Spring Break Starts on the AT

The Food Guy's spring break started on Friday, so when he got home from the library we packed up the rolling doghouse and headed for WNC to go for a run on the AT. Y'all know I like going for a run in the mountains, so I was pretty psyched. We got our friend Ben to drop us off in Reeve's truck at the Wesser Creek trail on saturday morning after spending some time hanging out and visiting folks around NOC. Ben's the man for dropping us off and having Reeve's truck back at NOC for us when we finished our run. 'Cause I was tired and ready for some food.

Wait 'till you see where we went, and you'll know why I was so tired I couldn't even jump in the truck at the end of the day. After a long, long uphill on the Wesser Creek trail, we hit the AT and from there it wasn't too long before we got to Wesser Bald. It was a steep climb, but there were lots of creeks to drink from and even a few spots of snow to eat. Food Guy and Reeve were working hard to keep running in a few spots and they had to settle for a fast hike for some long sections. I didn't mind that since it gave me more time to run around smelling stuff. I think I might have used a little too much energy- by the time we got the Wesser Bald, I was pretty tired. 

The run back down to NOC was pretty fun. It was fast and had lots of twists and turns and I was entertained by how many times Food Guy and Reeve rolled their ankles on roots and rocks. You know- it's all fun and games 'til somebody gets hurt, then it's hilarious. 

Once we got down to the Center, I was pretty tired. Food Guy gave me some dog bones and I drank from the river for a little while. It's still too early in the year for Reeve to turn the water on at the Silvermine house, so, I just slept in the back of the truck while the people went up to base camp and took showers. All in all, I'd say it was a great first day of Spring Break. Food Guy didn't bring his computer, so he didn't do any work at all. I took a long nap while Food Guy and Reeve went into town to eat Mexican food with the crew from NOC. 

Day 2 was pretty sweet too. I was pretty tired in the morning and Reeve and Food Guy let me sleep in while they went and had breakfast with Ken and Juliet. Then, Food Guy and I headed for Amicalola Falls to hike part of the approach trail to the AT. Check this place out:

There were lots of people there, so I had to stay on a leash for a while. Once we got away from all the people, I got off the leash and got to run all around. We hiked around for about 4 or 5 hours- I don't know much about clocks and time, but it was long enough for me to be tired. I was pretty glad we were hiking around a river because I was a thirsty yellow dog. Food Guy carried water and a bowl for me, but I like to drink out of the creek whenever I get a chance. 

We hike along the creek and hung out on a bridge overlooking the river for a while. We saw some really cool stuff. Check out this old truck. 

 I found a ball on the trail, and I got the Food Guy to throw it for me for a while- note to self: chasing a ball while hiking is a bad idea the day after a long run. I was so worn out when we got back to the car that Food Guy had to pick me and put me in the back seat. I slept the whole way home and I wasn't exactly feeling like bugging the Food Guy to take me for a walk this morning. I'll wait 'till tonight to make sure everything is as it should be on our trails behind the house. 

Food Guys parents came were passing through Athens this morning, so he went and ate breakfast with them while I slept in again. You know something? I'm pretty good at sleeping. I had a good teacher. My buddy Zozo told me I should sleep at least 18 hours a day. Sometimes, I don't get that much sleeping in, so I'm making up for it today.  I think he probably needs a day off too. I'm thinking we'll both take the day off today and then head back out for a run tomorrow. 

You Can't Keep A Good Dawg (or a Yellow Dog) Down

 It's been a kinda crazy week. First, I want to address the attempt of some "spam detecting robots" to silence the musings of a Yellow Dog. Somehow, the good folks at Blogger got the idea that I'm perpetrating some kind of Spamming Offensive (perpetrating is Big word for dog, huh? Well, remember my food guy spends most of his day reading- a little knowledge trickles down to me). Obviously, I'm a very busy yellow dog. I have way too many things to do to be wasting my time with some silly spam project. I have to make sure people know the goings on of those stupid red-leg black-leg pants. I also have to go running, watch football, sleep, hike, hang out with my ladies Zozo, Sug, and Lucy, sleep, eat dog bones, sleep, eat... well, you get the idea. I guess the "robots" at Blogger figured that out, and they've decided to "unlock" my blog.

So, now for more good news. I got my rolling dog house back today. Last weekend, Food Guy and I went home to Mooresville because Food Guy's Dad had to have surgery. It was pretty scary. I'm a pretty big fan of  the Food Guy's Dad. He always gives me lots of dog bones, he sneaks me people food when the Food Guy isn't looking (Don't tell him). So I was pretty worried. On the way to the hospital Food Guy had to stop for gas. Some guy decided he'd rather talk on his phone instead of look for cars on Monday and he smashed my mobile sleeping place all up. I'm pretty good at sleeping in the car. Check it out:

But, the good people at the Toyota dealer got it looking good as new. See:

But that's not the Best News of the Day. The best news is that the doctors said the Food Guy's Dad is gonna be fine. They think he's going to make a full recovery, so I can relax. My extra dog bone source is safe. And the Food Guy is pretty happy because he doesn't have to worry anymore.

So now I can go back to riding around with the food guy. This is very important because I'm a mobile yellow dog, and I have lots of reporting to do this weekend. In case you haven't heard Fat Phil is taking a break from downing Krispy Kremes on saturday and he's bringing his gang of hilljacks down from Knoxvegas to play the Dawgs on Saturday. Well, like the title says: You can't keep a good Dawg down, and the boys are gonna get some redemption on Saturday! Sadly, I'm gonna have to watch the game from the couch on TV. I'd much rather join my food guy in the student section to watch when it's time to tee it up between the Hedges on saturday, but they won't let anybody other than UGA come to the game. Personally, I think UGA and I would have some fun hanging out watching the game. We could gang up on Smokey and give him a little taste of what Knowshon is gonna to to his boys, but the same rules that apply at the Kroger seem to be in effect at Sandford Stadium. 

The upside of that is that I'll get a break from hanging out with the Food Guy while he's wearing those stupid red-leg black-leg pants. But, don't ya'll worry, he'll be wearing them in the morning after he finishes his run. Did I tell ya that he's training for some silly trail marathon with his buddy Reeve? Yeah, those fools are going to run 26 miles and change at Fort Mountain in November. You know, I'm all about going for long runs. Check out this pic from our last adventure:

 I think 26 miles might be a little excessive. But, whatever. As long as that fool wants to do stuff  like that I get to go running almost every morning, so that's cool. Most dogs have to stay home all the time. Believe me, I know. I hear them complaining every morning as we run by them in their yards and their houses. 

Anyway, back to Saturday's festivities. After his run, the Food Guy will have to don his red-leg black-leg pants of doom. He'll take his weekly dose of humility for backing his Dawgs against 'Bama. And I'll be there with a camera. I'll make sure I get lots of pictures of him, so ya'll can enjoy seeing him looking like fool.