The Dog Walks Me

Category: Adventures

  • Vancouver Vizsla Meetup (Video too!)

    Vancouver Vizsla Meetup (Video too!)


    or (if you are in NZ or OZ)

    We look forward to our quarterly Vizsla meetup for weeks and this time we met at a 100 acre off leash field area called North 40 in Delta. It was rainy and gray and we didn’t expect many people to show up, especially since it was also pretty far from our normal locations but hey, Vizsla people are pretty dedicated because we got at least 20!

    Very dedicated Vizsla owners

    There were red dogs as far as we could see chasing each other around, jumping over ditches, stealing sticks, and smelling butts. Whiskey had a ton of fun and is still curled up under my feet sleeping it off (after an agility class and another walk).

    We were so happy to see so many people out and the location was really perfect. The dogs just blended into the background. We had quite a flock of bald eagles watching us from above (probably not happy with the invasion) and Millie even flushed out a crane from the bush. I’ve been speed editing this video so hopefully it gets across the amazing bunny-vizslas of the day. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again- this breed is awesome!

  • Eagle Bluffs

    Eagle Bluffs

    We’ve done this hike a couple times with Whiskey but what makes it so strange this year is that Cypress Mountain has no snow! The ski mountain is bare this year and I’ve never seen it like this, especially in January.

    The Cypress Ski slopes in January
    Not much snow on the trails either, but a little slippery
    beautiful mist on a snow covered pond
    Whiskey blends in, this is her land!

    Eagle Bluffs is a great short hike if you are ok with a steady incline. The elevation is only 350 meters and is over pretty quickly. Once you reach the top of the elevation climb, there is a nice view from Black Mountain and then you head through a meandering trail to Eagle Bluffs for a beautiful view of the city. It’s a great 3-4 hour hike from the Cypress parking lots but be warned you’ll need to get a free yellow “hiking pass” to walk past the ski area during the ski season (you can get the pass at the old lodge where the buses pick up and drop off).

    A little stream of melting water
    Vancouver’s mountains are gorgeous
    pausing for a break on top of Black Mountain
    A view from Black Mountain
    the trail is sometimes also the stream

    Normally I wouldn’t attempt this hike in winter because of the incline and the snow (well maybe with snowshoes), but there was barely anything this year and with only a couple slippery bits, we could easily accomplish it in hiking boots.

    markers and trail is very easy to follow
    breathtaking view from the Bluffs
    the city from the mountain
    Whiskey just wants to play with the snowboarders

    We had a bit of trouble keeping our curious Vizsla off the ski slopes, as the hike follows the ski slope up. Be sure to keep your dog on-leash if there is any traffic! Whiskey was exceptionally bouncy today and must have ran 3x times the path going up and down like it was nothing. This must be an “extra bouncy” stage of puppy-hood.

    At the peak with my Vizsla girl!
  • Discovering new city parks

    Discovering new city parks

    One thing when you have a dog and need to get out for walks is that you quickly get bored of your local park no matter how awesome it is (ours is pretty awesome). So when our washing machine broke and we needed to pick a new one out ASAP, we found ourselves in a new part of town we rarely visit. We discovered the Everett Crowley park near the Knight St bridge to Richmond.

    It’s quite pretty in the rain. I can’t say for a sunny day yet.
    It’s great to have the park to ourselves.
    Lots and lots of space! 100 acres
    Our crew today is 2 humans 1 princess

    At 100 acres the park is a good size to walk an active dog and not feel like you are going in circles. All the inside trails are off-leash and on our very rainy walk, we basically had the whole park to ourselves.

    she will climb anything
    the inside off leash trails
    a little wildlife area
    taking some smaller paths

    There is a lack of garbage cans around so watch out for them and remember to pick up. There’s a beautiful pond in the middle dedicated to wildlife in the area. Aside from the large flat gravel path there are also some smaller trails that criss-cross throughout. We’ll certainly come here again when we want an easy stroll and are in the area.

    Where does this trail go? who cares!
    all tired she decides to sleep UNDER the seat covers
  • The Pacific Spirit

    The Pacific Spirit

    The Pacific Spirit Park is one of those amazing parks in the center of the city that makes you love Vancouver so much. Like Stanley park, it’s easily accessible and intersected by roads while also giving visitors the feeling of being in a real forest just steps away from home. Whenever we’re feeling lazy (or it’s threatening to rain heavily) we zip over to the park for a short walk.

    our puppy is getting older!
    whiskey looking for the stick we threw
    getting better with her jumping aim

    The park connects with one of the best dog beaches in the city -Spanish Banks with an amazing view of West/North Vancouver as well as the downtown city. From here we turned into the forest for a long loop. We’ve also done loops further in the park without going to the beach (so many options!).

