I’ve done this mini trip several times and have always loved it. The Killarney Lake loop is very flat and easy and is great when you have a large group to wrangle. There is a surprising variety of terrain and landscape and lots of my favorite slugs (yes I love banana slugs). In the fall it’s full of berries and the 2 hour hike easily turns to 4 hours while I pick and eat along every step. This time we met up at the ferry launch in Horseshoe Bay, all 11 of us and took a quick ferry ride to the small island.
Our large hiking group on the ferry to Bowen
Nothing like company on the deck
Slugs!!! I love slugs
After a relaxing breakfast at the cafe, we wandered over to the path to start the walk. Whiskey was super bouncy and had a ton of fun. The trail was quite empty, meeting a couple runners and maybe 4 other groups including some horses! Whiskey was really excited about the horses.
Pointing out chickens
Introducing the group to our first viewpoint
Beautiful path to the lake
marshlands are so pertty
ancient forests
and horses! it was hard to hold her back
Great group this time!
At the lake she fetched over 15 times and swam in circles trying to find the stones everyone was skipping. The lily pads are hard for a dog to swim through and get tangled in their feet so we tried to keep her away from the worst of it. We found one leech on Whiskey that was easily removed so watch out for those!
swimming enthusiastically
perfect spot to stop and hang out
this girl has so much energy!
After an ice cream, some drinks, and live music on the grass, we headed back home over the ferry. What a beautiful day even covered in clouds!
So last weekend we took a little trip to Kelowna, the Okanagan, in the interior of British Columbia. It was my first trip there and we had a great group of 6 to share a wonderful vacation home. I’ve been wanting to visit for ages as it’s BC’s wine region and is famous for its local produce.
Lots of weddings and nice scenery
everyone helping out in the kitchen
The Summerhill Winery
Moo having loads of fun outside her normal home
our beautiful rental
This was the first time we’ve taken Moo for a trip and as our cat-sitter was coming along, we figured we’d give it a go. Moo is not a typical cat and has experience moving homes as a rescue. We had an idea she would be fine because she was so quickly comfortable in our house when we first got her. So this time we traveled with a full car-load, cat scratchers, litter box, luggage, food, 3 humans, 1 cat and 1 dog. Moo and Whiskey were great in the car for our 5 hour trip although Moo wouldn’t take any treats (Whiskey had no issues). When we arrived, Moo didn’t eat for 1.5 days but was exploring non-stop. Luckily the house we had was 2 floors and Moo felt safe on the top floor away from a friend’s mini Dachshund (who wasn’t allowed up the stairs). In all, we were 6 people, 2 dogs and 1 cat.
the group
Whiskey working for bacon
naps surrounded by a zoo
yummy home cooked meals
travelling companions
Kelowna
Our first day consisted of a farmer’s market, 3 vineyards, a goat cheese farm, and an amazing Korean rice roll dinner. Whiskey strolled around the vineyards and I had such trouble keeping her calm with the wild Quail (with babies!), ground squirrels, marmots, and birds everywhere!
SpierHead Winery
Waiting for the adults to taste
Oh Boy! A goat farm!!
Very interested in goats
Our 2nd day was a lazy sleep in, followed by fun on the lake, a bbq dinner, and board games.
Ginger rather stays on the beach
Getting ready to do a 3km swim
BBq dinner for all
S’mores over the fire
Moo even got to explore the garden for short (very carefully watched) outings. The 3 acre plot was fenced off so we felt very safe letting Whiskey roam (though she stayed really close to us the whole time).
Not quite sure about going outside
I wonder what she’s thinking
Checking out the garden
Time to come in!
It’s nice she can travel with us
Moo’s been great with the two dogs
Our last day was spent doing a little hike up Bear Creek, then a lazy breakfast followed by packing and heading out. The road trip back was uneventful with beautiful passing scenery. We really can’t wait to come back for a longer stay.
Low tide at Spanish Banks is really one of a kind. Spanish Banks is regularly a great dog beach but if you can get there on a low tide (arrive at least an hour ahead of the tide time) then it’s really special. With a fantastic view of the cityscape, it feels like you can almost walk out to the tankers and the beach is 1000x bigger than normal.
