The Jersey is Back On

We put Ganik's hiking jersey back on for a trip up Tincan today. His back seemed so much better and I thought a hike up a soft trail would do him good since he never likes being left behind. Of course we kept him tethered so he wouldn't over due it. Post hike he's tired but fine.

Here's a pic of both him and Babe on the ridge we ski off of.



Me and Valley. What a gorgeous day.




Valley napping. We all tried that routine. :)



Saw a black bear up near the summit ridge. A big one!

First Snow

Today we received our first snow of the season. More like afternoon flurries but it was snow! Didn't get a picture of that, but did get one of Ptarmigan Peak while out walking.

Here Kitty Kitty

Its moose rut which provides some great wildlife viewing opportunities. So no kitty cat but moose.

About 15 meters off the trail this first bull appeared.






Followed by the cow and calf hidden back in the hemlock.




With moose so close to the trail, one has to be very very careful. Its actually nice to have the dogs because they are good about detecting the bedded down moose who otherwise would turn into the boogey monster.


Occasionally, the Malamutes don't let us know when Bullwinkle is around. That means one still have to be on your toes.

Without any notice the cow appeared (the moose is upset by the way, LOL) out of the brush. I had stopped to take a leak and was unaware of what was around in the grasses and brush.



That's Saint Nicki and Babe backing up after the bull surprised us by popping up out of the brush after I walked by. Maybe not apparent but she's walking backwards away from the small bull.






Its nice to let nature run wild.

Play Ball!

Its pretty common for folks to take their dogs to the little league fields for exercise and play after the baseball season has ended. The ball parks are completely fenced in, folks will not enter the field if another dog and owner are in there, and we found it a wonderful place to work on recall.

They love to run run run when they are first released, then we start walking around practicing the recall and finding ways to play. This time we didn't expect to find not only a baseball but a golf ball as well. We found this evening they love to chase after the ball, play catch with themselves and when the ball escapes, all 3 get in the action to scoop the ball up and play keep-away and bitenecking.
In the first picture you can see the golf ball below Valley's left eye and next to her schoz-ola. Tthe 2nd picture shows Ganik playing catch.

Twenty or 30 minutes of this kind of fun make for some dead tired dogs after dinner. I know the Lathrop High School in Fairbanks has the Malemutes as a mascot, maybe I can sign these guys off to play for a little league team next summer.

Batter Up!

Fall Colors

Fall colors are full out on in the tundra. Great time of the year to get out and ooooo and ahhh at Nature's Lightshow. We walked into the first snow of the season. Snow mixed with Rain. Woohoo, winter is knocking at our door.

Row Row Row your Boat

We launched the FV Ganik tonight. That's FV for Funhog Vessel not Fishing Vessel.

I added the rowing mechanism to the canoe so I could maneuver the boat by myself and gave him a lifejacket since nobody gets in the boat unless they are wearing one. He was a little nervous at first but settled right down and enjoyed the view. We chose the lake to see how it goes, if he keeps it up, we'll gradually improve to some running water. The Ruff wear Lifejacket fit well and seems well constructed. You can see its a color easily seen even on bad days, has a sturdy handle on the back to grab him with and the life jacket holds when you lift him with it.

With his back, this might be a good ticket to enjoy the out of doors with him.

It'd definitely be the way to go if I could teach him to fish. I'd be happy to run the net if he could reel them in.

Time to Play Hockey

Well not playing hockey but playing in the hockey rink. The rink is fully enclosed except for an entrance so we blocked it off. Let the dogs loose, then they chased each other. After a bit of that we had them chase us. Then we practiced their recall. Baseball diamonds, like the little league down the road are good for this, if they are fully enclosed like ours is. A much softer surface, but they were working on it so we went with our 2nd choice, the neighborhood school hockey rink. Fun for all!

Here we have Valley giving chase to Ganik, and Valley coming to her call. (As always, click on the picture to enlarge.)

Winner of a Day on Winner Creek

We had a winner of a day on Winner Creek. Looked like it was going to rain at the house today. As I drove south saw a whole different situation developing. A sunstorm!









Valley seems happy with the view from the pass doesn't she?

Mrs. Bullwinkle

Out on Bullwinkle Patrol and a fall color check in the Tundra. Mrs. Bullwinkle and calf were out looking for somebody to shoot their picture.