The Labyrinth Hike or the Hike that Wants to Kill Us

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Mr. N is such a poser. During our pre-hike at 1000 Acres, there was a tour group(?) walking around, several of them armed with DSLRs. Mr. N sees a woman with a camera and trots over and strikes a pose. She starts taking pictures of him. Mr. N is the local wildlife, I guess? 
Afterwards, we lunched in Hood River at the Waterfront Park. We were trying to take photos of the dogs perched on the rocks. Sage was on the rocks with Mr. N until she dived into the water. So Mr. N posed by himself. He was not perturbed by this. 

We journeyed to our final destination, the Labyrinth. And then walked another half-mile from the parking area to the trail head. Supposedly, there was a waterfall on the way but either we completely missed it or it dried up.

Shortly after we were on the trail, we ran into two people who warned us about a rattlesnake up further on the trail and poison oak. We were prepared for the presence of ticks but snakes? Ugh. Hence why we started calling the trail; the trail that wants to kill us. We were very cautious on the trail and scanning every surface for potential snakes.

The trail did boast splendid views. And another waterfall that we couldn’t find. The trail was said to be “unmarked but obvious.”

We reached a point where there were two trails and we took the wrong one. After meandering, we followed the other trail up. We passed through several open grassy meadow areas where we saw at least a dozen hawks circling. Ann started calling Mr. N “hawk bait.”

It turned out to be a warmer day than we anticipated and Mr. N plopped down at some point while I was trying to take a picture.

Mr. N started limping and I picked him up and carried him for a while. I think he just stepped on one of the rocks wrong. I was mildly concerned I’d have to carry him the rest of the way but as we prepared to head back, he started squirming and was ready to zoom home. Poor Sage was suffering from the heat and was lagging behind in spurts and fits. The travails of being a double-coated, black dog.

 Doesn’t Mr. N look like an anime character?

Luckily, we did not end up seeing any snakes or running into poison oak. I did find a tick on Mr. N though. He was thoroughly inspected and bathed when we got home.

What hiking hazards have you faced? 
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35 Responses

  2. Emma

    May 1, 2015 11:36 am

    If Mom heard there were snakes, that would be it. We would be running for the car. Glad you didn't encounter any. Getting used to the warm temps again is not easy in a fur coat, but you all seem to have had a good time. Nice posing, Mr. N.

    Reply
  4. K9s OverCoffee

    May 1, 2015 1:30 pm

    I remember someone warning us of a snake not far ahead of us while hiking in Northern Virginia, and that was all we needed to hear to turn around on the spot. We can't take the pups for hikes during the day in the warmer months, as they share Sage's black coated fate (no undercoats), so we have to leave the house super early during summer time and have to be back in the car around 10 am.

    Reply
  5. Beth

    May 1, 2015 1:46 pm

    Great pictures! I absolutely love that Mr. N started posing for a stranger with a camera! Barley's never gone that far, but every time I pull out the camera she thinks it's to take a picture of her. Glad to hear you didn't encounter the snake–they are the only part of spring's arrival that I don't like! We've seen a few dead ones on the road, but haven't encountered any on the trails yet.

    Reply
  10. cupcakepetrillo

    May 2, 2015 10:11 am

    That hike was REALLY an adventure! Mom flips out if she sees a spider, a rattlesnake would be a deal breaker. Once at the park an acorn got wedged in between my pads. I limped like I was dying. Mom wiggled the acorn out and laughed at me.

    Love and licks,
    Cupcake

    Reply
  12. Denise Gruzensky

    November 18, 2016 2:34 pm

    Mr. N you such terrific pictures and smiles for the camera. Your Dog mom took stunning pictures of both you and the view! My Dog mom is very jealous of how well you pose. FYI your making me look bad… BOL Smiles, Barks and Wagging Tails, ~Shasta & Denise

    Reply
  13. Cathy Armato

    November 18, 2016 3:25 pm

    What stunning vistas on this hike, your photos are fabulous. Definitely worth the dangers of the-trail-that-wants-to-kill-us, LOL! I'm so glad you checked Mr. N for ticks, Ugh be careful of those! Our worst fear on hiking trails is when my husband decides to blaze himself a new trail off the marked trail, claiming it's an actual trail. This happens all too often & we end up lost or with poison ivy.
    Love & Biscuits,
    Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them

    Reply
  16. Joely Smith

    November 18, 2016 9:09 pm

    I am so glad Mr. N is okay and I hope Sage is recovering from her over heating a bit. You know I feel Mr. N is my spirit animal lol. Yeah umm sounds like you had a bit of a treacherous path there!

    Reply
  19. Hindy Pearson

    November 19, 2016 6:10 pm

    What a beautiful place to hike. Nothing better for the soul than being in nature. Mr. N certainly loves the camera doesn't he! I thought Jack was photogenic, but he can't hold a candle to Mr. N.

    Reply
  23. Daily Dog Tag

    November 20, 2016 7:12 pm

    It sounds like you had a great adventure. I've had more than one occasion when I've wondered if a bird of prey was going to try and carry off my dog. I am sure the woman with the camera is still enjoying the photos she took of Mr. N!

    Reply
  25. Prospector Pups

    November 20, 2016 10:54 pm

    Sounds like quote the adventure! Beautiful photos. We have ran into one snake in all our years of hiking and of course, it had to bite Hope. She's fine, but it was a scary experience! Glad Mr N is doing well after this long trek!

    Reply
  26. MyDogLikes

    November 20, 2016 11:25 pm

    On our recent journey out West, we hiked in some dangerous areas where bear, bighorn sheep and and mountain lions were nearby. Thankfully we never saw any however – except from the safety of the car!

    Glad you managed to avoid the snakes as well!

    Reply
  28. Tonya Wilhelm

    November 21, 2016 12:40 am

    That looks like an amazing hike and adventure. So funny about Mr. N posing. Dexter is all "posed" until I grab the camera, then he's not interested. Funny dogs. But, a lot of fun~

    Reply

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