The tide is an hour away from low
It goes on forever!
Expert digger…not sure what for
Seriously, is this the only Vizsla that just sits in the middle of playing?
Playing a tiny bit of fetch
So happy!
We arrived at 9:30 on a Sunday morning and there were so many dogs and owners there that we met 3 other Vizslas!
Making friends
I had to lay on the sand to get this low
Meeting and playing with Hugo
There’s nothing like two Vizslas playing
Instant friendship
This time Whiskey was accompanied by her good friend Ginger who looks like a mini Vizsla with a no-nonsense attitude. Ginger was sporting her new life jacket (complete with handles) just in case the tide pools came too high. The two had a blast running around and meeting other dogs.
Little Ginger is so short!
Ankle deep water is pretty high for her
Whiskey chases the seagulls
Ginger swimming along
This is what the handles are for!
Amazing morning
Whiskey had fun sniffing out crabs. At one point we even had to leash up Ginger when a bald eagle decided to hang out on the sand. In the end we had two very happy and tired puppies on the way home.
It’s the time again! Meetup time in Vancouver for loads of springy red dogs. This time we took over Bridgman Park in North Vancouver for a little walk with alot of pep. There were several new dogs and lots of butt sniffing, playing, and chatting with other ‘parents’.
I really huge group this time!
my little girl stops to pose
long-haired Vizsla
dogs everywhere! where is mine?
everyone is meeting little Moose
The dogs acted like a giant pack walking through the park, although one or two inevitably went off chasing scents. I even got to meet my first long-haired Vizsla and we also have a black Vizsla-mix in the group! It’s so great to have a good community that gets together like this. Vizslas are relatively rare but the show-ups to these meetups is so much higher than other popular breeds. Suffice to say we had one tired and happy puppy on the way home.
I love these dogs!
four way conversation
treat? you must bring an entire bag of treats today
by the riverside, these are not water dogs
everywhere you see, vislas!
All good news and happy pups aside, we did have a sad incident where one of our newest puppies, 3 month old Pana was attacked and bitten by a bull terrier before meeting the group, and had to go straight to emergency. It’s really terrible news, especially since that dog had attacked 3 other dogs that day. It’s always a really good reminder to keep a close eye on interactions with other dogs, especially new ones, and ensure your own dog doesn’t go charging up to meet new dogs.
Whiskey’s been feeling so much better lately after the vet visits. She’s actually been more energetic than ever and I’ve increased her daily ration to over 1kg a day, I have no idea what she does with it! With the longer hours we’ve been having, our sunsets are now at around 830 and we love walking on the beach after work. This day we headed over to Spanish Banks which has a fantastic dog beach and wanted to see how far the beach went. Well guess what? It keeps going until Wreck beach and the walk was really nice full of little beaches, and nice secluded picnic area, and no one around (how we like it!).
Spanish banks was rough today!
how lucky to be living here
the start of a really nice walk
Between Spanish Banks is a very beautiful connection with lots of smaller beaches. Perfect if you want to chill or just have a quiet walk. There’s also a small picnic area with garbage bins and bathrooms. At some point we ended up at the University of British Columbia’s grounds and headed back to our car.
Photographing dogs is like photographing babies that can run faster than a bike… It’s just not easy. We recently hiked up Eagle Bluffs again in snowy, freezing rainy, and cloudy conditions. It was cold and dark and wet but I’m really happy I still got some decent shots in. I am no expert and have tons to learn, but if you do like my photographs, here are some tips from what I’ve learned along the way:
TRAINING the dog
Train a good Sit/Stay and Stand/Stay. Your job will be 20x easier if your dog can stay for 20seconds rather than 1 second
Whiskey automatically poses for us now. Her “stays” are great for photographs
You can train them to pose (reward only when you are happy), also train them to respond from afar (freeze from a distance, and walk a bit forward, stay again, go up on that log, look at me, etc). I use treats all the time and though I’m all for treat-less training, I find them really useful especially when you have more than one dog. You can also use them as a way to focus their attention from distractions and where to look (have an assistant hold the treats)
directing dogs for a photo is not always easy!
