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Since moving to the Pacific Northwest, my partner and I have tried to stay active by doing frequent day hikes in the many local parks and recreational areas. When possible, we also take our 2 dogs, Snickers and Jasper along for the ride. Both dogs love to get out and about and really seem to enjoy the hike as much as we do.
Snickers, our long hair dachshund, is very finicky when it comes to getting wet or dirty and will go out of his way to avoid any standing water or mud puddles. Jasper, our Min Pin, will go full steam ahead and damn the puddles, cliffs or any lake that may be in his path. He loves to stop at every tree, rock, leaf or branch and smell and or do his business. He is in constant motion which is exactly what got him in trouble one beautiful day last winter.
We had all decided to go hiking up near Bonneville Dam in Southern Washington. The Tamanous Trail is a 5.8 mile hike that originates at the Bonneville Trail head and ends at a Gillette Lake. This trail is a easy hike with only a 648 foot elevation. At the end of the trail, just as you crest the hill, you are presented with an incredible view of the lake.
This was Jasper’s first hike with us since adopting him from one of Portland’s local rescue shelters. Snickers was an old pro by now and started out at his normal leisurely but cautionary pace. Jasper on the other hand took off like a bat out of you know where. He had to smell and pee and bark and just plain run havoc all over the place. We had put him on a 20 foot lead and he made use of every inch of that lead. In short, he was in doggy heaven.
Two hours into our hike we crossed an old logging road and climbed a short hill. At the top of the hill was the overlook to the lake. It was the middle of January and about 20 degrees with a strong wind coming off the Gorge. This meant that we had the place to ourselves since there were no other crazy people out hiking that day.
From the top of the hill, it is a steady downhill trek to the lake. With Jasper leading the way, we were there in just a few minutes. The lake is in a small canyon which blocked most of the wind and gave the lake a mirror like surface. We were all quite taken by the beauty of the lake and we standing there just admiring the view when Jasper bolted and at full speed, jumped into the lake. Luckily, he still had his lead on and we were able to retrieve him in short order. However, the look on his face was priceless. That water had to be about 30 degrees and I can only imagine the shock of hitting that water from a dead run.
We dried him off as best we could and tried to get him warm, but he just shivered and shivered. Greg ended up putting Jasper in his coat and carrying him the rest of the hike. But I think Jasper was quite content in being carried and of course, he had to have his head out all the time so he could see all around.
Aside from Jasper’s unexpected mid-winter swim, I think he had a great first hike. We have been on numerous hikes since then and he is still gets very excited about going. But there is one thing we have noticed. Jasper is no longer quite so anxious to go swimming.
Tags: Hiking, Jasper, Personal Adventure
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