Retraining Mom on Hiking

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.

I Climbed Mount Everest!

Well, mebbe not eggzaktly Mount EvereSt, but it woz Mount EvereTt and that be as close I is will efur get, BOL!  You mite be wonnering wot has my attenshuns in that pikshure above.  Across the street woz a farm and a gabillion ducks was saying QUACK QUACK QUACK at me.

Peeples must has readed this sign coz I did not find any litters.

So the hike started up this rawk road wot cars can usually drive on but it woz gated closed so only hikers could go on it. I bet you cannot gess why...

It do be coz Hurry-Cane Irene woz here, too, with her havoc and destrukshuns.

Irene took a bitey out of the road.

You mite think in the picture below I be standing next to a beeber construkshun site like Anna founded on her pawsome vakayshun but no it is not...

That Irene made a big mess at the Guilder Pond.

Come and I show you the pretty pawt of Guilder Pond.

Then, OMD, I met a new furrend!

This be Oliver. Mom do be getting reddy to throw his tennis ball so he be way eggsited. Turns out Oliver's birfday be in March 2001 same as mine!

Then, on the way up Mount Everett, anudder noo furrend:

This be my noo furrend, Lacy.

There woz some seeniks on the way up Mount Everett...

Then, rite smack atop Mount Everett at the footing where an old fire towah used to be, anudder noo furrend but I did not catch a name:

Demonstrating proper noo furrend greeting tekneek at the summit of Mount Everett.

Going back down Mount Everett.

So on the way down Mount Everett we woz on the Appalachian Trail and it woz wet and slickery and well, you gessed it, mom slided and falled rite on her booty.  There be enuff padding there but not on her finger and it got an owie with blood and guts and stuff so we had to render furst ade:

There woz a big sign saying we woz on the Appalachian Trail so I knowed we woz not lost or nuttin:

I is on the Appalachian Trail hiking ofur to Jug End.

And then, OMD, yet anudder noo furrend and his name do be Everett!

Continuing on the Appalachian Trail.

Here I is at the seenik at Jug End.

Jug End seenik biggified.  Way back on the right side be Mount Greylock, the highest mountain in Massy-Chew-Sits where I woz ofur the summertime.

Enjoying some seenik from a break spot on a soft bed of pine needles.

Mom had made herself a snack wot woz soft coz she has been hasing a toof werked on and cannot nom anything hard rite now so she made some punkin bread, BLECH!  If'n it duss not has chickun jerky in it, I dussn't want it.  In fact, the punkin bread be VEGAN so it be all BLECH!

But mom think it be, and I quote "To die for delicious" so if'n your moms or dads be interested in how to make it, they can see here.  Mom sayed to tell you wot she did different woz she only used half the sugar and it be way sweet enuff. She leaved out the nuts and added 1/2 tsp cloves and used whole wheat flour.  BLECH BLECH BLECH!  Can I has my chickun jerky and Powah Bones now?

So anyways, heading back we had anudder medical emergency.  Mom catched her toe on a rawk and falled down and had blood and guts coming out of her shin.  I warn you, the pikshure be grafik (not of the owie, we had alreddy fixed that but there be residual blood and gut and stuffs...)

Pawlese note the constructive use of duck tape to keep more blood and guts and stuff from coming out.  It woz my suggestion in keeping with The Road Dogs and Frankie Furter's DUCK TAPE FESTIVAL wot be happening in November. (Yes, mom carries duck tape in her backpack - you just nefur know when it mite come in handy.  And that V-E-T rap werks pawsomely on hoomans.)

So after all that furst ade werk, I had some refreshments:

And then we headed back to the car and mom did not fall no mores, thank dogness.

I Found Fall!

Come follow along with me and I show you the fall I found in the Catskills!

Is we at the Catskills yet?

There they is way ofur yonder, those big mountains.  WOO HOO!

Yup it woz anudder bootious day out and me and mom got an early start and drived 2 1/2 gabillion hours up to the Catskill Mountains in Noo York.  We usually go there about 3 times efurry summer but we had only been there 1 time this summer coz that Irene put the bitey on the Catskills BIG TIME!  Did you know that the Catskills was CLOSED?  They sure woz.  Well they has opened back up and we woz able to get there one more time to see fall even with lots of road still closed and stuffs.  Sometimes we had to wate our turn in the roads coz they be only one lane.  The udder lane GONE, nommed up by Irene.  Grrrrr.  We even seened mountains with a whole sides missing wot Irene broked.  So once we gotted there, we hiked 10.5 miles so we could get in the mostest of it afore it started getting dark. Look, the park peeples has even builded noo bridges to replace the ones that Irene nommed up.

Nice sturdy bridge.  My paws like that. I gibs my approval to the bridge builder. Thank you!

We had to sign in at the trail register.  Mom put 1 hiker + 1 dog (that be me).

Here we go, up to Burnt Knob furst.

Common mom, you gots to climb up.

I do think we be coming up on a seenik furry soon.

I woz rite - a seenik of the Blackhead Range wot we has to hike anudder time.

Onward and upward to the next seenik...

WOWSER!  On the left, that do be Windham High Peak where we be headed next and to the right, the Hudson Valley wot I has to show you a better pikshure of.

This be the Hudson Valley

I see Maggie Mae and Corbin and way ofur yonder, be that you Norwood?

Anudder seenik.

I is 3500 feets high.

OMD! I snootered out some rilly old graffiti on that Windham High Peak!

Now we heads back to that and ofur to Acra Point.

More seeniks of the Hudson Valley from Acra Point.

Ahhh, finally some refreshments.  Mom brings plenty of water fur me in her water bottles but there be nuttin like a slurp out of a cool mountain stream.  Ahhhhh.

Heading back to our car.

Good night Catskills.  See you next summer.