When taking photos of 2 or more dogs, it’s exponentially more difficult so have patience and keep your camera ready.
Getting both dogs to look at you and stay at the same time can be difficult, especially from a distance
TRAINING the human
Take lots of photos. This is the best advice I have! Also, LOOK at your photos, what should you do better next time? What should you repeat?
Try different angles, get down at their level, or put them up higher and take a shot from below
getting down to their level
Always take multiples (dogs blink and pull weird faces)
Look at amazing photos and get some inspiration. I’m also on Packdog and follow some great semi-pros for ideas:
Anticipate where they are going to go and set your shot up ahead of time, repeat the same photo several times if you can (get your dog to go back and forth the same path).
We saw a nice place for a photograph and set it up
Learn to multi-task: you will need to be able to walk while looking at a lens, holding treats, checking the light, and also ensuring your dog is behaving.
multitask taking photos while walking and directing dogs
CAMERAS
Understand your own camera- you don’t need an expensive one, though it helps but only if you have knowledge of how to use it. I would suggest to only bring one lens along because switching lenses while hiking is a hassle unless you have loads of time, and don’t mind the extra weight. We hike a lot under the forest canopy so it tends to be really dark. Mix that with the rainy days in Vancouver, plus a fast dog and most of our photos are blurry, even though we have a pretty good lens. A “sporty” camera is great – one that stands up to the elements, and especially if you are going out in the rain, the beach, and generally harsh conditions. Insurance is also great! I’m really hard with my cameras and they always need fixing. MY GEAR: Canon S110 (shoots RAW, great video, tiny and compact) Canon D90 (DSLR, old model but still works fine and I don’t feel bad when it gets sandy and muddy) Fuji X-T1 (mirrorless, newer, less heavy than D90, good in the dark, slower than D90)
I have a 35mm fixed and a general zoom lens for both cameras.
Use the light that you have. I never use flash because it ruins their eyes and I can’t imagine a dog that is ok with blinding light. If it’s very dark, I’ll make do with silhouettes. For running shots, set your camera to a fixed shutter speed (1/250 and quicker) and don’t attempt unless it’s bright enough. For shots in the rain, or dark locations, don’t shoot slower than 1/60 (for a still dog).
It’s a dark day but against snow, we get more light for faster shots
If you don’t have a seriously quick lens, try to manually focus ahead of time and take the shot when the dog runs past that focus area.
I had to take this shot several times to get the eyes sharp enough
Take practice shots and set up your camera BEFORE trying to photograph the dog. Their attention span is not long enough for you to get them to stay and twiddle with your camera.
POST PROCESSING
Taking the picture is half the work. There’s so much more you can do on the computer (or if you’re old-school, in the darkroom). I use Adobe Lightroom for my post processing so I can process batches of photographs with a few clicks. Normally I only spend about 2 minutes per photograph because I never have enough time in the day. I always shoot in RAW and use what room I have to fix up problems and mistakes.
the shot I took straight from the camera
targeting the greens to be more saturated, and focused sharpening
I don’t take my photography very seriously and it’s just a side hobby for me. Overall I don’t spend much time or effort to take or edit my photos, but I do find them getting better over the years just because I take so many. Good luck with yours!
Last week we hit St Marks Summit again, but unfortunately this we were hit with crowds everywhere (our previous hikes up here had very little people)! So this weekend our goal was an uncrowded hike with breathtaking views. We decided to try a new hike that starts at Buntzen Lake -Eagle Ridge or Swan Falls Loop/Lindsay Lake Loop.
