The Shenanigans of Shawnee the Shepherd

Exploration Hiking

2012-01-29T20:49:00.001-05:00

Yes furrends, today we did eggsplorashun hiking in Pencilvania in Bucks County where Lucy the Cat used to live! Why did we do eggplorashun hiking you ask? Coz there be no map so we did not has a plan or know where we woz going. OK, so mom has a rule that we has to has a map so we dussn't get lost. She broked the rule this time coz the whole hike be in a valley either up high on the rim or down low by the creek and if'n we got lost, all we would has to do be follow the creek back upstream. Rilly, it would has been furry hard to get lost coz we woz always within sight of the creek so we went to check out the trails and try to figger them out. We figgered them out and ended up hiking 12 miles - there woz more trails than we thought there would be. And they went from one park to the udder and back so it woz 2 small parks hooked togedder with trails to make one big park.

So furst from the car we had to cross a bridge. Now tell me, dussn't this look like one of those covered bridges we see in Pencilvania all the time?

Fake out! It be an uncovered bridge!

Then we had to walk up this road a little ways to the hiking trails. Here we is, well sorta...

We found the hiking trail. We be up high and the water be down low on the left.

So after a little while we woz down low by the creek afore going up again.

Wot do this be? Artwork on a log made out of rawks and litter? I has to admit, this is pritty pawsome.

Here be a better pikshure of it. It do look like the werk of fairies.

After we climbed back up again, we commed to High Rocks Vista with, you gessed it, SEENIKS!

Check out these seeniks - they has fences so you dussn't fall off and go SPLAT.

Well, eggsept fur peeple like this dude wot duss rawk climbing with ropes and stuffs. Not me, no siree!

Here be a sign wot tells you that you can go SPLAT and be made deaded.

And if'n you be made deaded, this guy and his cuzzins be waiting fur you! He be a turkey vulture wot noms ded stuff and we seened LOTS of them at the seeniks. They fly rite by rilly close and you can see their eyeballs!

Go ahead, fall. We be here to catch you. Hehehehehe.

OK, enuff of that. We is not falling coz we is not going on the udder side of the fence. Now back to the seeniks...

So here be the Tohickon Creek way down below unner the skeery rawks.

More turkey vultures sitting by the chains the climbers use waiting fur one to go SPLAT.

See how high up that turkey vulture be?

So we left the vultures behind and went on our way along the rim of the canyon way up high.

We found a trail down to the creek wot did not go straight down rawks and got down safely. Mom let me go in to get my paws wet coz the water woz not moving fast on the side and it woz a warm day. That be why I duss not has my new jacket on.

Oops. Later in the hike when I needed to wash my paws and belleh off I could not go in the water coz it woz whitewater and that be moving too fast and could swish me away.

Do you see those peeples ofur there on the rawks? They is not rawk climbers. They is CRAZEE!

So we went back ofur that uncovered bridge and tried out a trail on the udder side of the creek. We woz akshually looking fur Doan's Cave, the hideout of the Doan Outlaws from the olden days back in the 1770's.

In search of Doan's Cave on the udder side of Tohickon Creek.

Not Doan's Cave but Chrissmuss ornaments stuck in a rawk? I could not make this stuff up, furrends.

OMD, wot do this be?

It do be a memorial and it say:

Sullivan James “Sully” Burd passed away peacefully September 9, 2010 at Ralph Stover’s Park. He was a man of nature, a barefoot mountain man, a climber, a man of rocks & trees, a seeker of truth and knowledge, of deep emotion and humble intelligence. He genuinely loved everyone he met, able to approach all with joy, passion and energy. He lived life fully with humor and honesty, living in the moment, giving & gentle to all. He opened his heart through his music, art and poetry. As we mourn our loss, we are thankful for what he taught each of us from his loving nature.

We did gib a moment of silence in his memory even tho we did not know him. Furry sad. We googled so see if'n we could find out wot happened but did not find anything.

Turns out the memorial be atop of....

.... a cave!

I dussn't know if'n this be the right cave or not and it do look a little teeny fur a merry band of outlaws to hide in. Mebbe it be bigger on the inside but I wozn't going inside to look. Could be a bear napping in there and I is not going to be the one to wake him up.

So we headed back ofur to the uncovered bridge (that red thing ofur there) where our car be.

Mom made me lay down in the cold waters to soak my paws and my belleh. Brrr. Then we ran back to the car and I got towel dried then mom cranked the heat up in the car. I be all clean and dry again. And mom ~~who has no sense of direkshun wotsoefur~~ nefur got us lost even with no map.

MrChewy.com - An Undercover Investigation

2012-01-25T08:46:00.001-05:00

So lots of my furrends woz asked by Mr. Chewy to order foodables from him with a $50 coupon code and do a review. The reviews woz so good, I went and snootered around on Mr. Chewy's web site and found my Wellness foodables cost less green papers than where I woz getting them from so I had mom order from Mr. Chewy. So the udder day I went snootering around in my old emails and found ~~I had buried Mr. Chewy's email thinking it woz spam~~ Mr. Chewy's email asking ME to do a review! Then I thought coz I had alreddy ordered from Mr. Chewy a cuppull of times I would do a review BEFORE using the coupon code so I be unner covers and he not know it be me ordering so he could not put his bestest paw forward when he seened me using the coupon code. Clever, eh?

Shhhhh. Conducting impawtant unner cover investigashuns.

So mom had akshually placed an order rite afore I dug up the coupon code coz she realized there only be THREE cans of the Weruva kitteh food left and the kittehs like it so much that even feral Odessa, who nefur comes up the basement steps, sits on the landing waiting fur mom to serve up the Weruva. Wot to do? Mom checked with Mr. Chewy and yay, he has the Weruva and knowing how speedy fast he ships, mom placed the order knowing it would be here in time to feed ~~spoiled~~ starving kittehs. AND Mr. Chewy had the Weruva DOG foodables, too, wot mom woz not able to find in the store so she ordered ME some. Drool. Sure enuff, this be our 3rd unner covers order and it commed speedy quick.

My order history.

So yesterday, with ONE can of kitteh Weruva left, and rite on schedule with more, DING DONG, Fedex calling!

Yuppers, this be from Mr. Chewy.

OMD, look at all the paper in the box!

We lost Dixie in it...

Whew, there she be.

That do be a big box fur the foodables.

So the only critter-cism I has with my Mr. Chewy orders be the packaging. You see, we is a furry green fambly coz with hiking we like to see trees out in the woods, not in packagings. Sure, we recycle efurrything - the boxes, the cans, the plastic wrap ofur the cans, even all that paper. But it be better not to has to recycle at all so we just ask that mebbe Mr. Chewy can use better packaging wot be less wasteful like no paper fur kibble coz it not be needed and smaller boxes fur smaller canned foodables.

Helping mom straighten out the paper so it can be folded up fur the recycling bin.

But overall, we is furry happy with Mr. Chewy and as you can see, we alreddy ordered 3 times and we dussn't order from places we dussn't like. AND we RILLY RILLY RILLY like that Mr. Chewy has a donashun program fur animal shelters. Way to go, Mr. Chewy!

Sekrit Unner Covers Agent Shawnee, ofur and out.

Hiking in the Snow

2012-01-22T19:03:00.001-05:00

Yes, furrends snow leaked into Noo Joisey yesterday. Not a whole lot, we got about 3 inches at my house. Me, Dixie and Sydney did a lap of snow zoomies around the yard. It woz funs. We is done. Time fur spring now. So anyways, when it snows we head south to hike coz I dussn't want mom falling off slickery mountains and it be flat in the south Noo Joisey and there be only about 1 inch of snow. We hiked 11.75 miles today.

Did you all notice I has a noo coat? Akshually, it be called a soft shell jacket, that be werds fur impawtant hiking gear. I has been looking at this jacket fur a long time wonnering if'n it would gib me full belleh coverage so I dussn't get icy sickulls hanging from my belleh furs. When Norwood writed on his bloggie that he had some, ummm, teknical difficulties with too full of belleh coverage fur boys with his, I knowed I needed this jacket ASAP so got one! The jacket REPELS the water and ice to keeps me dry and the top blocks the wind so my unnercoats can hold the heats in. And it be stretchy so it duss not obstruct me when I is in hiking akshun. The place wot makes the jacket say it "turns your pup into an all weather adventurer." Wowser. There be no stopping me now.

See, full belleh coverage. And I pawsonalized it alreddy with some of my furs. You like?

The noo jacket makes me want to tap dance...

...and kick my heels up!

OK now 'nuff about the noo jacket. You comin'?

Where we hiked used to be a cranberry farm so there be lots of old bogs and canals and stuffs.

And gess who lives in the old bogs and canals? Mr. Beeber! Can you say "TIMBER!!!!!"

Did you know beebers do snow zoomies? This be how the beeber zoomied from the bog ofur to the canal.

Oops. I think Mr. Beeber had a few too many. Trees.

We crossed some train tracks but no worries, I did not has to put mom on the walking string to cross ofur coz there be no trains on these tracks no mores. There be trees growing in them.

Check out this wonky bridge wot we had to cross and pawt of it woz unner water! Thank dogness my noo jacket be keeping the water spashes off my belleh.

Here be an observashun deck. Mom sayed I could stay at the bottom but I figgered with my noo jacket and Norwood saying it gibbed him supah powahs, I could go up the steps myself and I did!

Ta da! (I just can't open my eyes to look.)

Here I is going down all by myself.

Here be anudder wonky bridge - it moved unner my paws!

I ♥ my noo jacket! And I wish the Ruffwear company paid me to say that (they did not) coz this jacket cost lots of green papers. Mom's hiking pants wot repels water and stuffs so she duss not get icy sickulls on her legs cost less green papers and they is ~~WAY~~ bigger than my jacket. But dussn't you think I is werth it?

Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Hike

2012-01-16T20:57:00.002-05:00

We celebrated Martin Luther King's birfday by doing anudder hike since it be a howliday from werk fur mom. We hiked 10.25 miles today.

Fur fun times birfday celebrashuns the National Park peeples did gib FREE admittances today. Click here fur udder free days if'n you missed this one.

Thank you park peeples fur letting us in fur FREE!

It woz anudder coldie, coldie day, like 15 degrees in the morning. It did warm up to 32 but not until the end of our hike. So we bundled up and off we went.

Who leaked snow into Noo Joisey? There isn't any at my house.

The pond be frozened. Brrrrrr.

In the winter we has seeniks when the trees is nekkid.

I wonner if'n Irene or Snowtober did this.

We went to check out the old soldier huts from the Revolution-Airy War.

I think this one mite leak in the snow and rains but it would be nice fur letting sunbeams in.

Dussn't look furry comfy in here.

No, this one do not be comfy either.

We went on a trail by the creek but it woz too cold to get my furs wet.

