Packing At Matthiessen

Bunny here, with another tale of our adventures from Sunday.
You may remember that Saturday Blueberry and I went to the Greyhound reunion without Lilac and Morgan.  Our apologies to the people there who were disappointed by Morgan's absence.  We didn't think it prudent to inflict a twenty two month old Shepherd puppy on our refined Greyhound friends.

Anyroo, Dad felt bad that Morgan didn't get to go out and I admit, I missed getting out and stretching my legs with her, too.  She got her new Wolf Pack and was dying to try it out on a trail.  So, Sunday we went up to Matthiessen State Park.  It was Morgan and Dad's second visit this year, but it was the first time I'd been there.

I have to say that we really had a great time.  It got a little warm, but we went in the water and cooled off along the way, so it wasn't too bad.  We also found this neat little secret passage through one of the hills.  I'm guessing that it's pretty old.  The park was originally called "Deer Park" and was named after Frederick William Matthiessen.  He was a wealthy man who bought the land near the end of the nineteenth century and hired about fifty people to construct trails, bridges, stairways and dam checks around the dells that exist in the area.  There are some beautiful waterfalls along the upper and lower dells and about five miles of hiking trails.  There are some neat lodges and forts on the area, too.  After Mr. Matthiessen died, the park was donated to the state and it was opened to the public as a state park in 1943.  It was renamed after Mr. Matthiessen at that time, too.

We hiked up to the upper dells this time and saw Matthiessen Lake where it flows into the dells.  It was great to see a lot of other dogs out on the trails enjoying the park with their people.  Fortunately, none of the other dogs saw me jump into the water that was too deep near the Giant's Bathtub and have to be reeled in by Mom.  It turns out that I still don't float!  She pulled me back, took off her shoes and walked around the shallow part with me.

A lot more people seemed to want to pet and talk to Morgan with her pack on, too.  I found a boxer named Abby that I wanted to play with, but our moms both said no.  We also saw another German Shepherd named Gryffindor who had his own pack.  We didn't ask him what he carries in his pack, though!

Now that it's starting to get cooler, Dad is planning all kinds of fun hikes for us.  I hope that means I get to collect more patches for my back pack.  It makes me really happy when Dad says I'm "the ultimate Greyhound."  It's also great to talk to so many people on the trails about Greyhounds, too, but I can't believe that they're all surprised to see me out there.  Sure, I'm made of spun sugar and I melt in the rain like any other Greyhound, but I'm not made of china!  I can get out there and have fun, too. 

"What Do You Carry In Your Back Packs?"

We've been asked a lot lately about what the girls carry in their backpacks since we got them and posted pictures of them.  We also get asked by people when we're out on the trails and they see them.  I'm not exactly sure what people think they might carry in there, but I hope we don't disappoint anyone.  There are no Avon products in there, nor anything that might be turned loose to be chased on the trail.  The girls are still disappointed about that last part.

Right now, we're working on getting Bunny and Morgan used to carrying the packs, so we don't let them carry a lot of weight in them. We want taking the packs to be associated with having a good time.  That means that we're easing into it, because we don't want them to feel too sore or overworked after we've been out with their packs on.  Eventually, we want to work up to them carrying the packs for longer distances, and perhaps with a little more weight, mainly for Morgan.

For now, they carry a canine first aid kit.  I'd hate to be out on a hike and have one of them get hurt and not be able to do something for them.  They also carry their own water bowls and water bottles.  Treats are also included in the packs.  Poop bags are stowed in there, too, since it's pretty much a guarantee that we'll need those.  Both of the girls have ID tags in the bags as well, that have contact information for their vet as well as family members who can be contacted in case of an emergency.  The ID also states that if they are found alone, then something must have happened to us and to please care for them until we can be located.  Hopefully, that will never happen, but I would hate to have them or us need help and not have prepared for it as much as possible.

Hopefully that solves the mystery about what the girls carry in their Wolf Packs! 

Wordless Wednesday 9/8 -- Toad Hunting