    The view from Spanish Banks on a rainy day
    Whiskey loves her stumps
    happiest place for a vizsla

    There is a surprising variation in the paths and terrain you can experience. We’ve also had less altercations with unruly/aggressive dogs here than Stanley park. Whiskey loves the amount of sticks here to chase after and of course we had to take some photos to share.

    she doesn’t retrieve yet, she runs with it and chews it
    different paths around the park
    a mini swamp
  • Dog Mountain in snow

    Dog Mountain in snow

    Dog mountain has been our go-to mountain since we’ve had Whiskey. Close to town, an amazing view (though not this time), a short-ish length with an interesting trail and dog-friendly…what else do you want? We knew this hike is pretty popular so assumed the trail would have been packed enough for normal boots, although in some places it was icy enough that small crampons would have been an option.

    the first 10 mins of any walk with these two is nuts
    the gorgeous Millie with her Christmas collar
    a conversation
    kangarooing through the snow
    another version of the raindeer
    Whiskey is still all legs

    Whiskey and her half-sister Millie ran up and down like little speed-demons. There’s a section where normally there is a pond and a small open area that was untouched. They kangarooed through the deep snow and we were laughing so hard! Millie even ran so hard her poor paws started bleeding. It’s a good thing her parents had boots to slip on at the peak. As soon as the boots came on, she was happily galloping away again. They puppies also started shivering once we stopped for pictures so we put the jackets on.

    No need to throw sticks with these two
    flying vizslas!
    this trail is so much fun, snow/rain/sun
    Whiskey has her Christmas bow on
    treats? gimmie!

    There was no view because of the clouds but we took a picture anyways. Lets hope these dogs sleep for at least a couple hours now!

    Vizslas, kisses, humans
    baby it’s cold outside!
  • It’s Snowing!

    It’s Snowing!

    We’re very late this year for snow on the mountains and today we finally had a good dump up at Seymour Mountain. The mountain still isn’t fully open for skiing so we had several slopes to ourselves. We took the Goldie Lake Loop and were the only ones on the trail (we could tell because we were the only footprints in foot-high snow).

    She’s flying!
    new snowfall
    so proud of my happy puppy!
    It’s such a different element to hike in
    small snow covered lakes

    Whiskey and her Great Dane puppy buddy Hanna (7 months) were so excited about the snowfall. They chased snowballs, ran ahead on the short trail, and met many other happy dogs at the parking lot all under the thickening snowstorm.

    Great exercise in deep snow
    winter wonderland!
    pointing the way
    Grooming new runs
    waiting for more snow
  • Winter on Wreck Beach

    Winter on Wreck Beach

    While during the summer it’s the hippie nudist hangout, in the winter Wreck Beach is pretty much empty and inviting to energetic off-leash Vizslas. We met up again with Whiskey’s sister Millie (and Millie’s owner) and let them race up and down the beach for several hours.

    It was raining the entire time but you can’t even tell from the photos and the happy puppies. Just a small warning there are only garbage bins at the top of the stairs (not at the bottom during the winter) so it’s easier if you can wait until your dog takes a poop before you head down.

  • St Marks Summit Hike

    St Marks Summit Hike

    Another great day for a hike last weekend. It’s been raining so much that parts of Vancouver have been under threat of flooding but everything stopped by the time the weekend hit. We decided to push forward with slowly increasing our hiking distances and drove over to Cypress to do St. Marks Summit (11km, 460m gain, 4 hours)
    St Marks trail
    really really dry ski slopes
    Scouting out the trail in front
    Daddy showing Whiskey how to climb

    St. Marks is the first summit on the Howe Sound Crest Trail that goes from Vancouver’s Cypress Mountain to close to Squamish at 30km over several mountains. Luckily it’s dog friendly and we saw very few people on the way. Usually the trail is much more populated but it’s off season and the threat of snow on the trails keeps most people away. It’s been too warm to even gather much snow on the top of the trails but it was snowing for most of our hike! It’s so beautiful.

    Snow! It’s snowing big snowflakes
    Switchbacks going up
    Happy hikers
    We went through many types of atmosphere up here

    Whiskey had a couple adventures this time. At one point she had climbed up a steep rocky point and couldn’t figure out her way down for a couple minutes. Then poor Whiskey was happily galloping around at some point and fell through a pond covered in ice and snow. She was so cold but it seemed to make her run around even faster. We kept her moving and chasing sticks and didn’t stop very long at the top (there was no view in the clouds but the view is usually breathtaking). Soon she dried out and we were back on the dry ski slopes.

