think i'll take the big camera to trail awareness days on satruday & make a loop with it after the event. be the best bet i'll have for getting out without the dogs & with a real camera.

happy trails! hope you're all enjoying the beautiful weather!

snowy day

2010-04-03T21:10:00.000-06:00

springing!

2010-03-31T21:35:00.000-06:00

things are staring to bloom- a few phlox

not sure what this is- i can never find it in my wildflower books, but it looks like some sort of legume-

i think this is desert parsley, but not positive-

arrowleaf balsamroot showing the first bit of color on the south slopes

and the beautiful dramatic spring skies, snow on the owyhees

today's wildlife: a kingfisher (they're so cool!), red tailed hawk, red winged black birds, meadowlarks & stoned (pretty sure) high school boys.....

everyone on the trails was pleasant & polite & following rules. we dodged off leash dogs all the way home, tho-

happy trails!

letter to R2R

2010-03-29T21:59:00.000-06:00

r2r received this email today and asked that i pass it on:

I wish to advise you about the Highland Valley Trail #11. We were on it this weekend and there is so much dog crap alongside the trail on the ground, plus green bags thrown down into the ravine, we were shocked. We counted more than 10 bags thrown over the side and waste all along for a mile up past the Cobb Trail connection. Never have we seen that much thrown to the ground and bags just disregarded without concern. This is truly a big problem in Boise.

Could you please forward this to who it should get to?

I would like to recommend a trash receptacle at this trailhead as there is none at all. And PLEASE a sign that says pickup after your dog! There is none down here in SE Boise and we get our share for sure!

Thanks

i was also asked to mention that people need to be aware of where the off leash trails are. "on leash trail" signs have been disappearing, but trail designations haven't changed. R2R is replacing signs as quickly as they can, but in the meantime please continue to follow the rules.

thanks! and happy trails-

Trail Designations Haven't Changed-

2010-03-29T10:07:00.002-06:00

heads up to know where the on leash trails are. signs have been going missing, but the trail designations have not changed. ridge to rivers is replacing signs in as timely a manner as they can, please don't assume that because a sign is missing trail designation has changed.

gorgeous morning!

2010-03-27T11:28:00.000-06:00

beautiful blue sky day

remains of the winter's rose hips against the blue sky

currants blooming in hull's gulch earlier this week

the lupine starting to emerge along corrals- they are yellow and put on an incredible show every may

and still a touch of snow higher up and also visible looking across the valley to the owyhees

we started out all alone, meadowlarks singing all around, beautiful blue sky & solitude. ran into several groups coming out, all polite, friendly, dogs in control. great start to the day!

happy trails!

Poop Scoop

2010-03-22T06:49:00.000-06:00

Hope you're enjoying this beautiful spring weather!

We're gearing up to start the season with a spring cleaning- the first poop scoop will be held in conjunction with the first Trail Awareness Days on Saturday, April 10. We'll be at the Grove parking lot (the one on the left off 8th street where you cross the road to go to Owl's Roost, go uphill for Chickadee or head back toward the pond) from 8-11.

Looking for volunteers to a) help at the table, handing out trail sharing literature, bags, dog treats & clif bars and b) tackle sections of trail.

I know a lot of you are training for Robie, but any help would be greatly appreciated.

We've been asked to spread the word that no one picks up after others on the trail. There have been a proliferating number of green bags abandoned along trails and the only explanation seems to be that people think there's a clean up crew.

Please spread the word-

Thanks!

Marianne

tumblin' tumbleweeds

2010-03-19T22:21:00.000-06:00

also known (more properly) as russian thistle

spring is starting to show- buttercups-

need to get the flower book out- not sure what these are, but they seem to bloom a long time. maybe they're annuals that reseed easily- that would explain a long bloom time. or maybe i just see them at different elevations throughout the summer....

teeny tiny white flowers. i wonder if early flowers are so small to better withstand the wide variance in weather they're likely to encounter?

love when it's warm and sunny and the snow is visible higher up

lots of folks out enjoying the day- this is around 2 pm. lots of bikers- all of whom were pleasant & thanked me for getting the dogs off the trail out of their way.

all dog owners encountered were pleasant & polite too- the sunshine spring weather is infectious!

have a great weekend!

another beautiful day!

2010-03-15T18:51:00.000-06:00

what a gorgeous day! blue sunny skies, warm, lots of people out.

i'd like to share part of an email that r2r sent my way this morning:

I am concerned about the disrespect the off-leash dog owners have on the bike trails. A minimum of 3 dogs per day run in front of my bike nearly causing a wreck, and I have to come to screeching halt more often than not. There are many considerate dog owners who hold their dogs when a bike rides by, but lately there are too many dogs running free while the dog owner pays no attention. Sometimes the owners .... complain because they have to retrieve their dog from the path (after I have stopped). Not only are the dog owners inconsiderate, but I have seen too much dog poop and green bags left on the trails.

i, too, have seen more bags left by the side of the trail and others have noticed the same trend. do people really not know that there's no on who picks up after them?

this was left on the out.....

and this on the back...

condensation in the bags, they did appear to have been there for a while.

i've also heard of 2 other incidents in the past few weeks where dog owners got belligerent when asked to leash or control their dogs. which is a perfectly legitimate request especially when the dog a) is jumping up on someone & not coming when called (in one case) or b) the person making the request is on a bike and not confident (perhaps due to past experience) that a dog won't suddenly decide to run in front of their bike.

this seems to happen every spring when the weather gets nice & the trails get busier.

we had a really nice walk today, most other dog owners were really polite & a bike rider thanked me for getting the dogs out of the way. not saying it's all horrible, just that we can use a little help getting things in shape again.

happy trails!

beautiful day!

2010-03-14T21:29:00.000-06:00

we headed up 8th street because we knew everything would be muddy & the street seemed the best place to be.

still some snow for the pups to play in, lots of mud

and spring flowers starting to show up.

it was so quiet and peaceful and beautiful- great start to the day!

green!

2010-03-12T23:25:00.000-07:00

new growth on the bitter- and sagebrush

i think this is arrowleaf balsam root starting to poke its head up

and a flower!

birds singing again, almost time to start getting out before work- which is way better for me. starts the day off right & i don't feel like i should have the blackberry with be b/c it's during the work day (never mind that i'll have started early to justify time on the trail, or that we do all get a lunch hour, it's just how i am).

have a great weekend- happy trails!

Request for Dog Owner Input

2010-03-07T12:48:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone. Hope you're all enjoying this beautiful weather! I received the request below from Dave Beck, President of the Idaho Velodrome which runs the cycling park in Eagle.

I'm the president of the Cycling Park in Eagle and at our board meeting yesterday, we all agreed that we would like to be more proactive with dog walkers at that park and see if we can develop some infrastructure such as an off dog leash areas similar to Fort Boise's.

We are looking to add someone from the Dog Walking community to our Board of Directors. This would be a point person for the dog community and help insure that any future improvements and activities at the park addressed concerns in that area. Also, if there are specific improvements or activities the dog community would like to see at the facility we can work towards accomplishing those goals.

Dave Beck

President, IVCPA

If you are interested or if you have any questions, please contact Dave at merlinxlm@cableone.net

ahhhhh mental health!

2010-03-06T11:25:00.000-07:00

what a gorgeous morning! we headed to miller gulch trailhead to hike corrals. no one else in the parking lot at 8:45 when we got there.

this trail usually gets quite rutted & nasty from winter use when things are wet, but like many other trails in the system it's not bad this year.

it's been a long time since we've had a nice long saturday walk in the sun with the birds singing and boy, i needed it (the dogs seemed to appreciate it as well). nothing like a good bit of exercise, fresh air and sun!

and signs of spring- some buttercups are sticking their cheery yellow blooms up here & there.

happy trails! have a great weekend!

another gorgeous day!