See, I use the bridges today.

So when we furst got to the park mom stopped at the visitor center and left me in the car to ummm, check out the facilities. Mom noted there woz a back door to the outside, that you did not has to go inside the visitor center to get to the powdah room. So when we hiked by the visitor center, mom had to go in AGAIN. (And to think I can hold it fur a whole hike.) Anyways, it woz way too cold to leave me outside and our car woz not there this time sooooo, mom snucked me in the BACK DOOR!

Nobuddy else in here. Pawsome.

A stand rite here and be furry quiet so nobuddy sees me.

WHAAAAAA! OMD, it flushed all on it's own! It do be a pawsessed potty!

Potty mishun accomplished undetected so we moved on to Wicks Farm:

This be Wick Farm where the farmer and his fambly lived when the soldiers came to stay here - all 10,000 soldiers! Well, they stayed in the huts but they cut down the farmer's trees to make those snazzy huts with.

Mom wanted me to gib her a tour of the veggie garden. BLECH.

Now this floats my water bowl! Drool.

I just like this pikshure.

Anudder icy cold creek wot I cannot go into.

Please sunbeams, make the water warm.

This be a road that the soldiers builded like ofur 200 years ago.

It goes to a seenik where the soldiers could watch fur enemies so they didn't get the bitey put on them.

OK, well that woz about it. Just had my dinner and going down fur a nap. Bye.

Dress Your Pet Up Day Hike

2012-01-14T22:36:00.004-05:00

Did you know today be Dress Your Pet Up Day? I woz dressed to impress. Look at me with all matchy colors. I did wear my insoolated vest today coz it be COLD and WINDY out even too cold with my unnercoats, or so mom thought.

See how nice I match? Mom howefur, oh my... She rilly should get some matchy hiking stuffs to dress up in. She looks like a box of Crayola Crayons. So embarrassing...

And I hasn't even started on the "unmenshonabulls". I will spare you.

So today we hiked in Noo York at Nyack Beach State Park, Hook Mountain State Park and Rockland Lake State Park - it be 3 parks wot goes from one to the udder and we hiked in all 3. The hike do turn out to be a little longer than wot we eggspected - 12.6 miles! The furst 4 miles woz on the easy peasy bike trail along the Hudson River.

All kinds of signs fur hoomans to read and all kinds of pee-mail fur dogs to sniff.

No poo bags fur me, thank you. I is back to not pooing on hikes and 'sides, we bring our own, just in case I change my mind.

We woz at the bottom of BIG cliffs. Coming back we is going to be up high atop the cliffs!

♫ Love Boat soon will be making another run ♫ The Love Boat promises something for everyone...♫ (That be speshull fur Puddles.)

In case any of you is wonnering, no I duss not swim in the Hudson River - ACK! Mom say GROSS, GROSS, GROSS dirty polooted waters and swimming in it do be strictly pawhibitted, per mom. Sides, it be CRAZEE cold today. BRRRR.

Noo furrends incoming!

Our tails is going so fast they be all blurry.

Howdy do? Let's has fun times and PLAY!

So after fun times we sayed good bye and went on with our hike. Then we saw a bench on the side of the trail wot looked new so we went ofur to take a look.

Mom rememmered hearing about this in the news last year, almost eggzaktly 1 year ago, it woz February 2011 when a hiker with her dog went missing but we did not know where it happened coz we heard different stories. Well this do be the spot. They woz up high on the cliff and falled off. So furry sad. Here be the news story if'n you want to read it.

It woz icy when Colleen and Jemma falled off the cliff ahind the bench.

We will be up top where they falled off later but no worries, it do not be snowy and icy today and we is going to be furry furry most careful coz Colleen and Jemma will be on our minds.

But just around the bend from the bench, OMD, OMD, OMD, big eggsitements! Can you tell wot this be?

It do be a bald eagle! Yowzer! There woz lots of them. We either seened 4 of them or the same one 4 times, we isn't sure.

Then we left the easy peasy bike trail. Let the real hiking begin!

We heared sumpin and OMD, look, a TRAIN be unner us! The hiking trail woz atop a tunnel wot a train commed out of!

Climbing up high above the Hudson River.

Down there be that easy peasy bike path we woz on afore.

Did I tell you how cold it do be? The few drops of water wot stayed in my water bowl frozed into ICE!

Can I haz ice water pawlese?

This do be where Colleen and Jemma falled off the cliff on the ice. I did stay far back from the edge. Mom could see the bench down below so that is how we knowed this be the spot.

This be a different place but there be lots of danger places along the cliff and I put mom on my magical walking string fur safety.

There be that teeny tiny bike path way down there where we woz earlier.

I think that be the last mountain we has to climb up ahead.

Did I menshun how cold it be? This be a mud puddull.

The mud puddull biggified.

From these danger cliffs we can see the Tappanzee Bridge wot we drive across lots to go hiking on the udder side.

We found anudder old cemetery. This grave be from a little two-legger wot only be 9 months old. He did die in 1845 but sumbuddy be putting toys and stuffies on his grave still!

So after the hike we got in the car and left the park. We woz on a road with cars and there woz this man with his dog not on a leash. Even though I is free range while hiking in the woods, I ALWAYS has my walking string engaged on roads and when there be cars around. Well, no sooner did mom think to herself wot a doodyhead that dog's dad was being then the dog RUNNED SMACK IN FRONT OF OUR CAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mom slammed on the brakes super hard and stopped in the nick of time. She rolled down her window and went rabid dog CRAZEE on that man. OMD, did she rip him up one side and down the udder. He just kept saying he woz sorry. Mom told him to just get the dog on a leash NOW. Doodyhead!

Monday Hike and the Chiropractor

2012-01-09T22:26:00.000-05:00

It woz a bootieous day and I had a chiropractor appointment so mom taked half a day vaycayshun so we could do a little hike afore my appointment. This woz a new trail we went to check out just 15 minits from my chiropractor.

There woz the usual trails...

... and rawks to climb... (wating fur slowpoke mom)

... ginormous rawks...

... a rawk tunnel... (common in, mom, no bears in here)

... and seeniks!

So that be our little 3 mile hike fur today. I is doing so well with the chiropractor re-a-line-ments that I dussn't has to go back fur 3 weeks now. No stiffies no more! Me and Dixie is even doing bitey face and paw thwocking at each udder and we hasn't done that in a long time.

Some of you asked about if'n I had to has a baf yesterday after playing swamp monstah. I is pleased to repawt that due to mom's splitting head-ake, she woz not in the baf gibbing kinda mood (YAY!) so I had a bucket baf. That be where mom fills up a bucket with warm water and just a drop or two of stinky shampoo (hey, it makes her happy) then I has to stick one paw at a time in so each leg has a turn getting washed. Then my belleh gets washed with a washrag. I dussn't mind a bucket baf, so much better than a real baf. Shudder.

Waterfalls Hike

2012-01-08T22:17:00.000-05:00

So today me and mom went to check out some waterfalls in Pencilvania. On the way we had to stop and let about 20 gabillion turkeys cross the road.

"Gobble Gobble" Translashun: "Thanks fur letting us cross the road safely."

So when we got to the hike, we went rite down to the waterfalls.

I dussn't think we can go on this trail any more.

Well, our way be blocked by frozened waterfalls and if we would has slided, we would has ended up in the cold water. This reminded us of Bunny's frozened waterfalls. Mom woz not game. So we turned around and went back and found a higher trail around that pawt and it woz a furry pawsome trail!

I be up high ofur the frozened waterfalls now.

Thank dogness it do not be slickery up here coz that be a big fall down to the bottom.

On the udder side where it not be so steep they has railings. OK, I is just a dog but duss this make sense?

So after the falls we commed to this observashun deck.

Ummmmm, NO

Mom went up without me and I squeezed my eyes shut coz I can't look.

Waiting payshuntly fur mom.

Mom bringed me back a pikshure of wot it looked like from up above.

On the udder side of the lake they has anudder observashun towah but it be the Leaning Towah of Pencilvania. The one mom went up in woz strate.

So we hiked around in the woods some but it be mostly woods roads and they is not furry interesting and mom woz getting a splitting head-ake wot would not go away with the Advils. So we started to head back but we had to take a rilly boring gravel road to get back. So mom seened a woods road and sayed, "Let's see if this takes us back a more interesting way." Oh, I know we be in ~~trubbulls~~ fur fun times when mom say that.

Furst we had to climb through blow down after blow down and you knows how much I love doing that.

Then we ended up in a swamp!

Mom insisted we keep going through the swamp. Sage would has LOVED this.

Swamp Monstah

So we made it back to the hemlock ravine...

... and the waterfalls...

... and just as the sunbeams finally came out...

... back at the car.

My Peep is a Flake Contest, Part 2

2012-01-06T09:38:00.000-05:00

Furrends, I has thought long and hard about this one from the comforts of my hidey spot and I has come to the conclushun that yes, this constitoots flakiness on the part of my mom on so many levels so I just has to tell all afore My Peep is a Flake Week is ofur.

Efurry udder week, mom goes and picks up her organic froot and veggie share from the co-op (BLECH!). Why she duss not join an organic CHICKUN COOP is beyond me. (flaky)

Snootering around fur chickun.

WARNING FUR PUDDLES: TELL YOUR MOM NOT TO LOOK! BUG ALERT!
I thought I found chickun but it woz only this:

Wot did mom do with him? Turned him loose outside. (flaky)
OK, Puddles, your mom can look again.

So when mom peels the appulls (BLECH) she throws the peels and cores OUT THE WINDOW! (flaky) Efurry day the peels and cores be gone when she throws more out. Well, yesterday mom got an eggstra froot share coz she wanted to make applesauce (BLECH) to put in the freezer. (How about some CHICKUN SAUCE?????) She had lots of peels and cores (BLECH) and she throwed them ALL out the window.

Who duss you think be nomming on those appull peels?

Yes furrends, today we has Grand Central Skwerrel Stashun outside our window coz they has a mudderload of skwerrel take-out at Chez Shawnee Fine Dining fur Rodents. So you is thinking wot be so flaky about that? Your mom do be fattening up the skwerrels for YOU. Well that would be all fine and dandy if'n she throwed the skwerrel noms in my BACK YARD to lure them in but no, she puts it on the side of the house where I can't reach the skwerrels. FLAKY!

My Peep is a Flake Contest

2012-01-03T00:03:00.001-05:00

So Frankie Furter, The Road Dogs and Sarge do be hasing this contest . Here be the rules:

Is your peep a flake? Does your peep do weird, strange, funny or generally flaky things? Here's your chance to tell the world.
1. Post on your own blog from January 1 to midnight Eastern time January 7. Post once or multiple times if your peeps give you that much material! Tell us all about how your peep is a flake.
2. Comment on Sarge's blog, Frankie's blog, Road Dogs' blog and the Blogville Community Calendar so that we know you've done your post. Why all three you ask...so we don't miss anyone! Why you ask again...because there are...
3. Three prizes to be awarded on January 11, 2012.

