We love hiking!

On Friday, Lance and Jackson got the last series of their "puppy" vaccinations, which influced the Lyme disease vaccine. This was especially crucial to us, because we plan on taking them out in the woods as much as we can. I'm always excited to go to the vet because I like to see how much weight they've gained. I was betting on 30 lbs., but was definitely off. Jackson still outweighed Lance by a pound, 24.5 and 23.5, respectively. They passed their check-ups with flying colors and appear to be in perfect health and are growing just fine. The vet did say that they are a little underweight and suggested that we increase the volume in their diets a little bit. We already feed them more than what is "recommended," but because they are so active, they probably burn it off more than the average puppy.

We're still having an "eating" issue in the backyard. It's so great to have the yard for the boys to run around in, but they have a tendency to eat everything in sight, with the exception of rocks (thank goodness). But they love to chow down on grass, mulch and sticks- and as much as we tell them "no" and try to get them to stop, they manage to eat their fair share. And this usually results in it coming back up later on. I've googled this before- and how to stop it- but all I have found was articles saying to "look at their diets" to see what they are missing. It's definitely not that though- they are puppies, and just like to eat everything. I'm really hoping this is a phase they grow out of soon.

Because of this eating fascination, I was a little nervous about taking them hiking. Greg and I are extremely passionate about the outdoors. Unless it's extremely cold out, raining or snowing, you'll find us hiking, biking, running... whatever we can do outside. I'm happiest when I'm outdoors, so this weekend was heavenly for me.

It's been a dream of mine for years to have a dog to take hiking, so I was thrilled when the opportunity finally presented itself this past Saturday. It was in the 70s and the trails were finally dry and not "snow-covered" so we decided to head to Gambrill. We did the green/black trails- which takes about an hour and is moderately strenuous (there are a few very steep inclines). Right from the start, the pups were awesome. They didn't try to eat anything and stayed focused. Jackson liked to carry a stick in his mouth, but I thought that was just too cute. They stayed right on the trail and we actually had to keep up with them! 

Since we had such a good time, we took them for another hike the next day. This time we did the blue trail at the Watershed- which is definitely less strenuous, but still a great hike. There were a couple of streams to cross, which was great exposure for the boys. I can't wait to take them swimming this summer- I know they will love it. Jackson and Lance even shared a stick to carry at one point- luckily I was able to get a picture of it before they dropped it. We met lots of people and dogs this weekend and the boys definitely had a lot of interaction with strangers. We are definitely well on our way (if not past) our goal of meeting "100 new people of all different types" for our puppy kindergarten homework.

What a wonderful weekend- we can't wait to do it again next weekend! And of course, I took a bunch of photos of the two different hikes. :)