A seven-hour drive or hiking a 4000-footer nearby

 I woke up and checked the weather. Bright sunshine and temperatures in the sixties. The perfect day for Maggie to hike Saddleback. I had planned to drive to Pembroke Quebec and then onto Sault Ste-Marie on my way to Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. But… I couldn’t pass up this day on Saddleback especially with the sweltering weather moving into the Midwest. Have I lost interest in big drives? I don’t know. But I sure loved showing Maggie the challenge of Rangeley’s queen, Saddleback. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

A special gift

My sister-in-law Anna surprised me with a stunning portrait of Bailey. I love how this piece captures Bailey’s energy and vitality. Thank you, Anna! 

Hiking

 I took Maggie up Whitecap again. This time, because of the number of other hikers, I needed to keep this young dog on leash. The was up was fairly good, but the down? That proved to be difficult. Maggie pulled, and yanked, and landed a wild case of the Zoomies. Exhausting. 

Birthday Hike

 Hello, Bailey! 

We hiked Whitecap for Maggie’s 6 month birthday. She is strong and steady but a bit too Zoomy when crossing an icy trail. I liked bringing her up Bailey’s cairn. She’ll rest there someday… and so will I.

Spring Hike

 The girls went wild over the spring smells today with temperatures in the fifties. I’m dragged this way and that as we stride up the Yellow trail on Whitecap. Every few steps one of the girls will slow to a stop—the smells lure them into a coma and they stand breathing in the smell until I jerk their leash to bring them back to reality. 

Crossing the lower Connector trail

Cleaning the Dirt Mobile