So I had to think long and hard on this from the comfort of my hidey spot coz mom's flakiness just seems normal now, we is so used to it. Blonde moments, senior moments, she has them all. But suddenly I rememmered the flakiest thing efur wot she did and I went digging in the pooter hoping the pikshures woz still where I had buried them back in 2008...

So when mom woz doing the rescue group, the animal control officer called her one nite asking fur help coz he woz raiding a hoarder's house. Mom went there and helped get 112 animals out of this house and into boarding and to rescue groups. She brought 2 kittehs home with her to foster - the one with one eye and the one with one ear. You can read their story HERE.

Amelia and JoJo

So you say WAH? That's not FLAKY! I beg your pawdon, butttttt, these kittehs WERE flaky! Fur real. They had RINGWORM! Their furs falled out and their skin woz flaky from the ringworm. That do be common in a hoarding situashun where cooties get passed around like wildfire. So mom had to dip them once a week fur 8 weeks in lime sulfur dip. If'n you has nefur smelled lime sulfur afore, it be like rotten eggs a gabillion times worser. Even us dogs consider it gross and stinky so you know it has to be rilly bad.

So it woz winter time and mom and her furrend Sue decided to do it in the attic. They buyed a wash tub at Home Depot and put a bucket unner the drain hole to catch the stinky dip wot did not stay ON the kitteh (and there woz lots of that). They opened the attic window and put a fan in it blowing outside to suck the stink out. At least that woz the plan. Then they put the kitteh in the wash tub and poured the lime sulfur dip ofur the kitteh and sponged it in until the kitteh woz soaking wet and ORANGE. Let me tell you, kittehs DO NOT like this. Anyways, mom and Sue did not want to get lime sulfur all ofur themselves and make themselves orange and stinky so Sue brought Hazmat suits in size XXL fur them to wear. Now who be the bigger flake, I ask?

Becoz the lime sulfur stinked up the house anyways, fur the next 7 weeks, once a week, mom and Sue would crank up the space heater in the garage, put the kittehs in carriers and take them out there. The neybors would see mom and Sue suited up as above walking across the yard and disappearing into the garage carrying kitteh carriers (complete with howling kittehs). They would shut the garage door and all you could hear woz mom and Sue giggling and kittehs yowling and sniff the stench of rotten eggs coming from the garage. So furrends, there you has it, my peep, the flake.

First Day Hike

2012-01-02T10:38:00.001-05:00

So fur the furst hike of the New Year we did go to Pencilvania and hiked 11 miles on wild and rustic trails with lots of rawks and creeks and stuffs. Pawlese note the sunbeams during most of this hike. It woz a bootiful and WARM day with, and I kwote the wevver peeples, "Just a slight 20% chance of a shower." Now rememmer this, k?

Ahhhh, soaking my paws in creeks with little waterfalls.

I can just walk rite thru the waters to get to the udder side but then I has to wait fur mom coz she be thinking those logs be kinda slickery and she had to go upstream to find enuff rawks to step on to get ofur. I crossed back and forth about 87 times afore mom crossed ofur.

OMD, I found that Appalachian Trail again!


We got off that Appalachian Trail to go see a seenik at Eagle's Nest but we had to climb up big rawks to get to the seenik.

Shhhhh, sneks be sleeping unner the rawks fur the winter. We dussn't want to wake them up.

Here we is at the seenik. There used to be an eagle nest but it be long gone now. No eagles today.

Here be the seenik and I is seeing this fur the furst time along with all of you coz the sunbeams be in our eyes and we could see NUTTIN! So we taked pikshures and hoped we could see the seenik on the pooter when we got home. (Remmmer now about the bloo skies and sunbeams...)

Then we takes this long, long, ho hum BORING road back to the Appalachian Trail. (But it had some pritty green efurgreen trees.)

After we got back on that Appalachian Trail fur a bit, we left again to go find the this hiker hotel wot be called the Eagles Nest Shelter but it be on the udder side of the mountain from the Eagles Nest we woz at afore.

Wowser, at this hiker hotel seenik we did not has sunbeams in our eyeballs coz they be ahind us.

On the way back to the Appalachian Trail we stopped at this old log bench fur a break and snack (chickun jerkey - YAY!) but I told mom she mite want to be careful where she sits down.

Then I met some new furrends and their dad woz passing out SALMON treats, NOM!

Then there woz more creeks to get my paws wet in...

..... and more, and then....


How's about 100% chance of DOWNPOUR, wevver peeples?

(Puddles, this be speshul fur you: ♫ Raindrops keep falling on my head...♫)

Yup, mom had to break out her rain gear and we finished the last cuppull of miles of the hike in the pouring rains. I dussn't need rain gear coz I drip dry.

Then mom say "Shawnee, what is on your face???"

Biggified.

Yes, furrends, mom did not pull just ONE icky ticky off of me, no she pulled THREE icky tickies off of me in JANUARY! Has they no shame? They should be sleeping, or better yet, DEAD.

So on the drive home...

Rain thru the rest of Pencilvania

The sunbeams woz ofur in New Joisey.

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T18:20:00.000-05:00

Sydney and Apples

2011-12-30T11:39:00.000-05:00

My sis Sydney wants to show you how much she likes nomming appulls. (BLECH!) Efurry single time mom be cutting up appulls in the kitchun, Sydney wakes up from a dead sleep and goes into the kitchun to get some. Mom can be cutting up anything else and Sydney duss not go in the kitchun. She knows the sound of appulls. She do be silly. (I know the sound of the chickun jerkey bag.) Notice how I is not present in this moovie. Not werth getting up fur appulls if'n you ask me. Dixie can take it or leave it and today woz a leave it day fur her.

Last Hike of the Year?

2011-12-29T16:58:00.000-05:00

Well, we isn't sure yet if'n today's hike be the last one of 2011 coz the wevver peeples did tell fibs again. We would has rather hiked tomorrow when it be 47 degrees out but the wevver peeples sayed oh no, no hiking, there be RAIN, fur sure! So we hiked today in 15 degree wind chills. This do be how cold it woz:

At the end of the hike, from sloshing thru puddulls wot woz not completely frozened, my belleh looked the same:

Then we get home and the wevver peeples say, ha, ha, ha, ha, we changed our minds about tomorrow! So NOT funny, wevver peeples.

On with today's hike. It woz a fantabulous hike with lots of seeniks even though we froze our paws off and could not stay and look at the seeniks furry long. We hiked up Bear Mountain in Noo York on that Appalachian Trail.

The sunbeams make it look warm but it woz WINDY and COLD!

I has arrived at the seenik.

Those mountains is in Harriman State Park in Noo York and I has hiked up lots of them.

Let's go to the udder side of the mountain fur more seeniks. All togedder now... ♫ She'll be coming round the mountain when she comes... ♫ We has to keep up a beat or we get frozened.

Here on the udder side be the Hudson River.

Atop Bear Mountain the Appalachian Trail do be axessibull wot means dogs in carts (and peeples in wheelchairs) can go on the Appalachian Trail. They can drive up in their cars to get to this part and see the seeniks but that road be closed in the winter time.

This be the Perkins Memorial Tower atop Bear Mountain wot you can go up in fur more seeniks but I think we has plenty of seeniks down here. Besides, the towah be closed in the winter

I can see Noo York City from Bear Mountain.

OK, last seenik, it be windy and cold up here and we is going down now.

On the way down we seened this deer and mom woz all SQUEEEEEEE! There be no huntin nefur efur in this park so you can get closer to the deer fur better pikshures coz they is not so skeered of peeples. This deer woz keeping her eyes on me big time but no worries, I dussn't chase wildlife coz if'n I even think about it I lose free range privileges and has to go on the walking string.

The Appalachian Trail goes on that bridge ofur the Hudson River. I hiked ofur that bridge in the summertime. It woz not so much fun. I like the Appalachian Trail in the woods better.

The Appalachian Trail on Bear Mountain has lots of steps but they be made to look kinda natural so I isn't skeered of them.

Here be some things about those steps wot I thought you might find interesting. And when you read that you will know why me and mom saved this hike fur the winter time - it be CRAZY BIZZY here in the summer time!

Quick Facts about the new Appalachian Trail section on Bear Mountain
- Since 2006 more than 800 individuals have volunteered over 30,000 hours of service. They have worked alongside professional trail builders recruited from around the country.
- The new section will feature nearly 800 hand-cut steps each weighing around 1,000 pounds.
- Over 15,000 square feet of stone crib wall have been constructed from scratch. This was all done with no mortar.
- The trail is designed to withstand the foot traffic of more than 100,000 hikers a year for the next 100+ years.
- The construction of this 1 mile of trail is the most technically complex along the entire 2,100+ mile long Appalachian Trail.

It woz not so windy down by this lake so we hiked around it and woz able to stop in a spot of sunbeams fur a drink of water and a chickun jerkey (fur me).

We akshully found a HEATED bafroom wot woz OPEN on the udder side of the lake and went in to warm up. Dogs is not allowed, prolly coz they mite catch peeple cooties wot be in there, but there woz nobuddy there and I had to warm my paws.

When we comed out of the bafroom sumpin fluttered by and OMD, it do be a Pileated Woodpecker!

They do be furry camera shy but this one sat there a furry long time and modeled fur us. Well, akshually, I think think he woz nomming bugs and stuff.

So then we woz getting back on the hiking trails when we heared musics. Wot could that be?

So when we got home the boy and the girl woz back from Pencilvania spending Chrissmass with the girl's fambly and they brought back flowahs wot the girl made fur mom.

I see no resemblance.

Thank dogness my hidey spot be next to the heat maker coz that do be where I is thawing my furs out.

Back to the No Dogs Allowed Park and the Chiropractor

2011-12-27T07:50:00.001-05:00

So we went back to that park wot sayed no dogs allowed where we stealth hiked last week. But this time I woz legal and had proof. Mom emailed the park peeples and asked wassup with the no dogs allowed sign and the innerwebs saying dogs is allowed. They anserred that dogs do be allowed and they will has the park ranger change the sign. So just in case they had not changed the sign yet, we printed out the email and bringed it along. Thank dogness we did that coz the sign woz still the same.

How hard can it be to change the sign?

So anyways, woo hoo, we got to go to the seenik now.

Common furrends, I show you the seenik.

It be atop that mountain ofur there.

Ta da! There woz seeniks on all sides atop this mountain.

The seenik biggified - that be New York City ofur there.

Going down from the seenik.

Wishing I could get my furs wet but I has that chiropractor appointment.