2010-03-03T21:07:00.002-07:00

beautiful blue sky day

2010-03-02T18:12:00.000-07:00

gorgeous warm sun. lots of people out, most very happy & polite.

one woman in her own private idaho, cell phone plastered to her ear, loose dog without even a collar, little boy of about 5 who was evidently supposed to be watching the dog. at least she yelled at the boy (who maybe weighed as much as the dog) to get the dog when she saw myself & another woman with our leashed dogs in the on leash area.

yep, worked about like you'd expect. the other gal's dog didn't appreciate being approached by the loose one, so they had a bit of a rodeo while the poor little kid was trying to corral his animal. then she came trotting toward us, so i let halle go, put echo in a sit stay and helped the kid contain the dog. cell phone mama came up, slipped a black leather belt over dog's head like a leash and collar combo & went walking off still talking her phone.

the little boy thanked me for helping, though.

not a very nice spot to put a little kid in.

the other dog owner & i had a nice chat, and the rest ofthe walk was lovely. i was really just sort of amazed by the whole thing.

anyway- happy trails-

what a day!

2010-03-01T18:35:00.000-07:00

what a gorgeous sunny day! welcome to march! when i finally got out, a bit after 1, there were lots of folks out enjoying the day. everyone polite, happy & following the rules.

the week's off to a great start- happy trails!

sun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-02-22T17:50:00.000-07:00

gorgeous!

A week ago, poop piles were tagged with sprinkler flags, as they have been for the past 3 years. R2R also puts up signs noting the number of piles not picked up as an educational tool. Today the flags and signs (along with a nearby "stay off muddy trails" sign) were pulled out and in the trash.

It looked like poop had been picked up too, which is good, but really, what's the point behind throwing away the signs? be more effective to leave less poop. reminds me of people stealing/vandalizing the leashes when we had them there. i don't get it.

oh well- happy trails- here's to sunny weather!

blue sky! at least for a little while

2010-02-19T17:02:00.000-07:00

why flagging happens in february

2010-02-16T20:06:00.000-07:00

i've had a few comments about how people can't get out & clean up the trails when they're muddy, so why is this the time of year that poop is flagged? here's the explanation:

"In regards to the flagging, it was started 2 years ago when we had the dog working group meeting during Jan, Feb and Mar. Jim suggested using flags to see how big the problem was at different trailheads and to provide a visual to the general public and media about the extent of the problem. Since we had that data, we figured we might as well revisit it annually so as to see if there is any ebb and flow. As you may remember last year it was way better at the lower hulls trailhead, about the same at Table Rock and worse at Corrals compared to the previous year."

of course, last year it was cold enough that the trails were frozen & usable in the mornings. we'll see how the count looks this year. i have to say that i think things have been worse on the trails i use since this fall. i hope that i'm proved wrong.

again, thanks to everyone who helps out on a regular basis- i know that there are lots of you out there.

up 8th street

2010-02-13T23:34:00.000-07:00

we went up 8th street today on the theory that there's not much that can be done to trash the road. which is true- it's pretty far gone anyway. the lower gate is now closed.

this is how the road looks above the second gate. bit of a run off problem.

it was a beautiful walk- very calm & peaceful and like walking through clouds, everything muted.

got some clean up done too- this from the parking lot by the interpretive trail.

this from the upper hull's gulch parking lot.

of course, dog owners aren't the only ones to leave behind souvenirs.

remembering to be thankful

2010-02-10T18:17:00.000-07:00

today was a challenge from the get go. one of those days where every task took 4 times longer than it should and there wasn't going to be enough time in the first place. started work early and finally realized i had to get out & clear my head.

after my b-a-d dogs pulled me down trying to say hi to a golden who was walking by (operator error, i took my attention off of them for just a minute) i decided that today was probably not going to be the day to brave the gauntlet of 4 labs (3 black, 1 yellow) and a few assorted other dogs and their owners having a party smack in the middle of red fox. echo can tell when i'm grumpy and tense and it makes him edgy too. go figure.

so instead we went backwards through the scary woods. and lo and behold, it was quiet and peaceful and there were birds chirping and the magic combination of exercise, fresh air and nature began to work its magic.

the trails look better than they have for some time- much less opp, which greatly improved my mood.

as did the red tailed hawk soaring in circles overhead.

happy trails

what a beautiful day!

2010-02-08T21:28:00.000-07:00

new growth!

fly away

2010-02-04T06:33:00.000-07:00

so tired of this wet gray stuff! we got out later in the afternoon yesterday, and although it was too wet to be using chickadee we saw plenty of people doing it anyway. and plenty of opp laying around. i have been on move quick and get back to work excursions lately, and haven't had time to clean up after the slobs, but need to do so soon.

on our way out on the on leash trail, saw a woman sitting on the ground & a loose dog. stopped. when she looked at us i asked to not to let her dog run up. she replied that she had just sprained her ankle and i said i'm sorry and stood there. she corralled her dog.

a group of runners came in with their dog off leash & she told them that i wanted their dog leashed. what i wanted was for loose dogs not to run up to my leashed dogs, but that worked. as i walked by, i asked the woman if i could call anyone for her.

she asked "what do you do with your dogs on the off leash trail?" when i explained that we were on the on leash section, i was following the rules, loose dogs and leashed dogs don't mix she allowed as to how that made sense.

here's the thing, though- the trails are off leash under control. that means that owners supposedly can control their dogs and keep them from running up to other dogs or people. so it really shouldn't be an issue.

i've had people whose rude dogs have charged us be apalled when my dogs back them off, so i find it better to just stay as far away from other dogs and dog owners as possible unless it's someone i know.

i think i need some sun.

latest trail conditions report

2010-01-30T08:19:00.000-07:00

Latest (Jan 28) general conditions report from R2R: "We are beginning a short period of cold mornings and warmer afternoons. With a mild freeze overnight, most trails should be good to ride or hike on this morning. Look for them to soften by late morning however so at that point you should confine your use to only the sandier trails. Remember - If you are leaving tracks, it will be time to turn back."

For detailed reports please go to one of the following:

ridgetorivers.org

boisetraildog.org

swimba.org

When planning your trail usage this weekend, please remember that trails in the Hulls/Crestline area are generally sandy and well-draining. By contrast, Tablerock trails and most Military Reserve trails are generally clay/sedimentary and are not good choices when not frozen. Happy trails. (Thanks Tom !)

enforcement

2010-01-28T07:31:00.000-07:00

i got a call from a woman yesterday who has had a few bad experiences with the ihs enforcement officers. she called ridge to rivers and the humane society and didn't feel like either one took her complaint seriously.

i am just relating the conversation here. since i wasn't present, i don't have an opinion one way or the other. but she was clearly upset, so i'm going to share what she had to say.

this woman and her husband have used the trails for 30 or so years. they clean up after their dog and pick up opp. she feels that the current signs are confusing and was not aware that the sign that says "on leash trail" means that the trail starts right there, at that spot, rather than being a warning that an on leash trail is coming up. she has discussed this with her friends and most agree with her. (note to readers to dispell any confusion- the on leash portion of the trail starts at the sign).

she and her husband felt ridiculed and talked down to by the officers, she used the term power trip a few times. she said comments like "bet you don't have a leash" and "bet you don't have a bag" were made. the dog owners have been cited 3 times over the past year.

