Sunshine Coast dog-camping

Ferry ride
We had our first ferry ride with a dog.  Unfortunately dogs aren’t allowed past the car deck so our top-deck photo-ops are over.  We did however walk all around the parking level saying hi to everyone and sniffing all the ropes.  Good thing it was a 40 min ride otherwise we might have gone for a poop though.  Whiskey’s been great with the car these days although we make a big effort to make sure she’s tired before a long ride.

our little poser

I wonder who peed here?

Blackberry season
It’s blackberry season and boy are they everywhere!  Every stop we made whether it be a scenic view or pit-stop there were heavy bushes waiting to be picked.  Here we are waiting for the ferry, collecting and eating our fill.  Whiskey is a fan of  sweet ones and gobbles them up from my fingers.

it pays to be tall!

sooo many wild blackberries!

On-leash campground
It was a dog-friendly campground, much less rugged than our last trip though a clear downside was that dogs had to be leashed at all times.  There were RVs, tents, yurts, cabins, and a motel section along with a dock.  It was really hard to keep her on a leash while doing all our activities and we still needed to give her all the exercise she required.  It was half as productive (putting up the tent, cleaning, cooking, eating, packing) and half as relaxing.  On the upside it was good to have her on-leash when there were deer around.  I’ve never had her pull so much before!

Whiskey helps rearrange firewood

Lakes
Whiskey is still too scared to dive into water from a dock.  She’ll fetch up to her tummy, and maybe take one step further, but beyond that she’s whining and stressed when we ask her to do more.  So it was a big shock when we were hanging out on a little platform and our little Whiskey took a couple steps backwards, falling in the water!  She was only in for a second before we fished her out, but was shivering for an hour afterwards, even with a towel-down and lying in the sun.  I guess she was just stressed.

Come on in!  The water’s great.  *lots of whining*

shivering and miserable in the sun

overseeing activities on the lake

Dog limitations
We ended up at Alice Lake just past Squamish on our way back.  Little did we know, dogs must be leashed and are not allowed on the grass, paths, or beach areas (so where are they allowed??).  It’s frustrating when you’re with a group of friends but have to chose the dog.  We ended up taking a hike while the rest of the group sunbathed, swam, and relaxed by the beach.

Hikes

We did one hike on Sunshine Coast: Mt Daniel as well as another one at Alice Lake: the Four Lake Trail.  Mt. Daniel is about 6km and 440m climb which is the most we’ve tried with Whiskey.  She was running until the end!  Alice Lake was unplanned but was absolutely gorgeous.  The trail was easy and beautiful (around 6km) and the landscape was astounding for a rainforest.  For both hikes we had loads of fun.  Sometimes I can’t believe my luck when I go hiking with Whiskey.  She never fails to make me laugh and smile and she’s just so fearless and silly.  I’m addicted!

trail of Mt Daniel

having fun off leash finally!

The view from Mt Daniel

a little log climbing is good for the vizsla soul

the amazing trail of the Four Lake Loop