So this only be a short almost 4 mile hike coz I had my chiropractor appointment. I has to tell you, furrends, we has seen AMAZING results from me hasing my bones re-alined. Rememmer how before a cuppull of hours after my hike I could not get out of my hidey spot to nom dinner coz I woz all wonky stiff and stuffs? It woz happening efurry time we hiked. So after just two adjustingments, we hiked almost 10 miles last Furiday and NO WONKY STIFFS! We hiked almost 12 miles Sunday and NO WONKY STIFFS! The chiropractor woz amazed and sayed he had not eggspected me to respond so fast. So now I dussn't has to go back fur 2 weeks.

Then on our way out of Mike's Feed Farm where my appointment woz, I met a new furrend and OMD, he be an Irish Wolfhound and I felt like a chiwawa next to him!

I is not used to being so tiny.

I got all eggsited coz off to the side (not in the pikshure) I seened FRANKIE FURTER! OMD! OMD! But when he did SNARLY FACE at me, I knowed he woz an impawster coz my buddy Frankie Furter would nefur show me his teefs like that. His mom sayed he did that coz I be so big. So my mom sayed "Wait until he sees what's around the corner." Wish I could has stayed to seen that, BOL!

Christmas Day Hike

2011-12-25T18:25:00.002-05:00

So on Saturday mom ~~dumped~~ drived the boy to the train station so he could join the gurl in Pencilvania at her fambly's house fur Chrissmass. So seeing as we had no howliday obligashuns, we went HIKING! We love hiking on howlidays like this coz we has the woods all to ourselves.

All decked out in my festib Chrissmass bandananana.

But I had to wear my hiking gear magical collah too and they dussn't match so I made a doggie fashion faux paw.

Wowser! I found a snail shell. There woz nobuddy at home so we carefully moved it off to the side coz that be valuable real estate fur some critter mebbe.

I be waiting on mom to climb the steep hill. Four paw drive lets you climb faster.

I is leading the way to the seenik.

A crow flied ofur and he sayed Merry Chrissmuss at us.

Yummers! I got howliday chickun jerkey fur break!

I is crossing the bridge to the main part of the park wot is usually furry bizzy but nobuddy there today!

I put mom on the walking string, fur her own safety, you knows, and taked her to...

... Ringwood Manor. It do be full of anteeks from 1854 - 1936 and you can go in and look, well not me coz I dussn't think dogs is allowed, but peeples can. But they is closed fur the howliday. They left a few dekorashuns up just fur me tho.

Did you all get your prezzies coz I hope this do not be Santa Paws' sleigh wot broked down. Yikes.

Then outside the mansion in the yard there be this gate with no fence! If'n they had dogs, they is not here no more.

I had to look back at the mansion one more time coz well, all us dogs wot once lived in shelters do be furry greatful to has homes but a home like THIS would be totally pawsome. Hey, a gurl can dream rite? And just think, mom would nefur has to get the vacula out again coz our furs would has all that room to spread out in and you would nefur see them!

Hmmmmm. More gates with no fence at the old cemetery. I is starting to see a theme here.

We found this grave in the old cemetery. Do you know who this be? He made maps fur George Washington. Now I know how that George found his way all ofur New Joisey and New York!

So after visiting with all the graves and stuffs, we taked the hiking trail back into the woods. Me and mom woz just like la-di-da-di-da strolling along all happy coz the sunbeams finally commed out when all of a sudden we heared...

Me and mom froze and looked ofur to where the sound came from and all we seened woz a black furball bear bootie flying away into the woods. We must has skeered him and he JUMPED out of the tree and runned away. Silly bear. If'n he stayed there rilly quiet we would has nefur known he woz there and he could has been like a Peeping Bear. Of course it happened so fast we did not get pikshures. Again.

Butttttt, mom had to climb ofur a blown down tree and while she woz sitting atop the tree trunk swinging her legs ofur (furry carefully coz her bootie do be sore from falling the udder day), she noticed eyeballs on her and told me STAY! Mom sat there and just started taking pikshures:

There woz a gabillion burds (and mom taked a gabillion pikshures) but these turned out the bestest. The little ones do be White-throated Sparrows and you all know the udder be a gurl Cardinal - we didn't has to look that one up.

So when we get home after ~~mom dragged me thru the woods fur 12 miles~~ hiking I go in the yard to do my bizziness (I is back to holding it on hikes ) then straight to my hidey spot fur a nap. So I let Sydney and Dixie snoopervise howliday dinner prepawrashuns.

We mussn't furget howliday dinner fur the kittehs!

Hey, you kittehs should try this stuff. Our kittehs like it the bestest of anything they has efur nommed and there be no icky BPA poison stuffs in the cans. It be called WERUVA - People Food for Pets. They make it fur dogs too but we hasn't been able to find it in the store. Still sniffin around fur it. OK, going to go chow down now. Bye.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T05:55:00.000-05:00

From all of us to all of YOU!

And just coz this be so furry cute and festib (and coz I rilly like goats)...

And last but not leastest, thank you all so furry much fur your wonnerful cards. I has decorated my hidey spot with them. Mebbe next year mom won't be suck a slacker and can get some cards out fur me. Good help be hard to find, you know.

Hunting For Mistletoe

2011-12-23T19:01:00.000-05:00

So mom dussn't has to go to werk any more until NEXT YEAR! So we went hiking today.

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, joke's on the tickies coz I alreddy has Lyme disease and I now has anti-bionic powahs!

So this park be in the Pine Barrens down south in New Joisey and yes, they has tickies furry bad there so we dussn't go there in the summertime but even in the wintertime the tickies can still be there, just not as many.

I readed this furry interesting article yesterday about mistletoe so I wanted to go find some and this looked like a good place. So in a skwerrel's nutshell, burds nom the mistletoe seeds then send them out their poo shooters into the tops of trees and that be where the mistletoe grows way up high.

Looking in the treetops fur mistletoe.

No mistletoe here.

Where is you mistletoe?

So there be lots of boardwalks in this park like I is walking on above. They can be furry slickery. Just call me Surepawed Shawnee coz I did not fall. Mom did. On her hiney. So I made her walk next to the boardwalks.

Still no mistletoe but I found Oyster Creek.

And I found gooses.

And I found holly.

But still no mistletoe. No worries, I be gibbing out smoochies anyways.

An Illegal Mini Hike, a Lost Dog and the Chiropractor

2011-12-19T18:58:00.001-05:00

Bizzy, bizzy day today furrends! Mom taked half a day off werk coz my chiropractor appointment be today and it be far away in hiking country. There be a park close by wot is too small fur a regular weekend hike but mom figgered we could do a little mini hike afore the chiropractor. So afore we go to a new park, we always check if'n dogs be allowed coz we would nefur pawtronize a park where I do not be welcome. The innerwebs sayed nuttin about dogs not being allowed. Butt, in the pikshure above I is not looking at you coz I is bizzy reading the park sign:

Uh oh. We woz 3 hours early fur my appointment and it be an hour drive home so not werth going home and coming back. Well, we woz noggty and hiked anyways. There woz udder cars parked there so mom figgered they woz going to where the seenik is and we would hike where there be no seenik and hope we did not run into anybuddy. But pawlese note the sign also say litter do not be allowed:

But horse poo must be OK:

So we stealth hiked furry quietly through the woods.

Shhhhh. I is not here.

I go where no dog has gone afore.

The coast do be clear. Let's roll.

So we made it back to the parking lot undetected and mom sneaked me back in the car. Whew. Then a van pulled in and the laydee in the van asked mom if'n she had seen a 9-month-old husky in the woods. Mom sayed no, we, errr, I mean she had not seen ANY dogs in the woods. But she asked the laydee fur her phone nummer in case we did see her dog on the way to the chiropractor. The laydee sayed she woz so close to catching the dog but she bolted. They had adopted her 2 weeks ago from a husky rescue and she somehow got off her walking string. Mom gibbed the laydee some advice. She told her if'n she sees her dog again, not to try to grab her but to fall to the ground, cover her head with her arms and whine like a dog rilly loud. Fur real, that her dog would then come to her to sniff her head to see why her mom be flipping out like a loony tunes and then she could reach up and grab the collah. The laydee looked at mom like, um, OK and left.

So as penance fur our evil, illegal stealth hiking ways, mom picked up ALL the litter in the parking lot and throwed it away in the trash can. Well fur that reason and coz we woz still too early fur my appointment. So just as we was getting reddy to leave, the van pulled back in. They laydee jumped out, ran ofur to my mom and sayed, "THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I did what you said and it worked! I got her!" Ta da, here be the vagabond puppeh:

WANTED CRIMINALS: Illegal Hiker and Runaway Puppeh

That laydee woz amazed that the minute she covered her head and started whining, her dog runned rite ofer and snootered around her head wonnering wassup and the laydee reached up and got her collah. OK, so good deed done to wipe out bad deed (that werk fur you Santa Paws?) and off to Mike's Feed Farm fur my chiropractor appointment. We still had some time so I did some shopping.

I did find some of that Merrick's Homecoming Holiday at Mike's Feed Farm and had mom get it fur our howliday dinner! Thanks fur telling me about that Phantom, Thunder, Ciara, and Lightning!

And thank you all fur your concerns about the Lyme disease. It be a worry fur mom and sumpin she has to stay on top of but I has not had any symptoms at all and it dussn't make me feel sickie. I is not even aware of it and hopefully we can keep it that way. And I dussn't mind taking the pills at all coz I get eggstra good nom chasers to wash them down with.

PEE ESS: I looked back on the innerwebs and seened this on the town web site about the park we woz at. I think mom be calling them tomorrow...
Moutainside Park; End of Mountain Ave and West Parkway; Mountains and wooded area, hiking trails, dogs permitted on leash; Camping by permit.

Hiking With Haley Again

2011-12-18T19:55:00.000-05:00

Sorry not to gibs you my full attenshuns but the dogs across the street from the park had just been let outside and they woz woofing impawtant stuffs at me so I had to lissen carefully. Anyways, my furrend Haley in Con-etiquette asked me to come hiking with her again. But she woz late. Haley's mom called my mom on the cell phone to tell her she had gotted pulled ofur by the pawlice and woz getting a BIG SPEEDING TICKET! Yowser! So while we waited I went and checked pee-mail at Millers Pond.

Then finally the pawlice finished writing up the noggty slip and let Haley and her mom go.

Haley! Is you in there?

Using proper greeting tekneek to be sure I is me and Haley is Haley. We dussn't want any identity thefts or nuttin.

Identities confirmed. Let's hike!

Here we is hiking.

I is sniffing pee mail ofur Haley's shoulder.

It woz furry cold and the moms kept complaning about their fingers being frozened like these icy sickulls.