her complaint sounded a lot like the last time i got a speeding ticket. the officer wanted to scold me. i just wanted him to write the ticket and be done with it. i'm old enough to know i made a mistake and to take responsibilty for it. scolding serves no useful purpose. (this, again, from our conversation. i am certain that, as is always the case, there is another side to the story.)

a little history- many dog owners requested increased enforcement of existing rules rather than having additional restrictions put in place when the off leash dogs on trails issue was hot a few years ago. it is our responsibility as dog owners to understand and follow the rules. the role of the officers is one of education as well as enforcement.

i have heard people say that they won't support the humane society any more because they provide the enforcement on trails & in parks. this really bothers me. money sent to the ihs goes to care for the animals there, pure and simple. the officers are contracted by the city as part of animal control. the city pays for the service, not your contribution to the humane society.

i told the woman that i would pass her story along. i asked her to send me an email, which i haven't gotten yet, so i thought i'd go ahead & write it up here.

i'd also like to remind all dog owners that we do need to learn and follow the existing rules. there's no guarantee that things won't change. if parks and ridge to rivers get a lot fo complaints about unruly dogs or a lot of poop we're going to be going right back down the same road we were on a few years ago.

here's hoping that things dry out soon!

monday monday

2010-01-25T17:21:00.000-07:00

gray & sort of soggy.... started work early so we could get out during the day. it's always good to be out on the trails, and we've been missing it lately. headed down red fox which was fine since it's sandy. when we got to chickadee i started up, but noticed halle leaving prints in the soft mud to the side so we turned back around & did the loop across the road & through the grove instead.

took an early lunch, so we didn't run into too many other people. i did see the i.hs van in one of the parking lots, and ran into 3 other folks with dogs & 1 group without. much quieter than first thing in the morning or at noon. lots of birds about- saw a red tailed hawk all fluffed up high in a tree in the grove, lots of chickadees and some mourning doves.

nice, peaceful head clearing walk- good start to the week.

if you know anyone who's looking for a small red dog bootie it's waiting for them on the sign going into the grove from 8th street.

have a great week & happy trails!

beautiful sunday

2010-01-24T16:46:00.000-07:00

i took a different route this morning. usually don't do the lower trails on the weekens, both because i want to go farther and because i want to avoid the crowds. we went out early while things were still frozen & took a longer loop, past the sign that talks about how many people invested a great deal of time to save hull's gulch from development.

this is a reminder to me that we have a responsibility to take care of the space that these folks worked so hard to keep public.

these bags are not on an out & back route. the contents were cold & hard. they are between 2 trash cans- not too far from either. and yeah, i picked them up & tossed them, reinforcing that if you leave a mess someone else will clean it up.

i haven't been on these trails for quite a while, mostly because they are usually pretty busy. i started going up higher on weekends after a series of unpleasant encounters with clueless dog owners- more the norm than an anomoly a few years ago. i was shocked to see how much wider the trails are now than they were a few years ago. this is kestral before the red cliffs cut off.

on top of red cliffs.

the trails were frozen when we were out this morning, but have clearly had lots of traffic when wet.

that's ice in the center of the trail, so you can tell that it will be wet here once things warm up.

when i mentioned my surprise at the width of the trails to my husband he said it was because of increased traffic. he mt bikes & covers more ground than i do. this is the parking lot at 9 a.m. i have to agree with him.

it was a beautiful day, and we had a nice hike.

beautiful blue sky day

2010-01-21T20:50:00.000-07:00

another beautiful day, so glad to be out in it!

happy trails!

back! pretty dry!

2010-01-20T19:00:00.000-07:00

the dogs & i were so glad to be back on the trails today- and what a beautiful morning it was! you can seet that things have dried out.

beautiful blue skies and snow on the mountains. i opted not to look down and to just enjoy the walk today. didn't have time for opp duty either, so why stress about it?

this woman was walking out ahead of us. i had to stop and wait while she and her dog who was walking behind her at least 6-8 feet on the flexi got far enough away from us. not knowing how her dog reacts to other dogs or whether mine might think they needed to play and knowing that the owner is paying zero attention to what's going on (tho at least she'd know if there was a poop stop) it seemed easier to hang back. (yeah, i get that it's an old dog, walks slow, etc but i still think that if there's a chance of running into other people the dog should be in sight, not 6 feet behind).

anyway- beautiful morning, 6 with and 1 without.

heading out

2010-01-11T19:00:00.000-07:00

there's money in the travel budget again, and i'm headed out for the rest of the week, so you'll be spared laments about trash & trails & trashed trails. have a great week-

damage and trash

2010-01-11T06:51:00.002-07:00

these photos were taken on table rock this weekend.

in addition to widespread trail damage caused by users getting out when it's too wet, there is a lot of poop along trails & in parking lots. other trash too- we saw a sofa & chair or two dumped by the side of 8th street, some yard waste dumped out just past the road closure.

things do seem to cycle and i know it will get better, but things are pretty discouraging right now.

one step forward..... five steps back?

2010-01-07T17:01:00.005-07:00

i am generally a positive person, looking on the bright side, wanting to see the best. the sun was out today, so i had high hopes for a nice walk today. the dogs were sure glad to be out (but then, they always are, unless it's a trip to the back yard in the rain).

things on red fox were pretty much dried out, a big (and pleasant) change from yesterday's slop.

but then i started running into clueless dog owners. the woman who had a leashed border collie & an unleashed small dog. i leashed up & sat the dogs. asked if her loose dog would come up to us. she said probably. ok- i leashed my dogs because your dog is leashed, leashed and loose dogs don't mix, and now you're going to let your loose dog run up to us? help me out here.

of course the puppy wouldn't come when she called it. of course echo grumped when they all came up to us. she said she couldn't let the border collie off leash because he runs away. but what she needed to do was have the puppy under control, not have the other dog off leash.

oscar the schnauzer running ahead of his person on the trail. i went the other way, leashed up, sat the dogs because it didn't look very controlled. owner calls oscar, who doesn't respond to her but instead charges toward us barking. i let halle go.

walking out going down the hill in the on leash area a small dog comes racing down the trail barking at us. i sit the dogs. it comes rushing up to us & gets rolled, yips. owners calling it with no luck. i mentioned that it was the on leash part of the trail. they apologized, weren't familiar with the area. said the dog was new to them and they were sorry it had run up to us. do you think it might be a good idea to keep a new dog leashed until you know how it's going to behave?

this is the first time in a long time that i've had stuff like this happen, but on top of all of the poop i'm seeing and the seeming disregard for trail damage it's a bit discouraging.

but just to prove that it isn't just on the trails, i took this on the way home.

and just to remind myself that it ain't all gloom and doom, it was just a bad week for this sort of thing and there is way more positive than negative here are the shots of the lovely (which was most of it) part of the walk.

happy trails!

messy

2010-01-06T21:57:00.000-07:00

when the alleys look like this, it's a safe bet that the trails are wet and sloppy.

i decided to check out red fox, since it (and red winged blackbird) is sandy. it may be sandy, but it's still sloppy and choppy. this is the section coming up from around the pond. it will regain its shape much quicker than a muddy trail, but until things dry out some when this freezes it is going to be really bumpy and difficult to run or ride on.

you can see that i wasn't picking up mud on this part of the trail. i did, however, have to go through some puddles and my feet got wet. stepping off trail to avoid water, mud or ice causes widening. if you're not willing to go through, turn around. i watched this happen several times today.

we did not go up chickadee as it was thawed and muddy. you can see that this doesn't deter everyone. i saw a guy & his dog coming down as we were going out. better yet, he had a tennis ball thrower.

as nasty as it was, we saw 3 other folks/groups with dogs and 3 without.

also, judging from the amount of opp i picked up in the same section of the trail i cleaned up 2 days ago lots of people are out on the trails.