Having a hiking dog really keeps you outdoors
She always stays really close when we are on trails
Buntzen Lake from the North Beach
We went up (2) and down (1)
We got to the parking lot super early (8am for us) as we knew we would be fighting sunset times if we took breaks. Surprisingly, a large amount of people also start hiking at 8am on a Saturday morning in March so it was busy for the first section around Lake Buntzen. We knew most people would be doing the Diez Vista hike (a nice one, but we were going higher!) or trail around Buntzen Lake. By the way, I’ve never seen so many warnings around dogs (where to go, where not to go), as well as warnings about hiking in general. I can understand when Buntzen lake is very busy that dogs should be kept to the dog-beach (there were summer days when the lake was “full” and you get turned around) but everyone we saw had their dogs off-leash in this non-busy season
The trail around the lake is very flat and easy
A crazy amount of warnings awaits us.
The first section from south to north beach
early morning at the lake
Pose? ok I’ll pose
artifacts people have found and placed for other to see
evidence of logging in the past
At the turn off to the Halvor Lunden- Eagle Ridge Trail, we were finally alone and looking up a very very high mountain (are we really doing this?). The climb is neither difficult nor technical, just long and the markers are pretty easy to follow though there are some sections where you must climb over a fallen log. It should take 2-4 hours for the 3km, 1150m altitude climb and this is by far the longest section. Please be careful if there is bad weather as it seems there lots of people that need to be rescued here.
the turn off for the higher trails with lots of warnings
investigating
Up up up we go
The trails were easier than we thought
A couple optional rope sections
waiting for our group to catch up
it feels like we’ve been doing this awhile now!
snack time
starting to see some peeps
Fantastic trails here
We met no one on the way up
a cat-nap while we wait for the group
oh we are so close!
we pass a couple frozen ponds
very little snow this year, sometimes it looks like this in July
I can almost taste my upcoming sandwich…
the last hump, you see the peak there?
The peak is beautiful and a great place to eat, rest up, and soak in the sun. After an easy cruise along the ridges’ high forests, you have a choice between a walk around some lakes, or a panoramic view-point walk. We were advised by a friendly forestry hiker we met that the viewpoint walk was a little longer, but nicer compared to the muddier lake walk so we took in the views.
Mt Baker on this clear day
on top of Mt Beautiful
heading through the ridge
my dog glows!
sometimes we would get lost if we just followed Whiskey
what an amazing day
more panoramic views
You can see downtown,Richmond, the Island, etc
Whiskey always runs ahead to the cliff and looks down
I sort of think she appreciates the view too!
By the time we started the decent, the sun was sinking lower and we picked up our feet so we could get back to the car before they shut the gates at 6pm (gate times are posted as you enter). The decent down the south park is less steep and easier on the knees. The hike took us a total of 10 hours at a pretty leisurely pace.
Starting at the same parking lots as the popular “Chief” hike, Upper Shannon Falls is slightly longer, with similar views, but less busy and has in my opinion, a nicer trail to enjoy. I really enjoy this option during the Summer/Fall months when hoards of tourists descend to hike up the Chief. It’s also better for the dogs when there are less crowds and more space to run. Details of the hike: 5 hours, 470m gain and 7.5km.
scouting ahead, but always checking back
I swear she knows she’s posing for photos
it’s a nice workout, but not difficult
We prefer to park at the Shannon Falls parking lot vs the Chief parking lot, because though it’s a wee bit longer to walk, it has proper bathrooms and you also have a nicer view to start of Shannon Falls (the hike will lead to the top of the falls). The trail starts the same as the Chief with lots of stairs and people, but soon it turns off with a small sign and you are on your way- no more stairs!
little lion king
Such a nice sunny February day
The trail also passes under the new sea to sky gondola which today was closed, but for another day, you can keep going further to the gondola platform and take the gondola down (with the dog!).
under the gondola
Today though, we stopped at the look-out for a fantastic view of Howe Sound and Squamish where we enjoyed some tasty treats before heading down.
The past long weekend we decided to take a cheap, dog-friendy vacation to Hope for some hiking. We managed to be lucky enough to have one dry day between the crazy rainfall and got in a couple hikes.