So we did not get a whole lot of piksures of this hike coz you know the moms, yak, yak, yak, yak, yak. So let's get rite to the seenik and our break.

Here we is at the seenik called Bear Rock on the Mattabasset Trail. The mountain ofur on the horizon on the left be where Haley and I hiked fur our haunted Howloween hike. Spooky ofur there.

Me and Haley could not keep our snooters out of the break noms.

Chickun jerkey woz hiding in with the Zuke's Powah Bones! Wot a surprise! Me and Haley snarfed those down FAST!

When we woz done with our noms and break the moms got up and woz putting their backpacks on and me and Haley started BOLing coz, is you reddy fur this? Haley's mom woz sitting on COYOTE POO!!!! Thank dogness it be frozened or she would has had it on hers britches, BOL, BOL.

Frozened Coyote Poo

Uh oh. Litter in the woods. I had mom carry it out.

Tight rope walking on a log - but I chickunned out and went through the cold water.

Here we be back at Millers Pond but it still be way too cold fur swimming and getting our furs wet.

My magical leash be engaged fur leading mom back to the parking lot. Haley LOVED my magical collah and her mom said she could has one. We mite has matchy magical collahs the next time we hike togedder!

So fur some updates on our stolen bloods and the chiropractor. The V-E-T sayed Sydney must has studied fur her blood test coz she passed with flying colors - that be sumpin the hoomans say, wotefur that means. Me, my bloods woz good too butttttt...... the Lyme disease do be BACK! I has to take anti-bionics again. So it either commed back on its own or I woz reinfected. So neither Frontline nor K9-Advantix stopped me from getting cooties from the icky ticks. Boo. And we be thinking that the furst visit to the chiropractor done did fix me coz I has not been stiff or limping after this hike. Yay! We go back to the chiropractor tomorrow fur anudder re-aline-ment. I is so liking this!

Lyme disease in my bloods - biggified

Biggified even more.

Yes, furrends, you can get Lyme disease stuffies and pull their guts out and stuffs. I want one to put the bitey on.

The Chiropractor Visit

2011-12-12T20:25:00.000-05:00

I woz dooped. Here I woz thinking me and mom woz off to the chiropractor.

We rilly do like our V-E-T coz she gibs good skritches.

And she dussn't mind if'n we body slam her to the floor, BOL.

Turns out Sydney be due fur her rabies shot and blood swiping and I woz due fur blood swiping coz we has to keep checking me fur Lyme disease to see if'n I stay cured or get it back again. So mom stopped here on the way to the chiropractor.

Sydney's heart be in werking order.

My heart be in werking order and the V-E-T say mine sounded RILLY good, all slow and steady from all that hiking.

So I has no foto-graphic evidences of the bloodletting coz the fotografer, aka mom-who-is-not-to-be-trusted, holded us down fur the V-E-T! Yup, she played V-E-T tech and put us in death grip headlocks and holded off our veins so the V-E-T could stick the NEEDLE in and bloods would come leaking out. She did that coz it be the only way Sydney dussn't has enuff nerve to try to put the bitey on the V-E-T fur stealing her bloods. She knows better than to do it if'n mom be holding her. And me, well, troof be told, I would rather mom hold me than a stranger even if'n she cannot be trusted.

Weak from loss of bloods.

Now check out how kewl this do be. The chiropractor V-E-T sees some of his patients at Mike's Feed Farm. This be my kinda V-E-T place! It be a place full of nomilicious treats, stuffies, anything and efurry thing fur any kind of critter, even...

Let me biggify that fur you coz I know you cannot beleef you eyes:

I wonner, be this chow FUR skwerrels or chow MADE OUT OF skwerrels?

Anyways, I rilly like the chiropractor and Sydney woz all schmoozing with him coz she knowed he not be the blood stealing kinda V-E-T. He sayed my pelvis be tilted too high and he rearranged some innards around in there. It did not hurt, felt kinda good akshually. Then he went along my spine and it felt kinda like a massage, ahhhhh. He sayed a verti-bray be out of line in my neck and that woz causing my shoulder stiffness so he ~~twisted my head off~~ put that back where it belongs. He sayed this just be normal aging stuff but he be there to help me feel my bestest in my senior years. He sayed to mom I be in furry great shape fur my age coz of the good nutrishun (he be furry happy with the fuds and supplements mom feeds us - Wellness and Missing Link) and lots of hiking eggsersize. So I go back in a week to see if'n my front and rear-end allinements stayed in place and mom is to let him know if'n she notices any difference so we will has to let you know but so far so good! And it woz not skeery at the chiropractor! There woz udder dogs wating to see him and they woz all happy and eggsited and stuffs.

Hiking in the Snow

2011-12-11T21:33:00.002-05:00

We dussn't has any snow rite now (thank dogness) and there be no snow nowhere in Noo Joisey. But leave it to mom to find the only park with snow within a 100 mile radius of our house. (Note to self: This mite be good fur Sarge's "My Peep is a Flake" Contesty.)

When we seened snow 10 miles from the hike out the car winder, mom woz all like "What the....." So it be a big surprise to both of us. So let's get started on the "Shades of Death Trail". Yes furrends, snow AND death.

Akshually, this be called the "Shades of Death Trail" becoz it follows along Hickory Run and in the olden days dams on Hickory Run would break and flood the town and make peeps dead. I let the park peeples ofur at PA State Parks eggsplain it better to you.

"The loggers clear cut the immense forests but did no replanting. Hickory Run, which frequently flooded because it is so steep, flooded more often because there were less trees to slow the water. In 1849, several dams broke, flooding the towns of Saylorsville and Hickory Run. The devastation was so great that the state legislature passed a bill that allowed those who lost property to sue the builder of the faulty dam, but nothing could be proven and no action was taken. At least seven people died in the flood and many are buried in the small cemetery near the park office. The blacksmith, Jacob West, lost four of his children and his wife in the flood, yet survived by nearly forty years until he was finally buried at their sides."

We went looking fur the cemetery at the end of the hike coz it be too cold early in the morning and we needed to start hiking and get the bluds flowing and warmed up. Brrrrrrrr.

It woz so cold there woz steam coming out of the waters from Hickory Run. See on the rite side of the pikshure? I would say it might be a ghost but it woz warmer by the water and it is supposed to get colder when ghosts be around.

And when the steam got higher on the tree branches where the air be colder, it frozed and made pretty trees like fur Chrissmass time.

Snow. Brrrrrrrr.

Snow. Brrrrrr.

We got back ofur to a different part of Hickory Run downstream - akshually I think the water we is seeing is the same water we seened at the beginning of the hike and we catched up to it. Anyways, in this hiking book mom has the writer man writes "Just find a way over Hickory Run to continue on this trail." Mom could has scootched ofur on that log but it did not reach all the way ofur to the udder side. I would has had to swim but it woz way too cold fur me to get all my furs wet. So we went a different way. Doodyhead book! Mom figgered this mite happen so we had a backup plan.

Ta da!

Backup Plan

We just taked a different trail wot runned along side the Hickory Run until we commed to a bridge so mom did not has to scootch and I did not has to get my belleh wet and has ice sickulls hanging on meself.

OK, so you rememmer how my whole life I would nefur poo anywhere udder than my own back yard? I nefur efur poo'd on hikes until the skeery Howloween hike when I had the poo skeered outta me. Well, I has now decided to take it up as a new hobby. Today be the THURD time I has poo'd on a hike since that Howloween hike.

Mom tied it to her backpack so she did not has to carry it and efurry time it would make noise moving around mom would turn around thinking sumbuddy woz walking up behind her. (Note to self: Anudder pawsibility fur Sarge's "My Peep is a Flake" Contesty.)

In case you is wonnering why I hasn't been wearing my backpack to carry my own poo, well, you see, my shoulder has been bothering me some. Not while hiking but after we get home and I take a nap, I cannot get out of my bed or walk coz it goes all wonky stiff on me. The next day I be fine. So mom duss not want me wearing anything wot mite bother my shoulder. (Did I time taking up pooing on hikes just rite or wot?) Anyways, tomorrow mom be taking me to a chiropractor and I unnerstand they dussn't swipey bloods or give needles or do alien probes so I think I mite like this. I'll get back to you on it.

So back to the hike. We found this humungoid pine tree. I think the peeples in the olden days wot cut all the trees down missed this one. The trunk woz about 36 gabillion inches in diameter. The only udder tree we seened with a trunk this big woz 500 years old! This tree woz so big we could not fit all of it in the camera.

We climbed up high where it be warmer with sunbeams and we be looking fur a seenik up here.

Sniffing out some seeniks...

Here I is at the seenik. That be the Lehigh River down there and that pillar thingie in the water is where a bridge used to be but it's brokened.

ACK! Litter! Mom had to carry that too seeing as I duss not has my backpack on fur litter hauling.

So then at the end of the hike we went sniffing around fur the old cemetery. It woz not easy to find and ~~mom dragged me through sticker bushes and up and down steep mountains~~ we had to go off-trailing to find it. Mom read on the innerwebs it be across from the park office and we looked efurrywhere but no cemetery. The sun woz starting to go down and we woz ready to gib up when we decided to try up the street from the park office instead of across the street and wah-lah!

There be no signs or trails or nuttin coz they dussn't want bad peeples finding this spot and messing up the graves. The tombstones alreddy be old and breaking on their own without any help. But sumbuddy comes and puts flowahs on the graves. They be plastic that be why this is not dead from the cold.

Here be the tombstone of the childruns from that fambly wot the park peeples woz eggsplaining about:

So furry sad even tho it happened 162 years ago. But it be such a bootiful place where they be buried, up high on a hill unner the pine trees with soft pine needles on the ground, overlooking the Hickory Run so they not get flooded any mores. It woz a peaceful place where we could has stayed a while longer but we woz losing sunbeams and had to get back to our car afore dark.

Friday Fun Times

2011-12-09T12:16:00.001-05:00

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

And now that I has you in the tree dekorashuns mood, hop on ofur to Roo's Pet Fiction Theater and make an ornament fur the Blogville Chrissmuss Tree! My sis Dixie made a snowflek with her teefs fur the tree. Do she be talented or wot? She has been pawfekting this skill fur almost 13 years!

Then fur all your howliday shopping needs, go visit the The Road Dogs and order their Pit Bull Frogs 2012 Calendar wot helps pit bull rescues and has dreamy hubba hubba hunky bully boys in it, wowser! But you has to get your own copy to see them.

New York or New Jersey?

2011-12-04T20:42:00.001-05:00

Both! Yes furrends, today I hiked 11.5 miles in Noo York AND Noo Jersey and sometimes at the same time!

So on the way I seened Mr. and Mrs. Duck again.

Hai Mr. and Mrs. Duck!