here's hoping it gets cold & snowy again.

loving it to death

2010-01-04T17:36:00.000-07:00

most of us use the foothills trails because we find something special there. the ability to access nature this close to town is a wonderful thing. many of us keep our bodies (and minds) healthy by getting out there regularly and get cranky if we miss our daily hike, bike, run.

given how strongly people feel about the trails, it surprises me that it's seemingly so difficult to get the concept of stewardship across. i know that people feel strongly about being able to use the trails when we want the way we want to, but in doing that we may destroy the very things that make this a special place.

this is the trail up around the pond- still icy.

red fox heading up past the pond. note that although it's obvious that there's been lots of traffic the sandy soil is holding up pretty well.

unlike the soil on chickadee. this is frozen, but someone ran on it when it wasn't and put some nice divots in the trail for the rest of us. these trails become ankle breakers. sandy soil will regain a flat aspect when things warm up but mud holds the shape a long time and is very hard to run, ride or hike on.

this is coming down chickadee to meet red fox. you can see how nicely this is going to chop up if people continue to use when it's wet.

here's my shoe from today- you can see that there's a bit of sand, but i'm not picking up mud- the trails were frozen enough to use.

here's the other thing that happens. people start a trail next to the trail because the trail proper is icy, or too wet or too packed down or choppy because it was used when it was wet. over time, the vegetation between the trails is trampled an disappears, widening the trail and the whole process starts over again.

then there's the matter of trash left behind. all of this from the beginning of the off leash area up to the junction with chickadee. not far. dog poop is a health hazard, it smells bad and it is really rude to leave it for other trail users. period. dog owners have a responsibility to pick up after their pets everywhere.

it seems to me that we should care for our trails, want to leave them in good condition for other users and for future generations. nothing stays pristine, there will be some degradation from use, but we can sure do a better job of maintaining what we have.

snow!

2009-12-30T21:05:00.000-07:00

what a gorgeous day! we followed a mom and boy into the reserve, both lugging sleds. she had a plastic tobaggan & he had a saucer sled. i didn't want to take a photo for fear of maybe bothering her, but i was really wondering where she though they were going to sled. on the trails? not too considerate of other users, tho maybe she thought no one would be out.

there were sled tracks going down the trail that leads from where the photo below was taken down to the pond. the same place i found guys building a ski jump last year. makes it nice & packed down & icy for the rest of us.

the dogs & i sure enjoyed the walk. echo's wearing his new ruffwear boots from idaho mountain touring, and they are just dandy! no snowballs between his pads & toes to stop & chew off- or to melt once we get back home.

4 of us with dogs, 3 without- this at around 10:30. and you can see all of the fun being had in camel's back.....

happy trails!

Articles of interest

2009-12-30T11:58:00.000-07:00

we had a fabulous walk this morning & will post photos later, but wanted to share the following articles from this morning's Statesman. The first is about the recent Trails Survey . More information from the survey is available online at www.ridgetorivers.org

The city has purchased 1320 acres around Stack Rock, using funds from the levy & fron an anonymous donor. City Buys Stack Rock. It's great to see this additition to the trail system, and thanks to Julia Grant & the FCAC for their role in making it happen.

Happy Trails! Enjoy the snow-

beautiful day and.....ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-12-28T17:11:00.000-07:00

it was pretty gray this morning- i didn't have high hopes for scenic shots, but the trail came through. red tailed hawk showed up

these deer were hanging on a hill between the trails at the top of camel's back & the houses above red fox. the trails up there are supposed to be on leash, but people do ignore that rule. an especially bad idea this time of year when the deer are low.

ended up going through the scary trees to avoid a "probably pretty passive" (but not coming so well when called) border collie. glad we did, the reflections are always pretty back there

as are my favorite rose hips

and of course my favorite sky/sagebrush/owyhees in the distance vista

the ARGH!!!!! part- not good.

it was also off leash dog fest in camel's back. some guy throwing the frisbee for his dog right toward the trail coming out of the reserve, so that when she went to retrieve it looked to my dogs like she was running right at us. fabulous. he was very nice when i asked him to please not do that, said he didn't see us.

5 of us with dogs on the trails, leashed where necessary and very nice when asked to keep their dogs controlled; 3 without dogs.

happy trails!

merry christmas!

2009-12-26T13:37:00.000-07:00

we were out yesterday and today- both very quiet, beautiful walks. corrals this morning around 8:30-

the trail is, as usual, getting pretty chopped up coming out of the lower (miller gulch) lot. this is mud and the more use it gets when soft now the more unpleasant it will be to hike/run/ride for months to come.

we saw elk tracks both today on corrals & yesterday on 8th street past the road closure. didn't see any elk, but kept a good watch on the dogs.

walked the interpretive trail a bit yesterday as well- heard voices & saw the bikers across on sidewinder. otherwise, no one about.

the interpretive trail is also showing signs of wear where it isn't snow covered. it was still frozen at 10:30 yesterday morning, but be careful if it's warm & things are softening up.

happy trails!

wed the 23

2009-12-23T16:53:00.002-07:00

what a beautiful day! lunchish walk and things were still pretty frozen, tho starting to soften. this is red fox, which is sandy enough to be on most of the time. it does get clumped up if people are on it when it's soft & it refreezes, but the sand does break down & regain shape . mud, on the other hand, stays rutted up for a long time.

problems occurring on sandy trails: users avoid ice/puddles by going off trail, thereby widening it. this is a road, but it doesn't need to be a wider road.

here's how things looked heading up chickadee. mostly frozen, softening on the edges & south/west slopes. still firm enough on top, but if temps warm will need to stay off.

it was gorgeous- bright blue skies, still snow on the ground...... 3 peeps/groups with dogs. we were the only ones observing the on leash area, tho one couple did leash up when they saw us heading down the trail. saw moab off leash in the on leash area, no effort to leash up. he doesn't bother us, so that's no biggy other than it seems that folks are disregarding rules again.

happy holidays, merry christmas, happy trails. please check trail conditions before heading out- reports available at www.ridgetorivers.org , www.swimba.org or by clicking the badge on the left of this blog.

winter wonderland

2009-12-22T19:23:00.002-07:00

i've been a bit grumpy lately, missing my walking meditation. i was so glad to see the snow this morning! we got out as soon as we could, and already there had been plenty of folks before us.

you could see where parts of the trail (chickadee) were going to be too sloppy to be on soon.

it was beautiful and so good to be out. we ran into 4 other folks with dogs & 2 without. one of those rare days where after i asked people to control their dogs & thanked them they ignored me, as though i really put them out. oh well- it was so good to be out it didn't matter. and most folks were very friendly.

happy trails, merry christmas, happy holidays, season's greetings, alla that. here's to a white christmas!

at last

2009-12-17T21:34:00.002-07:00

couldn't take it anymore and figured that the sandy trails- red fox, that is- would be ok, so we ventured out. the dogs have been pretty restless with shorter leashed walks this week.

there is still ice on portions of the trail.

even in the fog, we ran into 4 other folks- all with dogs- this afternoon.

since we couldn't do chickadee (too wet) we did the loop through the grove instead. ran into 2 women with off leash dogs in the parking lot....

it was a nice walk- the rose hips adding, as usual, a welcome spot of color.

happy holidays!

soggy!