The view of the town of Hope
playing in the forest
posing in the forest
The town of Hope
Famous for the film location of the first Rambo, we did our research by watching First Blood with Whiskey in bed. We stayed in a beautiful AirBnB suite with a really comfortable bed and friendly family and had a blast. Hope is a pretty small town and we didn’t really meet any tourists out.
the roads around Hope are beautiful, even in the rain
The first day we set out early to conquer Mt. Hope, a 6+ hour hike. Unfortunately, Hope recently had a bad ice storm that damaged a ton of trees around the area. The logging road to the start of the hike was hopelessly blocked but we tried to get through anyway to see if it was just a small section (it wasn’t) and found the extent of damage was pretty incredible. This was the ultimate agility course for Whiskey and she was super quick to jump over, climb on top of, crawl under, and find her way though all the downed trees. She didn’t understand why the humans had so much trouble.
road is blocked!
yeah…not the easiest to get through
she gets through this mess like a wiggly snake -no problem
Next we made a random stop on the highway and found a small section of the Boston Bar Trail. Named after the Americans that had found gold on the Fraser, this is a really old trail that dates back to the 1850s. Now used by ATVs, there was no one out so we just strolled on through, throwing sticks and taking pictures.
not too shabby a stroll
weeee! happy dog
little waterfalls everywhere with melting snow and rainfall
Coming back to town, we next did the Hope Lookout trail, “the Grouse Grind of Hope”. It certainly was a grind and a good workout but with more variation in scenery than the Vancouver one, and much much less crowded. The finish wasn’t at the top of the mountain, but had a cute bench and a nice view of the city.
Another short-ish hike because, hey, it’s the long weekend and we wanted to sleep in a bit. We were the only ones on this hike which starts right off the highway. There’s no precursor- it’s just up up up and there are some scrambling parts as well with ropes to help out. The top has quite a bit of ice storm damage but the trail was really easy to follow. I would say that this might not be dog-friendly to small or old dogs because of the incline but any athletic dog would be fine (Whiskey was chasing sticks up and down like it was nothing). Also, since it was a rainy day, I would suggest to make sure you have good traction shoes for this hike. We had the most fun on this one, but be warned- we found ticks!!
the trail starts up right away
in lumpy moss land
we gain height quickly
taking a breather
she really doesn’t understand why we are always so slow
a quick peek
a couple ropes to help
Whiskey sits on my lap in the middle of a scramble
top top top!
waiting for me to finish the ropes
This is one gorgeous hike
she races up and down this mountain
until next time
Ticks
Oh gross oh gross oh gross. I’m not really good with bugs and was really happy to have someone else pull these buggers out. They can grow to enormous sizes and carry some serious diseases (rare) so make sure you check your dog if a hike is known to have ticks. We found 2 well hidden behind Whiskey’s ears and killed them in alcohol (flushing them down does not kill them).
If you’re looking for a long beach walk with excellent views, close to the city, and undisturbed, this is it! We’ve come here twice, both on weekends, and we’ve seen very few people here. It may be because it involves a bit of driving, and is not super close to any residential areas, but it’s also pretty close to the city (next to the airport) and easily accessible.
no one in sight!
she likes to follow me around on logs
beautiful view of the mountains and the logging boats
queen of her pile
Iona Beach is much longer than it initially looks and covered with logs, sand and grass. Before you reach the beach, there is also a super long jetty that most people aim for, but it’s crowded enough that I would not want to let my dog off leash there. Stick to the beach and you’ll have plenty of space to yourself.
snow geese taking off
view from the beach back onto the airport
playing fetch with found balls
perfect place for a stroll if you need some peace and quiet
getting almost to the end, it narrows down
There are only garbage cans near the parking so wait for your dog to poop or you’ll have a long way to carry a poop bag. Make sure you note the well marked no-dog areas that are wildlife areas (behind the parking area) so just leash up your dog until you are well into the beach before letting them run.
throw the ball mom!
watching the tug boats organize the logs
there are no shortage of sticks
kisses!
We found two balls on the beach to play fetch, and Whiskey even reluctantly went swimming a little (furthest she’s ever been). The first time we came we were surprised at how far the beach went down and only made it halfway. This time we went until the beach ended and turned into rocks before heading back.