Then up high ofur my head:

That be a downy woodpeckah - there woz a gabillion of them but this be the only ~~brazen~~ outgoing one wot posed fur pikshures. Here you can see the red on his head better:

So we hiked along the creek wot woz more like a river...

Then it became a LAKE with a DAM!

I woz lissening to the soothing sounds of the cascades...

When all of a sudden....

PAWTAY!

There woz like 10 gabillion dogs! Some belonged to the moms, udders they was dog sitting so they didn't has to go to jail and some woz fosters. Wot funs we had visiting! It woz wild and crazee good times. But they woz going to their cars and me and mom still had lots of hiking to do so we sayed good-bai.

Just when you think you has seened it all...

Looking fur that Appalachian Trail.

I found the Appalachian Trail with seeniks!

So now that we woz on the Appalachian Trail we had to sign the trail register to say we woz here. (Frankie, I would not sign Francine and Ernestine in, k, coz we want no record of them, rite?)

Then, OMD, my worstest puppymare! A steep drop DOWN!

I is skeered.

Oh. My. Dog. Wot to do? Furry most worried look on face.

Well mom went down, taked her backpack off, then climbed back up with a fur real leash, lassoed me and pulled me down! She ~~lied~~ talked all nice and and sweet and stuffs and woz like "Come on Shawnee, you can do it, one paw at a time..." Then she PULLED me and I FALLED even though I dugged my claws in and hanged on fur dear life but mom did catch me and ~~drop me on my head~~ lower me down furry gently. This be how I got down:

Well, I did live to see anudder day. But now it woz my turn to help mom. We got to the river and OMD, wot happened to the bridge?

Irene swipied the bridge.

It be no prawblem fur me to cross ofur but how is mom going to get ofur? I always say if'n she did not shave the furs off her legs, she could get them wet and stay warm like me but duss she lissen? WOO HOO - I found a way fur mom to get ofur!

Mom had to sit on her behind and scootch ofur coz she be no good at tight rope walking. Me, I swimmed ofur.

I found the bridge wot Irene swipied.

On the way back to the car we had to go through swamps and I thought that it looked like Bert had so much fun swamp diving that I gibbed it a try...

I tell you where that got me...

I is not amoosed and now I stink of flowahs. BLECH.

Friday Fun Stuff

2011-12-02T10:47:00.000-05:00

So furstly, my Woofless Wednesday woz the boy doing his birfday celebrashuns. And yes, beleef it or not, mom, ~~who nefur lets us has anything good~~ gibbed me a TASTE OF FUR REAL BIRFDAY CAKE! Check it out!

Nom, nom, nom, nom, nom.

So no, I did not get the whole BIG piece of cake (that woz a to-go plate fur the boy and the gurl), BUTT, the boy did gib us not one, no, TWO rounds of CHICKUN JERKEY as pawt of his big wild birfday bash. Fun times, I tell you!

So check out these moovies wot I seened the udder day, BOL, BOL, BOL!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-30T21:10:00.000-05:00

Mountaintop Meadow Hiking

2011-11-27T20:02:00.000-05:00

Today we woz at Trexler Nature Preserve in Pencilvania where we hiked ofur 11 miles and had pawsome advenshures with lots of wildlife, or not so wild mebbe. Anyhoo, furst I need to tell you about my new hiking gear. I woz surfing the innerwebs the udder day looking at dog hiking gear and OMD, I seened this and just HAD to has one!

Mom thought this woz a GREAT ideer coz it do be such a pain hauling my leash along and this way I has a collah (in sporty no-huntin-me orange, of course) with a magic leash inside. It came by UPS (Urgent Package fur Shawnee) the udder day, just in time fur today's hike. I gibs you a quick demo. I dussn't has any snazzy muzak and nefur mind the patched up hole in the fence wot the neybor dogs made so they can do snarly face at us.

I had to do that moovie in slo-mo coz mom walks too fast.

So, on to our hike now! Furst we seened rilly wild wildlifes and mom woz all like SQUEEEEEE and saying good morning at them and stuffs and they thought mom woz weird.

So at the nature center, OMD, you can walkie up on the ROOF, fur real!

Going up on the roof of the nature center.

Ta da! Seeniks from the roof.

And seeniks from the ground.

So we woz in the rolling hills of Pencilvania and efurry time we commed to the top of a hill, it woz seeniks all around. We woz on seenik overload!

Wot do we has down here in the field?

OMD, it be elk - this do be the furst time I efur seened elks. Kinda like the deers I think.

This nature preserve has a zoo in the middull and I is not allowed in there but I can look down inside from the mountaintop.

That ahind me is the Schlichers Covered Bridge wot woz builded in 1882.

We went inside the bridge but cars is not allowed to anymore coz it be too old. They is going to build a new one in 2013 with 90% new stuffs so the old one be all gone. I say leave it alone and let peeples and dogs walk thru it. Cars dussn't need to drive thru the nature preserve. Peeples should hike here, not drive here.

Then I had to go up steps on a bridge and mom thought I would be all skeered and stuffs coz you know how skeered I is of steps. Well, watch this:

You know why I woz not skeered?

The skeery stairs woz camooflodged with LEAVES so they looked like NATURE! Brilliant!

We commed to anudder mountaintop where there be fields of veggies (BLECH!).

BLECH!

OMD, wot is this?

I had mom engage the magical walking string so we could go check it out.

It be horsies and they stopped to say at me NEYYYYY and that meaned "snazzy magical collah you has there." They had some pritty snazzy leg warmers, too.

More seeniks on the way up to a break spot.

Break time.

Break ofur, moving on...


I see something atop that hill. Mom, engage magical walking string and let's go check it out.

WOWSERS! It be a bison! This one woz HUGE and there woz a gabillion of them!

A gabillion bison and a gabillion bison poo.

It woz a pawsome hike and I LOVE my new hiking collah!

Thanksgiving Day Hike

2011-11-25T10:03:00.000-05:00

So I be starting off at the ORAK mansion ruins in Harriman State Park in Noo York. This be a HUGE park with 44,000 gabillion acres where no huntin be allowed efur efur efur so we can go hiking there any time. Becoz of this it do be a bizzy park but on Thanksgibbing day, we has the whole place to ourselves - pawsome!

So, you mite ask, wot duss the ORAK mansion has to do with Thanksgibbing? Well it woz builded as a summer home by this huMAN with lots of green papers wot werked fur the company wot makes KARO syrup.

So those of you (well prolly not YOU but your hoomans) wot had pecan pie (BLECH) with Thanksgibbing dinner prolly had KARO syrup. And has you figgered this out yet? ORAK do be KARO spelled backwards, so this mansion be named after KARO syrup.

So when the man went to the bridge, his kin gibbed the house to the park and they tore it down but some of it still be there. Oh, and the living room in the house - it had a floor wot MOVED so it feeled like you be on a BOAT - SKEERY! And the winders woz portholes! SKEERY! But that it not there any more, we just readed about it on the innerwebs.

So then we moved on and had to cross ofur raging waters coz we just had 3 days of rain, rain, rain and more rain so the creeks be furry loud with white waters and all.

Then we commed to this shelter where peeples can camp ofur night. It woz builded in the 1920's when the ORAK mansion woz still there.

There be seeniks from this shelter but they be hard to see coz of the sunbeams in our eyes.

Noo York City Skyline

I can see the Hudson River ofur yonder.

Then we hiked ofur to Breakneck Pond where there woz summer camp cabins. This do be where inner city childrens come fur summer camp.

Nobuddy home.

Irene broke the dock. (I did not do it, it woz like that alreddy)

Now furrends, I knows that I encourage those of you wot likes to partake in archeology digs as it woz my most favorite activity as a yungun (and I has started to take it up again, BOL) but when you see a sign like this, prolly best to dig someplace else:

I think "prosekooshun" means more than no liver snaps fur dessert.

Woofing about liver snaps, I had some of the Thanksgibbing cookies mom made fur snack!

Then on to CRANBERRY MOUNTAIN TRAIL!

The mountain did kinda look like this it woz furry long and stuffs.

Atop Cranberry Mountain looking down on that Breakneck Pond where I woz afore.

If'n you notice my head be wet, well, let me tell you wot happened. It woz a little chilly and I had not intended to do swimming but I was walking on a trail with puddulls, minding my own bizziness...

... when all of a sudden - SPLASH! Mom looked up and all she seened woz my head sticking out. Yes furrends, a puddull in the middle of the trail woz so deep I stepped in and WENT UNNER WATER! Who would has eggspected that? So I woz wet, my bandanana woz wet, efurry thing woz wet. Refreshing, tho.

I found a big rawk.

Rood dogs on the trail with no hiking manners. The one by the arrow did snarly face at me and my mom yelled HEY at him and he stopped. His mom sayed "Oh, he means nothing by it". Rilly? Well it skeered me and mom woz not amused. His mom should has corrected him and had his walking string on if'n he can't behave right.

So at the end of the hike we commed to a fire tower wot woz also builded in the 1920's. Mom only climbed up one level coz it be rilly rickety and stuff and mom be skeered.

Happy Thanksgiving Treats!

2011-11-23T09:43:00.000-05:00

We be gibbing you an early Happy Thanksgibbing woofout coz I be HIKING tomorrow! Yup, it do be our favorite day to hike coz there be nobuddy else out hiking and we has the trails all to ourselves. Of course it be a Thanksgibbing hike so stay tuned fur where we go. And I will be sporting my ~~dorky~~ festive Thanksgibbing bandanana.

So wot about Thanksgibbing dinner you mite ask? I do gib thanks fur hasing a home and hiking all the time but I ended up with a mom wot be in the 9% of Americans wot duss not nom turkey on Thanksgibbing. This be the Thanksgibbing dinner:

BLECH!

Butt.... mom did buy US some fur real turkey, yes she did! And she made us treats out of it. Now she say it has vegetabulls and froots in it but I is here to tell you furrends, these treats is nommy and NO WAY duss they has vegetabulls and froots.

Wot mom say be in the treats.

So wot I seened her do woz skin the sweet tater and cut it up and boil it on the fire maker with some water then put the sweet tater pieces and water in the blender and smoosh it all up like sweet mashed taters. Then she added the FUR REAL TURKEY two-legger pup noms and peeled the apple and clawed it into shreds. Then in anudder bowl she mixed up 2 cups of the whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup of the cornmeals. Then she smooshed that all togedder, rolled it out and made BONES! Magic, I tell you. (This recipe woz adapted from the Whole Foods Market.)

Can I try some cookie dough pawlese?

Nope, no sweet taters or apples in there. This be way nommy.

OMD! I love sweet taters and apples!

Do they has to go in there? Can't we just has cookie dough?

Then after they did bake fur 35-40 minits at 325 degrees mom leaved the oven door a little open fur ofur an hour to let them cool off. Sheer torture I tell you! But finally, good things come to those wot wate:

NOM, NOM, NOM, NOM, NOM....

