Wednesday Pack Activities
Adventure Pack
It was slow going along Baseline Trail at the beginning of our hike this morning. Between Taco, Dylan, Bear and Ruffers, nobody was satisfied to let their packmates sniff a spot without following up to check it out for themselves; and there were plenty of landmarks that were apparently worth the diversion. Once we made our way up the mountain on Bluebell-Baird Trail, everyone had a good pant going. Bear and Taco took water readily, while I had to tuck the spout under Dylan's and Ruffers' lips to get them going. Bear ran up ahead a bit and wasn't very responsive when I called him back. It occurred to me that other hikers in the area might be unnerved hearing me call out 'Bear!' repeatedly while there are signs at the trail markers noting the seasonal bear activity. When Bear did eventually return, he traded places off-leash with Dylan. We didn't make as many stops during the remainder of the hike but continued to move along at an unhurried pace. On our way down Chautauqua Trail, another hiker with a dog warned us that a mama bear and her cubs had just crossed the trail below, so Dylan and Ruffers went back on the leash with Bear and Taco while I fancifully imagined the game of 'telephone' that could have arisen out of my having called out 'Bear!' several times just a short time before receiving the report of bear activity.
Variety Pack
Buddy, Archie, Alfie and Lumi were joined for a portion of this afternoon's walk by Taco and Monkey, who took a shorter route with Jen. Even though the morning was quite cool, it heated up significantly by the time of our afternoon trip to Wonderland Lake. The walk started with a rabbit sighting. The pack was transfixed. The only one who pulled was Monkey, but she then just sat in place and stared along with her packmates until the rabbit took off out of sight. Later in the walk, Buddy tried tackling Archie a few times to try to get some play going. Archie showed great restraint by not taking the bait and instead maintaining orderly forward motion as I addressed Buddy and drew him to my opposite side. Alfie had a bit of a limp from his bum wrist, which grew more noticeable by the end of the walk. Lumi walked nicely at my side by Archie, a step behind me, the entire time.
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