Stump Dawg

Monday I decided to do a Long Hike with Hannah. We'd hiked on Sunday with Charlie and I figured I'd give his little old legs a day off.

The dog is smart.

I usually make her stop at one particular stump with Charlie [on a particular trail] and they take turns sitting on the stump and getting a treat while I take their photo.

Here are some shots of Charlie on stumps over the years. 

[I have to lift him onto the stumps, he can't jump up on them.] 

He really could care less about sitting for a picture on a Stump.

Hannah and I started down the trail and once we got through the meadow and into the forest trail, Hannah started to jump on any stump next to the trail. 

She sat and stared at me.

Funny dog, she relates stumps to treats.

Smart.

She even thought a few logs would be worthy places to get a kibble.

What a charming goofball!

Most of the trees are leafless but in the understory there were some remarkable colors that we found. It was raining lightly and these red maple leaves seemed to glow.

By the time we hit 4 miles, the sun came out.

By the time we got back to the car the clouds had moved in again. 

Hannah and I had an incredibly fun long hike. I like to do those at least once a week. 

Charlie stayed home to rest up his legs after Sunday's hike.

I do know that dogs have to be in good physical condition to do long hikes. They cannot be couch potatoes and just like us, they have to work up to distances. I'm pretty sure Hannah does at least double the distance than I do as she likes to run forward and then run back to me.

Her motor is always supercharged. In case you are wondering, I do take special care with her by monitoring her condition, her feet, her attitude and physical well being.

With only her along, it is a fast paced hike except for logs and stumps. 

With Charlie involved also, it is a very laid back slow moving hike with many stops for examining everything around us.

This is the way....