We were thrilled when D decided that he finally felt up to hiking again as it had been a long time since we’ve been able to go hiking together as a family. Even when he was able to go hiking previously, due to his back issues, he was unable to even carry his own hydration pack. I was happy that he could now carry his own pack, and he wanted to tackle a longer hike with the pups.
Based upon our regular walks, we knew that the pups would enjoy hiking to some extent. What we didn’t know is how they would act with all of the unfamiliar sights, sounds, and smells. We figured that Wiley wouldn’t have an issue keeping up as he is older, bigger, and stronger. It was Wyatt that was a bit of a concern as he is still small and young. The length of the hike would, most likely, revolve around him and his stamina.
When we first arrived at our campsite, we started out with shorter walks to get them some exercise and allow them to familiarize themselves with the desert terrain. They smelled and tasted their way around the area. Gradually, we extended the walks to include larger areas. Wiley immediately took to the desert walks. It was as if he felt it was his natural habitat. Taking cues from Wiley, Wyatt started to really get into the walks himself. Before we knew it, they were both anxious (not in a bad way) to get out and explore more.
It was time to lace up our hiking books, put on our hydration packs, and head out on our hike. D marked our original location on the gps before we headed out. (It’s always good to have the starting point marked even if we know the area as you can get turned around when the desert terrain starts to look very similar after hiking for some time.) We were off for our first real hike with the pups.
Wiley was thrilled to be heading out. He and Daddy took the lead. Munchkin and I took turns hiking with Wyatt as I wanted to be able to take pictures here and there during the hike. As usual, I was bringing up the rear. (That’s what happens when you’re always stopping to snap pictures. lol!)
Wyatt’s little legs flew over the rocky desert terrain. We found that we needed to stop more often for him as he needed to drink more than the rest of us. That part will take some getting use to, but it makes sense as he has to work harder to keep up. The good news was that he had no issues with stamina. Up and down the hills – over small rocks and large boulders – through the washes… His little legs kept moving no matter where our hike took us.
When we made it back to the campsite, much to our surprise, the pups wanted to keep going as they were having so much fun exploring, but we knew that we needed to stop. We didn’t want to push things with Daddy’s back plus the pups needed to rest. Once we were back in the trailer, they both promptly fell asleep as they were wiped.
After that initial hike, we took a few shorter hikes here and there. They had fun continuing their exploring and always wanted to keep going. They both slept well thanks to the many hikes and walks that we took during our time camping. D’s back bothered him, but it was more of a “building back up” type of pain rather than “I’m in agony” type of pain for which we are thankful.
To say that I am grateful that our pups enjoy nature so much is an understatement. This short camping trip helped us bond more with the pups and get to know their unique personalities a little better. It also gave us the opportunity to see how much they enjoyed being out in nature. Overall, it was a good fun 1st hiking trip and good 1st camping trip with the pups. We’re looking forward to what the future may hold for us.
wonderful and interesting photos 🙂
pleased the dogs enjoyed it so much
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