Monday, October 18, 2010

Ziggy goes hiking

Yesterday Ziggy and I went for a hike on the nearby Lewis & Clark Trail. The trail is in the Weldon Springs Hollow, owned by the Missouri Department of Conservation. It is a beautiful area, with forests and bluffs overlooking the Missouri River. This was the first time that Ziggy had ever been hiking. 
Come on, let's go!
He pulled me along the trail quickly (this is one reason I've never been inclined to work on leash training with him - it's great to have him pull me up hills!)  I wondered if he would stop and sniff anything - after all, there are no storm drains in the forest. But he quickly figured out that there are plenty of interesting smells to explore.  
I think I smell an alien!

 Soon we came to the first set of bluffs overlooking the river, and stopped for a short break.
Another picture?  Again??

Ziggy enjoyed meeting the other hikers and dogs on the trail.
Did you see that Shepherd go by?  WOW!
Another hiker took a picture of us on the bluffs. Ziggy can be a bit clumsy, so I was hanging on to Ziggy to keep him from falling off the cliff and pulling me with him.  
Did someone say Cheese?!
 He almost managed to fall off the cliff shortly after this picture was taken.
I was just looking for the cheese!

 We had beautiful weather and great scenery. Ziggy enjoyed the view.

So THIS is a river!
I took some water along for both of us, and it wasn't long before Ziggy was thirsty. I never knew his tongue was so long.
Let's go down to that river for a drink.

A trip into a forest filled with trees wouldn't be complete for Ziggy unless he was allowed to chew on one.
Let me just even out the edges over here.

The highlight of the trip was when another hiker passed us with his dog, and commented on how well trained Ziggy is. I was immensely proud and extremely amused at the same time.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow! What a super terrific hike! I wish I coulda gone along! And I luved all the pictures - but most especially the one of you and Ziggy together. That was a very nice compliment that other pawson gave you. I guess he came along AFTER Ziggy was finished chewing on the tree stump?

Wiggles & Wags,
Mayzie

Kari in Alaska said...

Ah glad you got out to hike. We did lots of hiking this weekend. Great physical and mental exercise for pooches.

Kari
http://dogisgodinreverse.com/

Two Pitties in the City said...

You got some really good photos! I bet Ziggy is really well-trained, it's just hard for us to see when we're so close to our dogs. I do love that he has the adoption vest and gets more exposure!

Cupcake said...

Ziggy, you look like Daniel Boone out there! I bet you had so much fun.

havetailwillwag said...

that looks like the best day ever!!

Kristine said...

You're lucky to have such great weather! It's been pretty cold here the past few weeks and with me being a wimp, we haven't done any real nature walking for a while. I'm jealous.

Great shots! Ziggy looks so happy to be alive.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for good stuff

Amy & the house of cats said...

That looks like it was such a fun trip! And isn't it amazing how when others see you and Ziggy they think he is a good boy - of course we adore him and would probably say the same thing, and the ones commenting of course don't know all the stories about him you post, so that makes a difference! But it is great that he did such a good job on his first hike!