Happy Thanksgibbing efurryone!

Giving Sarge the Bird

2011-11-22T08:33:00.001-05:00

Sarge ofur at Sarge Speaks Out do be hasing a contesty where we is supposed to give him the burd. Okie dokie, you asked fur it...

This do be a baby blue jay wot woz here fur a while afore my time back in 1999. (I didn't come along until 2001.) So one day the boy woz driving in his car and seened a nekkid baby burd in the middle of the road and drived rite ofur it. No, he did not squish it, he aimed so he would miss the baby burd and he would go unner the car. He stopped his car and moved the burd ofur to the grass. When he commed home he told mom and mom made him show her where he put the burd. Well, it woz in full sunbeams and the nest woz way up in the tree ofur the bizzy road (wot burdbrains fur pawrents he had) so mom brought the baby burd home. Well mom sayed she do has an appreshiashun fur burd moms. From sun up until sun down, efurry hour on the hour the baby burd would SCREAM HIMS FOOL HEAD OFF fur noms and mom would has to hop to it with shoveling noms in his beak wot would open rilly big and he chowed down as fast like down the hatch! Fortunately mom did not has to chew his noms and spit them back out like burd moms do. She gibbed him Science Diet canned kitten food and he did thrive on that. (That be wot the innerwebs say to feed orphaned baby burds.) So when he got bigger and got fevvers and wanted to learn to fly mom would take him out in the yard and he followed her all ofur like she be his fur real fevver mom and flapped his wings and hopped in the air. And then kittehs started coming from blocks away and woz stalking him. They did love how mom be fattening him up fur them - NOT! It woz not safe fur the baby burd any more so mom made arrangements fur a wildlife sanctuary to take him coz he needed to be in a safe place to learn to fly properly with burds of a fevver, not peeples. Becoz it woz a 2 hour drive away, mom even had to stop and give the baby burd noms on the way. Wot an appetite. So as far as we know, the baby burd blue jay lived happily efur after. The end.

A Hike Back in Time

2011-11-21T14:23:00.001-05:00

This hike did take mom back in time to when she woz a yungun two-legger a long, long, LONG time ago. We be getting to that part soonly.

So we hiked all they way up this steep gravel road to the top of the Blue Mountain in Pencilvania to find the Appalachian Trail. On the way there do be a seenik:

I woz being blinded by sunbeams so I could not watch fur Khyra's X-Terra and I know it do come this way on Sundays...

So we climb all the way to the top of this road and mom is a huffin' and a puffin' only to find there be a parking lot way up here wot woz not on the map!

Stealth parking lot at the top of the Blue Mountain.

So from here we hanged a left and had to cross ofur the Appalachian Trail a minit to get to anudder seenik.

This be the Auburn Overlook where I can see some of where we is going to be hiking later.

Now we is on that Appalachian Trail.

The Appalachian Trail bringed us down to some railroad tracks. I think I need to hook mom up to the walking string now.

Follow me SLOWLY down these steep rawk steps mom so you dussn't fall.

Then I made mom STOP - LOOK - LISTEN to cross the railroad tracks.

Making mom follow the arrows fur walking into Port Clinton, PA.

Then, OMD, duss you see wot I see?

It do be my stunt dubbull and she woz doing def defying stunts alrite! Furst she woz on our side of the bizzy, bizzy road with cars going ZOOOOOM, ZOOOOOOOM by us. She woz trying to cross ofur and mom woz saying COME! COME! COME! but the dog could not hear her coz of all the loud cars. Then fur a split second there woz no cars and the dog runned like the wind across the street. Then she seened us and wanted to come back ofur but the cars started zooming by again and mom did not call her coz she did not want her to be roadkill. And we could not get ofur to her. So the dog just started walking away up the road. There be nuttin we could do and mom did see she had a collah and tags on. But she woz long gone by the time we would has gotted across the bizzy, bizzy street. So sadly, me and mom continued on not being able to help her. It did rilly put a damper on mom's travel back in time, which happens NOW.

When mom woz a yungun two-legger, a long, long, LONG time ago, her great gramma in Illinoy had a corner store with a candy counter and when mom visited, great gramma would gib her candy cigarettes (ahem, the start of her furry long cigarette smoking career wot is now long ofur) and a candy necklace from the store. So here be mom's destinashun:

Waiting outside securely attached to the bench for just a minit while mom runned inside and had udder customers running out to report back on me and let her know if'n the udder dog like me commed back.

Evidence wot mom bringed me of wot be in the store.

And JACKPOT! Mom sayed she feeled like she be 6 years old again.

Then on the way out of Port Clinton...

We started walking along the Schuylkill River Trail when all of a sudden...

OMD! It woz that free range dog's dad and her name be Sheba! Mom sayed to him that no, I be Shawnee, not Sheba. Mom eggsplained to him that we seened his Sheba and told him where and wot direkshun she be heading in when we last seened her and he taked off to go find her. Silly Sheba, had she commed to mom and not crossed the street we would has takened her with us and runned smack into her dad. Sadly we will nefur know if'n this be a happy ending or not so lesson lurned furrends, if'n you dogs and kittehs is lost DO go to strangers! I would has even shared my chickun jerkey wif her!

So we hiked back around to the Appalachian Trail and by that furst seenik again so I could look fur Khyra's X-Terra without sunbeams in my eyes:

Khyra, did your mom see Sheba? She woz heading in the direkshun of Cabela's on Route 61.

Mom thought we hiked 10 miles today but turns out a setting woz wrong on her pedometer - it must has gotted messed up when she changed the time fur when we got an eggstra hour (she just did that this week - better late then nefur) so once she fixed it, it showed we hiked 13.6 miles. No wonner we be dog tired!

Hope you found your dad, Sheba!

Ho Hum Hiking

2011-11-14T18:07:00.002-05:00

Sorry I is late with posting my hike. I know you is all waiting with bacon bref (as the Road Dogs call "bated bref", BOL!) But I has a good eggskoose. I has been rilly, rilly bizzy helping mom rake the leafs wot commed down all at once:

So after last week's haunted hike-o-rama (mom and I LOL'd and BOL's so lowd at all your commenties) we did a ho hum easy peasy hike this time. Nuttin terribully eggsiting but we did hike 15 miles coz it woz close enuff to home that we did not run out of sunbeams. We started at Washington Crossing State Park, hiked ofur to anudder park and back then drived to a seenik on the way home.

So anyways, I has to tell you a funny story about Washington Crossing State Park. Back when my old geezer sis Dixie used to hike, like 4 gabillion years ago, we both hiked at this park togedder. After the hike mom leaved us in the car with the winders half down, coz it be a nice day and not hawt enuff fur the cold air blower, and headed to the powdah room:

The Powdah Room

A laydee screamed and mom turned around to see Dixie skweezing herselfs out the open car winder. She is SOOOOOO noggty! She wanted to go in the powdah room with mom. She jumped out and ran to mom. Not me, I is the good one, I stayed in the car. 'Sides, I could not fit thru the winder. So mom taked Dixie in the powdah room stall with her. Dixie waited until mom woz, errrr, not able to stop her, then she dived unner the divider wall and went a visitin' with the udder powdah room patrons:

A reconstrukshun of akshual events.

Efurry time Dixie popped up into the next stall, a laydee would say "OOOOOHHHH! Hello!" and mom would say "I am SOOOOO sorry! DIXIE! GET BACK HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" But Dixie, knowing mom could not chase her, went on a visitin' and a schmoozin' until mom woz done then Dixie meeted her outside the stalls all innocent like. Mom did not has a happy look on her face when she dragged Dixie back to the car by her collah. Dixie woz in the dog house big time!

So back to my hike. Furst we had to walk on this pawdestrian walkway into the park from the parking lot.

Wowser, no wonner they call it "Fall" - the leafs all fall down:

So we hiked on the Continental Lane. The pee-mail on the sign say this be where George Washington marched in the olden days after he crossed ofur the Delaware River by where we parked our car.

Where George Washington's army marched.

Where George Washington's army crossed the Delaware River.

There woz lots of nekkid trees...

Sometimes little bits of color...

Sometimes lots of colors.

Here be a wildlife blind where you can spy on the wildlifes and they cannot see you.

No wildlifes inside.

No wildlifes outside either coz sumbuddy furgot to put the noms out.

But we runned into Mr. and Mrs. Duck. They woz enjoying a nice relaxing swim around their pond now that the yungun chicklet ducklings is all growned up and out of the nest. They do be enjoying their peace and quiet on this bootiful fall day.

Then I had to stop and look both ways to cross the road to get to the udder park, the Ted Stiles Preserve.

Hey, dussn't this belong in last week's hike?

Anudder pond but no ducks.

To get back to the car we had to hike on horse trails...

And a towpath by a canal with rood gooses wot honked at me.

Then we got in the car and drived just a short cuppull of minits to Goat Hill. It be a furry short trail, only half a mile, up to a seenik of the Delaware River.

Heading up Goat Hill afore the sunbeams is all gone.

I stick my tung out coz peeples be in my seeniks.

This prolly be the last of fall I has to show you. The leaves is coming down rilly rilly fast now. Boo. How long until spring be here?

(PEE ESS - Coz of Frankie's commenty all worried that we not be hiking all winter, no worries, we DO hike all winter. I MAKE mom hike all winter or she gets fat. But we HATE winter and nekkid trees so we will be counting the days till spring hiking.)

The Haunted Hike, Part Three

2011-11-09T07:12:00.001-05:00

As you mite recall, Haley and I woz napping when all of a sudden we heared something and sounded the alarm:

Woz it the Haunted Dog of Hanging Hills? Would we has to jump off the cliffs to get away?

I is embarrassed to repawt that it turned out to be a hiker wot Haley and I almost skeered the sawks off of. Well, it could has been a demon wot had taken the shape of a hiker or a zombie hiker wot come back from the dead. The cliff we woz on do be where many peeples has falled off and been made deaded. Honest mistake, I tell you. I has nefur charged at anyone barking my fool head off afore and the moms told the hiker how furry sorry they woz fur our rude behaviors. Haley and I hung our heads in shame. The hiker woz a good sport about it and did not hold a grudge. Hmmmm, mebbe he woz a demon in dis-guys after all? I mean real peeples would has been furry mad about it.

It did, howefur, skeer the poo out of me.

Proof of Poo

Why do this be so spooky, you mite ask? Well, mebbe you dussn't know that in my 10 and one half years on this earth I has NEFUR EFUR poo'd while on a hike. Until now. Mom has NEFUR EFUR had to carry a bag of Shawnee poo. Until now. I be thinking it mite help ward off demons. It warded off Haley's mom coz she did not want to be down wind of my mom, even with it dubull bagged. I think I mite be onto sumpin here.