2009-12-16T06:35:00.003-07:00

oh how we miss the trails & long to get back on them! this on a leash quickly through the neighborhood because the human doesn't like cold rain is for the birds. we don't even get to dash around the neighbor's big lawn cuz it's too wet & we could tear it up.....

happy holidays to all- here's hoping for snow! and a trail report giving the all clear-

FLC Open House and Parks & Rec Comprehensive Planning Process

2009-12-09T06:55:00.002-07:00

the open house at the Foothills Learning Center is this evening. Learn more about plans for new trails, open space management, results of the trail use survey and other Foothills-related topics at an informational open house from 5:30-8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9, at the Foothills Learning Center, 3188 Sunset Peak Road.

i received this email yesterday, and this is all i know right now. will keep you posted as we receive more info.

Boise Parks & Recreation is beginning its year long Comprehensive Planning process and would like your participation.

For your planning purposes, I wanted to provide the schedule for neighborhood and city-wide meetings regarding dog use in City parks.

February 9, 2010 6:00 - 8:00 pm
Neighborhood Association Work Session
Boise Public Library Auditorium - Downtown Boise

March 18, 2010 3:00 - 6:00 pm
Park & Recreation Commissioners receive Recommendations for Neighborhood Associations on Dog Findings
Boise Public Library Auditorium - Downtown Boise

April 15, 2010 3:00 - 6:00 pm
Final Presentation on Dogs with Recommendations from the Comprehensive Plan to the Park & Recreation Commissioners
Boise Public Library Auditorium - Downtown Boise

May 5, 2010 3:30 - 5:00 pm
Presentation and discussion with Advisory Committee regarding Dogs
Boise Public Library Auditorium - Downtown Boise

July 15, 2010 6:30 - 8:30 pm
Public Open House on Dogs, Wellness and Sustainability
City Hall West

Please check with the department as meetings dates get closer to verify location and times of meetings. Please contact me with any questions.

Thank you

Jamie Heinzerling
Administrative Assistant
Boise Parks & Recreation Department
(208) 384 - 4060 ext. 333

winter wonderland

2009-12-07T16:56:00.002-07:00

what a beautiful day! started with a 6:30 meeting of the Foothills Advocates for Shared Trails, so we took our walk lunch-ish. fortunately, there was still snow. which didn't keep people in- we met one other group with a dog & 3 without- one being a runner in shorts. he was moving right along :)

i never realized that russian olive trees actually have fruit, until i saw this photo on bill scheiss' wild in idaho blog. so when i noticed these birds in the russian olive, i looked more closely, and there it was- white, so it's not too showy.

love the blue sky peeking out between the clouds.

happy trails! off to phoenix, no posts from me for a few days. enjoy the snow!

trail 1

2009-12-06T19:37:00.002-07:00

beautiful sunny morning, if a bit nippy...

happy trails!

friday

2009-12-04T22:16:00.003-07:00

this is the time of year that gloves and hats start sprouting from signs, fences & twigs.....
this is half of the same pair, further down the trail....

it was a beautiful day- as usual lately i was way overdressed and shedding layers once i was on the trail.

early cc today, so we did the lunch- ish walk- went around 1 to try to avoid the true lunch hikers. still people out- 5 with dogs, 3 without. all polite & following the rules.

have a great weekend! happy trails-

finally back out!

2009-12-03T13:53:00.002-07:00

it was so nice to be back out today! red fox & chickadee are currently in great shape. this time of year things can change, so please be sure to check the trail conditions before heading out.

the dog who gets turned out (i think from the houses above the water tower) was running loose today. he/she is pretty good at staying out of reach & i couldn't get a very good photo, but i know this is the same dog i've taken pics of before.

it was a beautiful morning- the frost looked like crystals on the vegetation.

and the birds were all fluffed up to stay warm.

best of all- was got to see sue & keene, who was trotting along & wagging his tail. glad that they're still able to get out & enjoy.

happy trails!

Foothills Learning Center Open House Dec. 9

2009-12-01T19:43:00.001-07:00

Learn more about plans for new trails, open space management, results of the trail use survey and other Foothills-related topics at an informational open house from 5:30-8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9, at the Foothills Learning Center, 3188 Sunset Peak Road.

Staff and volunteers from Boise Parks & Recreation, Ridge to Rivers, Ada County, the BLM, Idaho Fish and Game and the Foothills Advocates for Shared Trails will be available to answer questions and provide updates on:

● Planned projects on the Ridge to Rivers trail system
● Foothills serial levy acquisitions
● Trail use survey
● Idaho Humane Society enforcement efforts
● Volunteer opportunities
● Proposed trails in West Boise, Eagle and Northwest Ada County
● Environmental education activities

The Foothills Learning Center is an environmentally friendly building operated by Boise Parks & Recreation in the heart of the Boise Foothills. It houses classrooms and offices for Ridge to Rivers, Foothills Open Space Management and environmental education program staff and volunteers. The grounds feature a native plant garden and
interpretive nature trail.

For information, see www.cityofboise.org/parks, send an email to FoothillsLearningCenter-Parks@cityofboise.org or call (208)493-2530.

corrals

2009-11-28T17:00:00.006-07:00

corrals this morning, early. we started out around 7:40. things were frozen, but it was pretty clear that folks have been out when it's soft and wet. you can see that this is mud rather than sand, and the trail is getting rutted and pockmarked already.

the sun was just coming up when we headed out- it was beautiful.

the gates were frozen, so we climbed over the first one, but the dogs couldn't slide around the second so we turned around, backtracked & went up hard guy (had to climb that gate too). got to the bottom of the draw & found water, so we gave up & headed back out.

the trail on the north side was icy and will be soft as the day warms up.

we noticed an opportunity to be good citizens on the way in, so we did some opp patrol on the way out. and there was plenty. what is with people? it just isn't that hard. the trailhead has bags & a trash can. most of this was pretty close to both.

it's an out & back, so it should be pretty damn easy to bag poop up, leave it by the side of the trail (i always leave it on the right side coming back, so i know where to look), pick up on the way out and toss. believe me, it isn't any less disgusting for me to pick up some other dog's leavings than it is for the owner. at least things were frozen this am.

the velopark had some opportunity for tlc too. not sure what it takes to get through to people.

enjoy the rest of the weekend!

eagle velopark

2009-11-27T17:02:00.002-07:00

went out to the velopark in eagle for today's hike. we were asked to provide some input on off leash trails. i'd never hiked out there, so it was all new & interesting to me.

i think it's great what IVCPA (Idaho Velodrome & Cycling Park Association) has accomplished. Lots of volunteer hours have gone into building features for bikers who want to jump, jam downhill and otherwise challenge themselves. i believe that these folks need to have an appropriate place to ride the way they want to ride, and this park is growing into what appears to be a nice venue for them.

rabbit run is the one ridge to rivers trail in the area and it connects to big springs, veteran's cemetery and hopefully in the future to avimor and other yet to be developed trails. rabbit run, rei connector and all trails above the cemetery are currently off leash.
it is especially important to follow the rules in this area because failing to do so can cause serious bodily harm- to a dog or to someone on a bike or both. this jump goes over the trail, and any loose dog below would be seriously injured if someone came flying off.

in other areas, dog are supposed to be leashed because bikes can and will be flying around corners, over berms, etc. pretty much not what i would consider a relaxing trail experience if busy.

today was beautiful, tho- broody gray skies and, where it wasn't burned, sagebrush.

views of the valley

happy trails!

monday

2009-11-24T06:58:00.002-07:00

happy thanksgiving week! mt parents are here, so posting may be sporadic, but my mom & i will enjoy a daily hike in the reserve.

yesterday my friend the hawk showed up.
and it was a beautiful day. a bit hectic at work again, nice to take a break & clear my brain!
happy trails, have a great week!

