More Pics & A Sunday Stroll

After we got back from climbing and running around yesterday, the Food Guy and Steven went to pick up some of the photos that Steven got developed yesterday. I figured I might as well add some of them to the blog since Steven is quite the photog. Check out this shot of me and Food Guy walking up to the Mushroom Boulder yesterday. Check out the cool Tigerlilly on the right side:

Pretty cool, huh? He also got a couple of cool black and white shots of the Food Guy working one of the problems we found at one of the other boulders:

These days of not having to work have been pretty fun. Today, we decided to take it easy, and just go for a short hike. Since the Boone Fork Trail was so much fun, we decided to go back and explore it a little bit more. Check out some of the cool things we saw:

The Rhodiecaves are really cool, and I think the ladders are a nice touch on this trail. I don't climb ladders, but I can find ways around them pretty easily. You know I am a pretty smart dog. I don't stagger around under the weight of my own brain or anything, but I can find alternate ways around sketchy parts of trails without any problem.

There were all kinds of cool boulders to walk around on and look down at the creek.

After walking through the caves and on the boulders, you pop out into this cool bald.

This trail is a must hike/run if you're ever in the Boone area.

It's been a nice relaxing day overall. The Food Guy and I have just been chilling this afternoon. He's been fixing some things around this crazy old house we are renting right now and watching the tour. Me? Well, I've been catching up on my sleep. Somehow, I think we'll end up going for a long run in the am before the Food Guy heads out to ride his bike. You know we can't sit still for very long.

The Adventures Continue

It's only saturday, but the Food Guy and I have had a pretty good weekend so far. Brian came up from Mooresville yesterday morning, and we headed out to the local boulders to try to get some climbing in. It didn't turn out to be much of day for the people to climb. It rained on the way up there, but we decided to hike down to the boulders anyway. The Food Guy and Brian each managed to climb one problem each before the rain and thunder really started. Now, y'all know I DO NOT like thunder. We huddled up under one of the overhanging boulders to wait the storm out.

It was fun though. I took a nap on the crash pad while Brian and the Food Guy hung out and watched the rain. After the rain let up, we hiked back up to the truck and Brian helped the Food Guy fix the screen on the front door of our house. That really made the day a pretty productive one because it's much cooler in the house now that we can have the door open. I mean, it's cool here in Boone (it's usually in the 70s or 80s) but the fur coat can get pretty hot sometimes.

Brian stayed till around 4 and Steven had driven up from Athens around 3. The people hung out while I took a nap. A little while before dark, the Food Guy and Steven woke me up and told me it was time to go for a run. We loaded up the truck and headed up to Price Park and went for a run on the Boone Fork trail. The BFT is a 5 mile loop that is one of the coolest trail runs anywhere. It follows the Boone Fork and has some of the most varied terrain in the area. There is even a ladder to go up around one of the steeper sections. It was a fantastic run.

This morning Food Guy and Steven took me for a run on the Greenway trails, and then we headed back up to Blowing Rock to get some climbing in.

It was threatening rain the whole time, and I could hear some thunder rumbling in the distance. It all worked out pretty well, and it didn't rain on us until we got back to the truck. Steven and the Food Guy both got to climb lots of problems and we hiked the whole loop to get a good look at all of the boulders.

It was another great day here in Boone. I'm glad the Food Guy had a little company because it made it a little easier for him to get a bit of a rest. He's been running in the am and riding his bike in the evening. If you ask me he's been at it pretty hard. But that's probably because I'm still re-adjusting to life after spending a bunch of time lounging around at the lake. The Food Guy and Steven will probably head up to the parkway to find a good trail to run if it's still raining in the am. If not, it sounds like some climbing is one tap. I'm loving exploring all the new places around here. Gotta love summertime.

A Tuesday Adventure

Well, I know most of y'all were probably working today, so the Food Guy and I want you to know that we were out adventuring for all of you who are stuck working somewhere. It's a tough life we lead here in Boone, but we are willing to take one for the team and make sure that the trails and boulderfields don't feel neglected during the week.

The Food Guy's buddy Steven made the trip up here from Athens yesterday to do some climbing. It rained most of the day, so we had to drop back, punt, and think of an alternative plan. We went to a cool overlook called Howard's Knob and then went for a run/hike on the trails at the local greenway. The weather gods smiled upon us last night and in the am; there was a break in the rain long enough for the rocks at the Blowing Rock Boulders to dry out. We jumped on the opportunity, skipped watching Le Tour this am (don't worry we'll watch tonight-- my nickname isn't Maillot Dog for nothing), and jumped in the mobile dog house and headed out to the boulderfield.

We were pleasantly surprised to find some relatively dry boulders and the Food Guy and Steven managed to knock out a couple of problems at two of the main boulders before it looked like the rain was about to start up again. Check out Steven and his fancy red shoes climbing away:

I had a lot of fun running around, smelling all the cool stuff out there, and taking naps next to the crash pad.

After we left the boulders, we decided to drive up the Parkway to the Linn Cove Viaduct. This place is really cool. It's a place on the Blue Ridge Parkway where they used 8 huge sections of concrete to build the road over the side of the mountain. They used a giant crane to set each section, so the huge boulders and rock formations wouldn't be disturbed. The view is out of this world.

There is a great trail called the Tanawha Trail that runs along the Parkway and under the Viaduct. It's a 13.5 mile trail that is just begging for the Food Guy and me to run it. The mountain laurel, Rhodie, and other native plant life are really impressive.

There are also some really cool boulders on the side of the trail that you can climb out on to get a great view of the area from. You can also find some sketchy trees along the trail to climb around on if you are feeling like climbing on rocks isn't enough for you. Check out Steven showing off his tree climbing skills:

All in all, it wasn't the worst Tuesday a Yellow Dog can have. I'm pretty tired right now. I'm slowing working my way back into active dog shape. The 5 miles we put in yesterday were my longest effort after my lake vacation, so I'm a little whooped after today's adventure. I'm sure the Food Guy will find some more cool stuff for us to get into tomorrow. Wednesdays need adventuring too, right? He needs to go into the office for a bit, but I doubt that will keep us from doing something cool. Stay tuned.