Anyone who knows me well, knows that getting out on daily walks is a hugely important part of maintaining my mental health. Besides the boost in endorphins I get from getting my blood moving, there's something about being out in the sunshine that seems to lighten the woes that weigh me down. When the weather is poor, walking on the treadmill is an option I'll reluctantly take so as not to miss out on moving my body, but I definitely prefer a walk outside any day I can get it!
Most days I walk with Glen around the neighborhood before he heads off to work, but on Saturdays we can often talk Ellie and/or Emma into joining us as well. Our favorite Saturday walk is from our home to the Horsetail Falls Trailhead...about 4 miles total. It's all uphill on the way there and all downhill {with a gorgeous view} on the way down. It's perfect for getting our heart rates elevated and for feeling like we actually got in a good workout.
Our Horsetail hike is way too taxing for our "old man" dog, Rocky, who spends 90% of the day lazing around the house and the other 10% of the day being annoyed at Denali, who likes to run circles around him. Denali, though, is another story. She's full of energy and has no trouble keeping up with us on our walks. It's been fun to take along a dog who can actually keep up with us.
A couple weeks ago, we decided to explore a new trail on the way down and we ended up in quite the patch of thick mud along the trail. We squelched our way through it, with Ellie only panicking slightly about how messy her cute white shoes were getting, but Denali had a hay-day. She was happy as can be in mud up to her knees and one time even sat down in it to get something out of her fur.
Most days I walk with Glen around the neighborhood before he heads off to work, but on Saturdays we can often talk Ellie and/or Emma into joining us as well. Our favorite Saturday walk is from our home to the Horsetail Falls Trailhead...about 4 miles total. It's all uphill on the way there and all downhill {with a gorgeous view} on the way down. It's perfect for getting our heart rates elevated and for feeling like we actually got in a good workout.
Our Horsetail hike is way too taxing for our "old man" dog, Rocky, who spends 90% of the day lazing around the house and the other 10% of the day being annoyed at Denali, who likes to run circles around him. Denali, though, is another story. She's full of energy and has no trouble keeping up with us on our walks. It's been fun to take along a dog who can actually keep up with us.
A couple weeks ago, we decided to explore a new trail on the way down and we ended up in quite the patch of thick mud along the trail. We squelched our way through it, with Ellie only panicking slightly about how messy her cute white shoes were getting, but Denali had a hay-day. She was happy as can be in mud up to her knees and one time even sat down in it to get something out of her fur.
It wasn't long before we realized that a bath needed to happen ASAP upon arriving home.
So...we picked her up at the front door and brought her straight to the tub, where the mud started flowing the second the water hit her fur.
She definitely wasn't thrilled with the whole bath thing, but, unlike her big brother, she did not fight taking a bath either. It made for a MUCH more pleasant experience than it ever was for bathing Rocky. We laughed at how little she looked with her wet fur and honestly almost like a different dog. I'm not sure we could have recognized her had she been in a line-up of other soaking wet doodles.
She was very happy when bathtime was over and she enjoyed the extra snuggles as Ellie dried her off.
Pretty soon she was chilling on the couch, fresh and fluffy as ever!
We have become quite enamored with our Denali girl...mud and all! 💕
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