interpretive trail

2009-11-21T22:11:00.002-07:00

what a beautiful day! we had a great hike on the interpretive trail today. this trail is pedestrian only. it's pretty narrow and goes through some beautiful areas. margie & i both stay away in the summer- it's kind of snaky & has lots of poison ivy by the water, but it is wonderful this time of year. we ran into 4 other folks- all with dogs- on our 5.6 mile hike.

there are signs along the trail. some have interesting (to me) info about the geology, flora & fauna and history of the area. some (less interesting to me) contain poetry. one of the signs has a picture of petroglyphs with a poem about them. i wonder if there are petroglyphs in this area? we couldn't see any, but i don't know why else you'd have a sign like that.

the poop sitch could have been better. margie & i cleaned up the parking area after our hike. there is not a bag dispenser at the trailhead, but there is a trash can. no excuses.

happy trails!

blue skies... and trail conditions

2009-11-19T20:53:00.003-07:00

another lovely day. one thing about doing the lunch hour walk is that it's been warm & beautiful.

i see different groups of people too- today it was a leadership group/class. otherwise very quiet.

today, the trail conditions report went live. the new improved format is a joint effort between SWIMBA, Boise Trail DOG and Ridge to Rivers and can be accessed from any of our sites. volunteers report on the trails they hiked/rode/ran, etc. click here to check it out.

if you're interested in helping, let me know- we could use a bit more coverage. and please check the report if you have any question about how things are out there. it's up to all of us to preserve the resource.

happy trails!

more (in)sanity

2009-11-18T19:25:00.002-07:00

more craziness yesterday & today. very grateful for the break of being able to walk the dogs in the peace & quiet and beauty of the foothills for some perspective & calm.

clouds looking like hieroglyphics with a secret message yesterday....

beautiful blue sky how bad can it really be day this afternoon....
we were in the reserve around 2:30 this afternoon- i really needed to calm down & clear my head, and it worked like magic. saw a coyote in the marsh on the way out. the dogs didn't even notice him looking at us. nice reminder to slow down and look around.

happy trails!

it's a monday!

2009-11-16T17:19:00.005-07:00

it was a monday, through & through! started off with a bang at work, and i knew i needed to get out & walk & chill.... and it was beautiful. trails are dry- red fox is so sandy that it's usually a safe bet....
still icy & snowy on the north side

and dry on top of chickadee.

i suspect that lots of trails got chopped up yesterday- heard reports of heavy use on wet military reserve trails, and as we were coming out of corrals & things were getting soft lots of people were heading in. people like to wait to get out when it warms up, but that's worst on the trails in the winter. better to bundle up & get out when things are still frozen.

boise trail dog, swimba & r2r are working on a trail conditions reporting system for this winter that will provide good coverage & current info for most trails. we are recruiting regular trail users to spend a few minutes when they get home to update a spreadsheet that will be easy for folks to go to & see how things look, which trails might be appropriate, which to stay away from, etc. more to come on that.

it was beautiful- and lots of folks out taking advantage. 8 with dogs, 5 without- this around 10.

on top of chickadee, 2 women in front of us raised their arms and shouted. halle started barking, they turned around & said we're getting the frustration out- we all laughed. sanity in the form of being outside, moving, being in the presence of something bigger....

most owners great with their dogs. we passed several leashed on trail no problem. one woman with a white & black puppy, letting it run ahead of her. i grabbed the dogs, a runner said "it's not my dog"- puppy ahead of the runner, who was ahead of the owner, who made zero effort to get her dog.

so i let go of halle, walked echo by. he made a good show of barking. said owner cluelessly looked on, laughing nervously as halle jumped to play with her pup. i'm sure she thought i wasn't very nice, but i didn't have the patience today to explain that i didn't want to trip the runner, and i didn't want my dogs to say hi to her dog. i just moved them on.

it was a gorgeous morning, and i returned to my desk fortified. :)

have a great week- stay off muddy trails!

friday the 13th

2009-11-13T16:57:00.002-07:00

another beautiful morning...... been seeing a lot of these guys around lately. trying to figure out what they are- clearly some sort of hawk, but not a red tail- too small. mystery solved- it's a kestrel or sparrow hawk.

smidge of snow on the hills

and a little bit on the owyhees......

this falls under the category of wtf? been seeing more bags left out in the middle of trails lately- and have heard the same from other folks. i have gotten into the habit of leaving bags going in to see if they're still there when i come out. this one was. right in the middle of the trail. do people think that someone cleans up after them? of course, we do, and it would be worse if we didn't, but this is 50 feet or less from a trash can, i mean come on!
anyway..... thanks to those of you who help us keep it clean. happy trails!

catch up

2009-11-12T17:01:00.003-07:00

been a little crazy at the job that pays the bills, so even though i've been out, i missed blogging.

found out what this is all about on wednesday- they're rerouting one of the storm drains to go out on 13th an alleviate some of the flooding that happens when it gets really soggy.

i thought that getting out at around 10- 10:30 would mean fewer people- WRONG! both yesterday and today, at least8 other groups with dogs and 4-5 without.

here's the camel's back parking lot on wednesday around 11.

beautiful & sunny today after it quit raining. red fox draining well, as usual.

we stopped at the top of the hill before heading to the off leash area b/c i saw 2 women coming with a little black dog on a leash. they stopped and called for some other dogs. and called. sounded like the dogs were out of sight and behind them. they got leashed up- a jack russell & i think a black lab- and came up the hill.

when they were a little way past me i heard one of the women say something annoyed about seeing poop on (or along the trail). i was wondering if she thought that her dog, which was clearly behind her and out of sight at least part of their walk, would never do such a thing? maybe she thinks said dog is just going off trail, so it's ok (it isn't).

almost the weekend! happy trails!

sanity

2009-11-10T21:52:00.002-07:00

out later again this morning, due to prep for a conference call. i am always surprised at how many other people are out at 10 or 11 am..... there were 7 of us with dogs and another 3 people or groups without.

i thought that this little plant was pretty- like the movement of the leaves and the reminder that sometimes focusing on the small things instead of the wide open is a good thing.

tho the wide open is pretty good too! some color still hanging on.
everyone was polite & following rules.

i was, once again, reminded of how glad i am to have found a trainer that i like & that i have continued to work with the dogs. having fun doing the advanced class with echo, and very proud of his ability to heel through distraction- we did it today on the trail. and since he walks by the other dog, halle does too. it's just a great feeling and i am very proud of what we've accomplished. many thanks to paula for her patience and her passion for dogs and training.

happy trails!

november 9

2009-11-09T17:20:00.004-07:00

i took photos friday- it was another lovely morning- but we headed out of town as soon after work as we could, so i didn't post....

took this photo near dollarhide summit- a little bit of snow, a BIG wolf track...they're probably all this big, but never ceases to amaze me.

started working at 5:30 this morning, took a break around 10 to get our walk in. more people out at that time than i would have expected- 5 with, 3 without, following the rules & polite.

the red in the middle of the photo is the flood retention pond...... not sure what's floating on it that's red......

and our friend the hawk...... i will some day get a good photo.....

happy trails- here's to a great week!

november 5

2009-11-05T21:07:00.003-07:00

another beautiful morning, reminding me to slow down & enjoy.....

and if the surrounding aren't enough to get the message through my thick head, the dogs are always glad to help with total silliness, joyful play, running with reckless abandon.... being in the moment
6 with, 3 without, everyone polite & following the rules. lovely start to the day.

thankful

2009-11-04T17:55:00.003-07:00

several things have happened lately that have reminded me how things can change pretty quickly, and i spent this morning's walk being thankful and striving to be present and enjoy the moment.

it was a beautiful morning.

there were squirrels everywhere. i've never noticed them in the reserve before, not sure why, but they were in the trees chowing down today.

the sage reminds me of brocade- all swirly and textured.