    Poor thing can’t get down
    I match the tree!
    Who’s that in the crack?
    How beautiful can British Columbia be?

    It was so nice to get outside in the crisp air without the hassle of snowshoes. I’ve been carrying a small jar of Musher’s Secret Paw Wax just in case her paws have trouble in the snow and ice but so far we’ve had no issues. I was a wee bit worried that it was a longer hike than normal for Whiskey but she spent the rest of the night running around at a friend’s house and never really crashed much. It’s weird because it seems like hiking energizes her instead of making her tired. Usually she spends the day sleeping and doesn’t seem so excitable.

    Merry Christmas!

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  • Stawamus-Chief Hike

    Stawamus-Chief Hike

    This weekend we finally had beautiful weather and enough time to head to Squamish for “The Chief” hike. One of our old favorites it has become so popular that over the last 5 years it’s come to rival the “Grouse Grind” for the must-do hike in Vancouver (even though I don’t consider the grind a hike). I now only do the Chief when conditions are such that I can avoid crowds. In November when the trail is full of ice and snow, the peaks chilly with arctic winds, we met relatively few hikers and had a blast.

    on top of the Squamish world
    Ice and sun

    Whereas 7 years ago when I first did this hike there were few stairs and it really did feel like a natural hike, nowadays the trail is mostly comprised of  man-made wooden or rock stairs, especially to the first peak.  There are 3 peaks in total and I normally climb the third, then second and call it done. Most people do the peaks in numerical order so you avoid any lineups going the opposite way. Also the trail down from 3rd peak is the most rugged and hardest on bad knees (we’ve got a few bad knees in our pack) so I prefer going up that way.

    We start at the Shannon Falls parking
    Just starting out
    Seriously Mom? You want me to climb that?
    I’m doing it! Whooop!

    Whiskey was super stoked to get going, especially since she was shivering right out of the car. Of course as soon as we started the upward trail we were all shedding our layers and pretty soon down to one shirt.

    Puppy on a mountain
    On Third Peak
    It’s an amazing view from here
    Looking north to Whistler
    In the summer I would lie down and nap here
    Watch out for chipmunks and crows that like to lure the dogs to the edge
    Looking south from 2nd peak

    The peak on 3rd was happily wind-free, and as we crossed the quick section to 2nd peak the sun was threatening to set. Coming down from 2nd peak is a challenge with a dog (many people don’t attempt 2nd with a large dog) because there is a ladder and chain section. Whiskey was a little nervous but was carried down with no drama (except the Vizsla drama). Check out those sad sad eyes! She was gripping so hard, I sometimes wonder that she isn’t human.

    Heading down from 2nd peak
    It’s a good thing she’s so used to being carried
    Oh that sad face
    the drama! It was too icy to put her down
    awwwww
    Here I’m happy I don’t have a larger dog
    We handed her down

    For those that want to avoid crowds in the summer, a nice side trail off from Chief is the Upper Shannon Falls hike. I’m sure we’ll do that one with Whiskey soon! I’m just super stoked that she’s big enough now to do “proper” hikes.

    Our hiking family
  • Brother’s Creek Hike

    Brother’s Creek Hike

    It’s currently the awkward time of the year in Vancouver when it’s cold and rainy but the mountains have yet to become snowy. Our normal hikes are blocked by clouds for views while the trails have become streams (and no snowshoeing yet). Where to go for a quick afternoon hike? North Vancouver of course!

    our climbing Vizsla
    streams in the trails
    Daddy’s girl
    I’m constantly surprised by my mountain goat
    where’s the stick?

    While Deep Cove, Lighthouse Park, and Lynn Valley become packed with families when the skies are low and grey, Brother’s Creek on the bottom of Cypress Mountain is somewhat empty. There are a variety of trails and loops here and many of them are more “natural”, less groomed, which is what we prefer. In half of these trails the rainfall has turned them into streams but it’s nothing a water-proof ankle boot can’t deal with. Whiskey had loads of fun chasing sticks, climbing logs, and posing for photos.

    Our Whiskey girl discovers the remains of an old sawmill
    how pretty is the rain in the sunbeams?
    majestic forest in our backyards
    Beams through the clouds

    We still have phone connection here so with our GPS phones we can’t get lost and can create whatever route we want. There is even a section of old growth trees you can check out (9m in diameter). When we began this hike in the rain, the clouds passed through the trees creating amazing lighting and after an hour the sun came out making me wish we had attempted a longer hike! Next week.

    Canadian graffiti
    Mom why do we need to stop every meter for photos?
    Giant logs make a great backdrop
    I see you!