the party's at corrals...

there weren't too many cars in the parking lot when we got there at about 7:15, but that changed in the course of our hike...... we met up with plenty of runners, mt bikers, other dog walkers & a horse rider with dog.... everyone was very nice, polite & pleasant

happy trail dogs jackson

and benson

still water in the creek. tho it wasn't blazing hot it was muggy and warm. the dogs were glad to have water.

went up hard guy. a reminder that we are allowed access over a lot of private property and need to act accordingly, with respect for the land & animals on that property.

huge icky nasty bug! not to be confused with the tiny icky nasty bugs buzzing our heads & getting stuck in my hair & eyelashes along the walk...

floral interlude.......

and back to a very full parking lot...... most of these folks must have gone over on corrals, whereas we were on hard guy. we met up with people, but it didn't seem like as many as there are cars here.

happy trails! have a great weekend!

friday july 10

blanket flower....

8 with, 7 without. moab off leash in the on leash area, as is the case more often than not lately. boudreaux still not coming when his owner calls. folks very pleasant and polite.

happy trails!

another beautiful morning!

first the head- shaker. judging from the spread on & straight line of these poops i'm thinking that the dog was on leash running with its owner while pooping. i've had roaming poopers (teddy), but that was more of a wander in a circle in a hunched position thing- not in a straight line about 2 ft apart- and, to top it off, right by the trash can.

nice going. (pun intended)
what a great morning!

8 with, 7 without, 2 off leash in the on leash area. halle & echo getting really good at passing well behaved dogs (ie on heel, not coming over to say hi or lunging at us) with everyone leashed. makes me happy!

happy trails!

the sky!

8 with, 8 without, 2 dogs off leash in the on leash area- one was leashed right away when the owner saw us leashed & the other was this weimie who had zero interest in us.

the morning parking lot shot- busy place!

happy trails!

becoming cynical and poopapalooza

when the parking lot looks like this before 6:30 am it's probably not going to be a nice solitary experience on the trails.... and, indeed, 14 folks with and 15 without, all polite, most following the rules- one off leash dog in the on leash area.
right off the bat we saw these 2 dogs headed toward us. i asked the woman who was in their vicinity not to let them come up. she replied that they weren't her dogs & she was worried that they had escaped and someone was looking for them.

i hate to admit it, but my first thought was that someone had just turned them out to run. i saw the woman again on our way out of the park and it turned out that they did dig under their fence & escape last night. the owners had been looking for them late into the night and were really happy to get them back.

the same woman also found 2 stolen bikes dumped in the brush and was wheeling them home to return to the police. she's done her good deeds for the day! (maybe even for the week!)

i picked up LOTS of opp along the trail. could have gotten more if i'd had more bags. this person left theirs bagged and set in the weeds so someone could clean up after them. it was wet on the bottom so i'm guessing it had probably been there over night.

this gal had a young white husky looking dog who was out at the end of the leash. we dove into the potentially rattlesnake infested brush to avoid any on/off leash dog issues. as her dog pulled at the end of the leash trying to come say hi she was telling her what a good girl she was.

it was a beautiful morning, and everyone was really nice. the loose dog event was a good reminder not to get so discouraged or be judgmental. sometimes things do just happen.

happy trails!

updates & a great day on the trails

a few bits of news that caught my eye (or ear) over the past week. first is the acknowledged need for dogs parks in addition to off leash trails. there are definitely two different users, and it is great to the city agreeing that there is a legitimate need for off leash areas of both types and moving toward providing them. for more information, read this article in the statesman.

i'd like to thank, once again, jeff rosenthal and the idaho humane society for their unflagging support and work with the city to help dog owners. i know that some dog owners are upset at the role played by the IHS in enforcement of current rules on the trails. to me, this is like getting upset at the police officer who writes the speeding ticket. many dog owners actually requested enforcement of existing rules during last year's trails process, and the IHS stepped in to help.

the second bit of news is the city's proposal to expand dog pick up regs beyond city parks. dog owners will be responsible for carrying bags & disposing of poop everywhere in the city. makes complete and total sense, and is a good way to spread the ethic of responsibility and to educate.

i was in ketchum with a friend on thursday. amazed to see how few dogs were leashed- anywhere. even in the veterinary hospital. if dog owners in that area could be persuaded to leash dogs at the beginning of trails to reduce poop & preserve access it can happen anywhere.

on to today's hike.

8 with, 6 without. 2 off leash dogs in the on leash area, one owner who questioned me when i asked him not to let his dog approach. when i explained we were in the on leash area, and leashed, and that loose and leashed dogs can be a bad combination he leashed up. but really, a request should be sufficient without being questioned.

yep, she's not running on the wide flat but rocky road/trail. she's running on the trail beside the trail, which will some day just be part of a wider trail that some folks won't want to run on.

beautiful morning! hope everyone had a great fourth of july!