among other things, i am thankful for family, friends (2 and 4 legged, current and past), for living in such a beautiful place and for being able to get out and enjoy.

happy trails....

tuesday, november 3

2009-11-03T17:10:00.002-07:00

another beautiful morning, sunny and cool.

the 2 dogs who get turned out to run loose above red fox out again today. i sure wish that their owners would stop doing this. besides the problems caused in the reserve, i would think that they'd be worried about the dogs' getting hit by a car, eating poison, etc. but evidently not.

echo & halle enjoying their walk.

beautiful skies......

i heard that frank sherman passed on this morning. frank and his wife penny rehomed a lot of dogs in the valley- both through vizsla rescue and independently. they have traveled to pick up and deliver dogs and taken in and kept dogs for however long it took to find a good home. i know that there is a big crew waiting for frank at the bridge, and my heart goes out to penny and his friends who are still here.

happy trails.

daylight savings

2009-11-02T17:23:00.002-07:00

i am probably one of the few people who is actually glad to see the time change- but it's nice to be able to walk in the light in the morning before 8 am. sorry honey...

poor halle had to bypass the very loud scary monster to get into the park today, but she was brave and eventually got to enjoy her walk. not sure what's going on, lots of big black round pipe......

beautiful frosty plants-

fluffed out birds

saw this guy heading up chickadee with 5 dogs & thought- uh oh! i knew i'd meet him coming back around & decided that i'd heel echo through and let halle greet, since i doubted they'd be under control. i did see him paying attention & picking up after, though.

much to my surprise (and, once again, proof that it doesn't pay to assume things) he did call the dogs and keep them together and moving away from us when we met at the north junction of chickadee & red fox.

6 with, 0 without. everyone nice, following the rules.

happy trails!

brrrrr

2009-10-29T20:31:00.002-06:00

beautiful clear morning- if a bit nippy. it always takes me a while to catch up when it cools off...

haven't seen the 2 dogs turned out lately- probably just a timing thing, tho. these look like the same ones i saw all last year, just running loose, turned out from a house somewhere. really annoying.

i saw a guy on this trail leaping in the air & swinging his arms- and his dog leaping and running. made me smile to watch them playing together and to see the guy so un- self consciously silly.

7 with, 2 without. every time i leashed the dogs or sat them off trail the other dogs owners also leashed their dogs or made them heel by us. it was awesome!

happy trails!

another fabulous day

2009-10-27T22:09:00.002-06:00

have i mentioned lately how lucky i feel to be able to start my days with a walk on the trails? it's amazing to think about, that we have such a great resource so close.

another beautiful day.....

6 with, 2 without, all following rules & pleasant....

have a great day!

gray monday

2009-10-26T20:57:00.002-06:00

beautiful, if gray, morning

it was a quiet day on the trails- 4 with, 2 without.

saw augie the akita, who we haven't seen for a while. as usual, when he saw us he lowered his head & the hair on his back went up. we were well off the trail. his owner, as always, said "he's friendly". well, head down, stiff legs, hair up looks like trouble to me. and halle isn't completely broken of charging up and echo & augie have had conversations. i don't want to go there. so i just said " i don't care, i don't want him coming over here. my dogs don't always react in the friendliest manner." and it was all good, but i bet we have the same conversation next time we run into each other.

let me contrast that to the guy with the black lab we passed who saw me heel the dogs & immediately called his and leashed him. as they walked by i said "i'm trying to teach them they don't have to say hi to everyone" and he said "the same here". perfect!

trails looked good- the opp i picked up (and there was some) was all fresh. i am starting to think that there are dog owners who just don't pick up because they know that there are those of us who do. pigs.

have a great week!

corrals

2009-10-25T19:38:00.002-06:00

beautiful morning on corrals. looks like there have been lots of deer about.
lots of sheep up off of hard guy

and cattle, as has been usual later, farther down.

this gate was swinging open when we came up on it. maybe someone didn't know how to use the chain to close it? but since there is still stock about i'm thinking the gates should be closed.

and the scenic shots...... sunrise over boise-

leaves are turning

and the sky was big and blue and beautiful....

happy trails!

friday morning

2009-10-23T16:52:00.002-06:00

another beautiful day. 7 with, 5 without. one woman with 2 large white dogs off leash in the on leash section coming down to the pond from red fox. toby's owner & i stood at the bottom and waited for the owner to show up. when she did and saw us there she leashed up. and i could see why she hadn't before- both dogs were pulling. now that i have fairly well trained dogs i will never go back. it is so much more pleasant for all of us!

happy trails- here's to a successful poop scoop tomorrow!

misty morning

2009-10-22T16:27:00.002-06:00

the colors are just beautiful against the gray moody skies, and i love the way the mist muffles sound. the sage is really fragrant in the damp. great way to start the day!

6 with, 4 w/o. everyone nice, polite, following rules.

we even passed toby twice off leash on trail with no problem. the first time i hustled the dogs by & his owner (the man) looked at me oddly. but i have seen toby hump an intact male standard poodle (sam- who was awesome- he just stood there looking a t. evidently wondering wtf?). i am pretty sure that neither echo or halle would be that tolerant. toby didn't bother us- just kept on down the trail. the second go round, on chickadee, we all just kept moving and it worked great. love it when that happens).

folks using the playground equipment again- shortly after 9.

happy trails-

the hillbilly trail

2009-10-21T16:56:00.003-06:00

sign seen on mt cove trail.

Please join us for a Poop Scoop Saturday, October 24 from 9-1. Weather permitting, we will have a table set up at Lower Hull's Gulch parking lot with some great raffle items including Earthpaw's no-smell bags & poop bag holders & goodies from esh.

All trails could use some TLC. If you have a group who can take part of Military Reserve or Corrals please let me know. I'll be sure to get you into the raffle.

Thanks for your help, and please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions-

it was a beautiful morning. 9 with dogs and 5 w/o. all polite & following the rules.

there were some moms & kids using the playground this morning 9ish. good to see.

happy trails!

fall

2009-10-20T17:28:00.004-06:00

beautiful morning, beautiful colors

it was pretty quiet this morning- 4 with, 2 without.

one couple coming down chickadee with a yellow lab. i called the dogs & got their collars & stopped and the people kept walking toward me, no dog in sight. i looked for the dog and the woman said "we have a lagger, she's back there somewhere". rather than ask how they were able to pick up after her if she was behind them (yep, i am proud of myself) i let the dogs go & headed up.

there was the lab, sitting off the side of the trail. greetings all 'round, then echo decided to put his mouth on her throat, which elicited a high pitched yelp. she wasn't hurt, just not appreciative. the owners then decided to call her. they probably think i'm a big jerk. i, on the other hand, not knowing how the loose dog without an owner in sight was going to behave saw no reason to hang onto my dogs. i've tried that- it doesn't work. if a dog rushes or lunges it seems unfair to expect my dogs not to be, well, dogs. i knew they weren't going to hurt anyone, just maybe cause a ruckus.

anyway. it was a beautiful walk and a great way to start the day.

here's camel's back at 9 am.

happy trails.

soggy doggies

2009-10-19T17:11:00.003-06:00

wet morning, decided to try the trails anyway because i just love the way the wet sage smells. red fox is usually pretty safe because it's sandy.

we turned up chickadee to avoid 2 runners with a leashed dog. thought i'd see how it looked- maybe, since yesterday was warm & dry the rain hadn't soaked in too much. but when i turned around & saw my footprints we turned around and did the dreaded out & back.

which actually wasn't too bad. much as i am not fond of rain i do love the dark moody skies, especially combined with fall colors. and the previously mentioned wonderful scent of wet sagebrush.