Anudder skeery cold spot with snow but I is fresh out of poo.

Then an abandoned pawty spot with lots of litter. Litter, or did they has to run fur their lives nefur to return to get their pawty stuffs?

Or woz the pawtiers deaded by a chainsaw massaker? YIKES! Mom, hold that bag of poo high!

I found some blood and guts from the chainsaw massakers. Gross.

Shhhh. There be a haunted hayride ahind those trees. The poo bag has warded them off in the udder direkshun.

Then, Oh. My. Dog. I founded the hideout of The Black Dog of Hanging Hills. RUN EFURRYONE! WAVE THE POO BAG!

We made it to the end of the hike wot be the same as the beginning of the hike and duss you notice something missing? The trail be all clear. Wot happened to the gnarly fingers of the blowdowns wot grabbed our furs? The chainsaw massaker peeples must has deaded them too. Even the spooks is not safe around here.

Our car! Hurry, efurryone in the car!

Whew. Safely in the car. Now step on it mom, we is dropping Haley and her mom at their car and we is going HOME!

And we drived off into the sunset.

~~~~~ THE END ~~~~~

The Haunted Hike, Part Two

2011-11-08T06:46:00.000-05:00

At the end of my last episode...

We had been sucked into the haunted castle and me and Haley pulled out the moms out by our walking strings but somehow I got Haley's mom on my walking string instead of my mom and my mom woz MISSING!

I could hear mom calling me from up above but I could not see her. "Shawwwwneeeee.... Shawwwwwwneee..." I detached Haley's mom from my walking string and ran to the castle and wot did I find there.....

OMD, I found my mom! I cried and gibbed her big smoochies and cried and shaked, I woz so happy to see my mom.

All safe and accounted fur, we forged on leaving the skeery castle behind. But now we be entering the turf of The Black Dog of Hanging Hills - EEK!

It do look harmless enuff...

...but read the sign. Shudder.

Me and Haley had to lead the moms steep down, down, down into a deep gorge...

...then up, up, up the steep mountain.

Attack Peregrine Falcons guarded the turf of The Black Dog from above but we pushed onward.

The phantom dog must be here close by coz there be a chill in the air and more snow.

Me and Haley got the moms through the haunted snek pit. Why would sneks be out when there be snow on the ground? CREEPY!

Finally atop West Peak, home of the spirit of the black dog.

At the top at the seeniks we taked a break. Haley's 7th birfday woz last weekend and we missed that so we brought noms so we could has a big birfday celebrashun on our break.

Thank you fur the birfday noms!

Me and Haley had settled down fur powah naps when all of a sudden we sprang into akshun....

INCOMING INTRUDER!!! INCOMING INTRUDER!!! INCOMING INTRUDER!!!

Woz it The Black Dog of Hanging Hills coming to get us? We woz trapped on a rock outcrop with no place to go to get away eggsept to jump off the steep, skeery cliff...

~~~~~ TO BE CONTINUED ~~~~~

The Haunted Hike, Part One

2011-11-07T08:55:00.003-05:00

So our Haunted Howloween Hike woz in the Hanging Hills of Hubbard Park in Meriden, Con-Etiquette. That be the Hanging Hills ahind me in the pikshure above. And yes, furrends, that do be a haunted castle you see atop the Hanging Hills. Furst we stopped here in the pawdicured part of the park to get pikshures of the rugged part where we be hiking up above.

Here be wot the haunted Hanging Hills look like from the innerstate when we woz driving in: (spooky)

So while we woz in the pawdicured part of the park, we seened the fattest ducks and gooses efur!

They woz so fat they did not run from me. Spooky.

OMD, the ducks and geeses has their own island with their own castle!

And take-out catered in fur breakfast. No wonner they is so fat.

So we hopped back in the car and drived around to the udder side of the park to the House of Target store to meet up with Haley and her mom.

Haley? Be that you?

That looks like Haley...

Yup, that be Haley and it be me, Shawnee.

So we left Haley's car there and drived to the trail in my car. We donned our ~~dorky~~ festive Howloween bandananas.

There be a furry impawtant reason we has the bandanananas on. You see, the Hanging Hills be haunted by the Black Dog of Hanging Hills wot looks eerily like Haley so we wanted no confuzzlement.

So that be why this hike be haunted and we thought we would only be watching fur the haunted dog coz lots of peeples has falled off the cliffs and made deaded by the haunted dog, but OMD, it be WAY more spookier than that! You will see...

Let the hiking begin...

Early in the hike we passed a water tower with werds from beyond...

OMD, snow from Snowtober - you know it be colder where spirits is around. Creepy.

Haley say the trail be blocked by skeery blowdowns from the Snowtober storm of last week.

I leaded the way as the bony fingers of the blowdowns clawed at us and tried to hold us back. It taked us 2 hours to fight through 1 1/2 miles of blowdowns! Skeery!

We did finally make it up to the top fur some seeniks. Check it out, Haley...

The seenik.

Then, ofur on the horizon.... Duss you see it. OMD, SPOOKY.....

The Sleeping Giant

That be Sleeping Giant State Park coz it be a giant sleeping on his back! See, that be his head to the right and his legs to the left. Creepy! (That water ofur by his feets be the Long Island Sound.)

OMD, a crack in the mountain. We be staying far away from that. Skeery.

Then...... THE HAUNTED CASTLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Haley and I woz checking pee mail (The pee mail sayed HELP! STAY AWAY! RUN FUR YOUR LIFE!) when all of a sudden.....

... we woz all sucked into the castle! YIKES!

I did wot you sayed Frankie, I had mom on my walking string to keep her safe and I pulled her down those skeery steps back out into daylight. Haley pulled her mom out too. But, wate a minit, OMD, how did I get Haley's mom on my walking string?

MOM????? Where is you? MOM?!?!?!?!?!

MOM?!?!?!?!?!

I must go find my mom...... Why did she not come out of the castle? How did Haley's mom get my walking string?

~~~~~ TO BE CONTINUED ~~~~~

Pre-Hike

2011-11-05T22:01:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow is the day we is hiking with my furrend Haley to make up fur our Haunted Howloween hike wot we missed coz of Snowtober. But, becoz we missed hiking last weekend and mom has not hiked in 2 weeks, I think she needed some practice so she can keep up with me and Haley tomorrow so I took her on an 8 mile hike today.

Common mom, left, right, left, right... I picked an easy peasy flat trail fur you.

I do beleef I see a big burd ofer there...

OMD, I think it do be a Black-crowned Night-Heron!

So then how weird is this...

We hads to walkie UNNER the innerstate highway! Cars woz going ZOOM ZOOM ofur my hed!

I dussn't know if'n Irene or Snowtober did that but that be a big old oak tree! RIP, tree.

At least Irene and Snowtober did not mess up the boardwalk.

Uh oh. I put it in my backpack to carry out even tho I did not carry it in.

It be beginning to look a lot like Chrissmuss.

Wow, this park do be pet furrendly!

They even has a bowl speshull for water fur us dogs. (But I brings my own, thank you.)

Here I is at the Manasquan River.

My Pointer impawsonashun.

I is going through a historic village from the olden days long time ago afore I woz birfed.

Picking up pee-mail at the stage depot.

This church be backwards. Below it say why.

They has a train too wot you can ride around on in a circle but the train woz not running today.

Then we taked the rail trail back to the car. This be where trains went in the olden days but now bicycles use it. And peeples and dogs like me. And dogs like...

Oh. My. Dog. It be a gang of little nipper dogs making snarly face at ME! They be saying "Your booty be OURS you big shepherd dog!" Their mom woz being rilly bossy with them and telling them they woz noggty to be rude like that to me. I ignored them and mom told me I woz a good gurl. Take that you snarly faces!

So I think mom be good to go tomorrow fur our big haunted hike a week late. We is just hoping all the Snowtober snow be gone where we is going (it mite not be) and that there not be big branches down wot we cannot get through. See you after I get back! Or IF I get back coz this hike do be haunted...

Happy Howloween!

2011-10-31T08:31:00.000-04:00

The bloopers:

Sydney has DADD - Dog Attention Deficit Disorder

Sorry that she be related to you guys, Norwood and Ruger.

Fur the love of dog....

Haunted Howloween Hike - CANCELLED

2011-10-30T10:00:00.001-04:00

Furst we missed our hike coz of Irene, now we missed our hike coz of Snowtober. Grrrrr. There is not supposed to be any snows here in October! We had a haunted hike planned in Con-etiquette with my furrend Haley but Snowtober put the kabash on that big time.

Snow total fur Newark, NJ (by me) - 5.2 inches

Snow total fur Hartford, CT (by the hike) - 12.3 inches

Where we hiked last weekend in Noo Joisey be unner a foot of snow and where we hiked the weekend afore in Massy-chew-sits be unner TWO feets of snow! Snowtober did not swipey our powahs but it did swipey our innerwebs and televishun and stuffs yesterday. It be a werld gone mad, I tells you!

I think the moms mite be talking about doing the hike next weekend and pawtending it be Howloween so we can get all haunted and spooked and all like we woz supposed to today. But with all the trees falling down with the heaby snow on them, we don't want to be deaded fur real by them. So I'll be in my hidey spot all snug and warm waiting fur the snow to melt away...

Retraining Mom on Hiking

2011-10-23T22:00:00.000-04:00

We hiked 10.2 miles at Stokes State Forest in Noo Jersey today. We has hiked there many time afore but it be the furst time in this pawticular part of the park.

Back Seat Driver: STEP ON IT, MOM!

On the Appalachian Trail

Note the sign do say "Open to all Who Walk." Well, we knows that mom has had ~~embarrassing~~ unfortunate axidents here lately with falling down and losing blood and guts and stuffs so we had to do some retraining furst. Watch closely so you can see my training methods.

I is happy to repawt that with my retraining of the mom and my close snoopervishuns, mom did not fall down, not one single time today. Yay, mom.

Leading the way.

There be a fire towah ofur on that mountain. I hiked ofur there a few months ago in the summertime.

Most of the leaves has alreddy fallened down from the trees up here on the Appalachian Trail.

Lots of leaves fallened down.

A pritty seenik of Culvers Lake.

Turkey vultures woz flying ofur our heads.

We did sign the trail register to let the park peeples know we woz here.

This be a shelter where peeples sleeps in. I will go home to my hidey spot fur the dark night, thank you.

We did take a break at the shelter and I had my chickun jerkey. DROOL!

Checking unner the picky nick table in case any campers dropped noms. SCORE! (Don't tell mom, k?)

On our way again.

We found this litter but it do be brand new. We think a camper mite has left it on axident. Nobuddy be coming all the way back to this trail fur it so we take it home and clean it up and we can use make use of it fur sure.

Back at the pawking lot...

Tired back seat driver.