camel's back at 9 am. (i love working from my house- i can start the day at 6:30, take a break to walk when it's light out & get back to it- perfect!)

happy trails- have a great week!

friday

2009-10-16T20:21:00.003-06:00

yay! dry! beautiful morning- and good to be out again...... leaves are turning

the light was nice

trees not changing so much in the valley yet, but probably soon.

as we were leaving and just past the pond 2 black labs, off leash, came running around the corner making snarly noises. we stopped. i quickly realized that the 2 dogs were playing with each other, but still wasn't sure how that would work with my 2 on leash dogs. soon a mt biker came in sight. he headed up the hill as one of the dogs ducked off trail behind the split rail fence to answer nature's call. so i helpfully asked the biker if he needed a bag.

he stopped the bike, asked "oh, did one of my dogs do something?" so i said yes, and pointed him in the direction. he looked down and said "there are a lot of piles here". and i said "probably, because lots of people don't bother to pick up." so he picked something up & tossed it & we both went our merry ways. hard to tell if behavior will change in the future- i hope so, but who knows? one can hope he was disgusted by the piles.....

anyway- happy friday, happy trails.....

soggy

2009-10-15T14:36:00.002-06:00

too wet to hit the trails today- well, red fox probably would've been ok, but chickadee probably not & i am not a big out & back fan, so we worked on our leash manners instead.
still saw opp, still saw wildlife- that's a coyote trotting down 17th street-

hoping for a dryer manana so we can get back into the hills.

happy thursday!

oct 14, 2009

2009-10-14T17:43:00.003-06:00

back from the coast. here's the poop bag dispenser in cannon beach. lots of dogs on the beaches, for the most part very little poop, and saw lots of owners picking up after their pets.
good to be home, and the dogs enjoyed their walk this am. the skies were beautiful, trees not quite turning yet.

9 with and 4 without. all well behaved, not all leashed in the on leash area, though. and i need to make time to scoop.

here's camel's back this morning.

happy trails!

beautiful day!

2009-10-08T17:36:00.001-06:00

lovely hike this morning-

headed out of town for the weekend, hopefully you'll hear from my fellow bloggers- if not, have a great weekend!

BTD enews- Saturday Trail Survey

2009-10-07T15:51:00.002-06:00

from the SWIMBA Facebook page:
Foothills trail users unite! Most of us are multi-use trail users and there is an important user survey this weekend that we need to participate in as it can shape future trail use policies and restrictions (remember the proposed dog restrictions). If you are out on the trails this Saturday, please complete the survey honestly. SWIMBA's position on the content of the survey is as follows.http://swimba.net/news

Boise Trail DOG agrees with SWIMBA's position on the content of the survey. Please get out Saturday and participate in shaping the future of our trails. We contacted R2R with concerns about the contect of the survey, but were told it was too late to make any changes.

In addition to the concerns mentioned on SWIMBA's site, there is a group of questions asking for answers rated 1-4, disagree to agree, no neutral option, one of which is "My interaction with other user’s pets have been pleasant". So interactions must be rated either positive or negative, nothing neutral. Also, pet owners are the only user group singled out in the survey. We need to make sure that we are fairly represented in the responses.

Poop Scoop October 24 9-1

The past 2 months have been absolutely horrible for poop on the trails- there is no other way to say it. I have received emails from other dog owners apalled at trail conditions in adition to comments passed along by Julia and David. We need a good fall push.

The Humane Society is offering support once again. I would like to have tables in the Lower Hull's Gulch parking lot, at Corrals and in Military Reserve. Please let me know if you can sit at a table & direct volunteers for a few hours on the 24th. This is really important- it goes beyond maintaining off leash access to educating people about doing the right thing.

If any of you have items that you can donate to raffle off to trail helpers that would be great as well.

We need to make this a big event, get press coverage, etc. so that the face of the responsible dog owner is visible again.

Thanks in advance for your help, and thanks to every who has been helping pick up all along.

Marianne

another day in paradise

2009-10-06T21:12:00.002-06:00

first for our public service announcements:

stay off wet trails
and pick up your own dog's damn poop
and now for the scenic portion of today's blog

frosty!

it was beautiful out this morning. frosty, pretty quiet, nice fog hanging low, full moon & clear skies higher up & snow on the high hills. gorgeous! 4 with, 5 without, all polite & following the rules...

great light & mist (and - gasp- no peeps) in camel's back 8:15ish.

happy trails...

soggy day

2009-10-05T21:28:00.003-06:00

tho it's been rainy, i figured that the lower trails would be sandy enough. check the shoes, looks ok.
the sage smelled great, like always during or just after a rain. another big bonus was that there was no one else out. just me & the dogs in the rain. very nice.

as we headed down red fox i saw what i thought was a dog head into the bushes. as we passed the area & there was no sign of a dog, i decided it must have been a fox or coyote. dog would have come out to greet us. good reminder that there is often wildlife right off the trail that may not be visible. good reason to keep an eye on dags and have them under control.

tracy saw a dog (brown & black terrier type, smallish) chasing deer this weekend on the hill above red fox toward the houses. no owner in sight. couldn't tell if it was just turned out (i've seen those again lately). she did hear a person make one attempt to call a dog, but couldn't tell if it was this one.

even if one chooses to ignore the damage done to wildlife from being chased by dogs, how do people not worry about their pets- about them coming back, or chasing an animal across a street or into some other bad situation? there is just nothing about that behavior that's ok. and if an owner can't keep a dog from chasing, they should be leashed. period.

starting up chickadee, where it is more mud & less sand, someone had done some slip sliding, a good reminder of how different the soil can be in just a short stretch.

have a great week- happy trails!

october 2

2009-10-03T21:43:00.002-06:00

better late than never.... here are yesterday's shots- the sky was really nice, wanted to share...

a group gathering after their morning run.....

happy trails! good weekend all-

r-e-s-p-e-c-t

2009-10-01T17:50:00.002-06:00

another beautiful morning.

we are so lucky to have such a great resource. what i thought about last night when i was picking up opp- and beer cans, and broken glass- was that it's important to me to leave the trails and open space as clean or cleaner than i found them. it's really about stewardship.

that includes not widening trails, not leaving trash- of any sort- lying around. it also includes understanding that everyone's trail experience is important.

i encountered several groups of mountain bikers last night of the parent(s) and kids variety. the first dad called "on your left" and told me there were 2 more, then his son called "on your left" too. great to see the kids being taught etiquette. the dad in the second group thanked me for cleaning up, as did a few other assorted bikers and runners.

i know i'm generally preaching to the choir with this blog, but i also know that we all know lots of people and the more folks we talk to the more opportunity we have to change things for the better.

it may not seem like a big deal to let a dog go off trail and poop if you're running alone at 6 am, but come back & walk the trails and look around and it suddenly looks different. i know we can continue to make a difference, it's just going to take some time.

loved mr robin's bright red breast against the sky. do ya suppose this is his harem?

our friend the red tail hawk was around too, but not close enough to get a decent shot. so i settled for another rabbitbrush/sky photo.....

it was lovely and quiet- only 2 of us with dogs, one without.

and no one in camel's back 8ish.

happy trails!

i love fall!

2009-09-30T16:52:00.002-06:00

i love the cooler weather, the fall colors, the skies that provide such great sunrises- and the fact that we only saw 2 other groups of people on the trail today! woohoo! one with a dog, one without.
lovely morning

this is not a great photo, but i could not believe how clear and close the owyhees looked!

seems that rabbitbrush photos have taken over for sunflower shots..... but i need to go a little later to get the color better...

beautiful light in the park. but no people! approx. 7:50

happy trails!