Last Day

Oh, what a beautiful morning, oh, what a beautiful day! After a good night’s rest, Mama and I played fetch, had a little breakfast then went to Crater Lake! Some folks we met yesterday said the roads were open and the snow was many feet high!! We had to check it out.
The sun is shining and it was in the mid 40’s up at Crater Lake. And the snow banks along the road are higher than the car!!!

We stopped for several photo ops.

It was very windy and cold. Mama was smart and brought a coat, winter hat and gloves. She took lots of pictures of the lake and of ME!! Had strangers take pics of both of us, but not a single one came out. Mama and I REALLY DID do this trip together!!

The lake is incredibly gorgeous! And all the snow is spectacular. Since we went so early, there were only a few people there and Mama and I played fetch in the snow! In the middle of JUNE!!! How funny is that?!?!?!

On the drive back, we stopped at other view points to see other mountains and lakes. All very beautiful.

When we got back to the cabin, it was so sunny and warm that Mama changed into shorts and a tank top and we went to the lake to play fetch. Good, clean fun!
Cooked hotdogs on the grill for lunch, then some marshmallows over the coals. Yummy!
Just relaxing for the rest of the day. Tomorrow we will do the long drive back. It will be good to get back to the beach. This has been a great vacation: Just Karoo and Mama!!
Your puppy pal, Karoo

Day 6 - WE DID IT!!!

We finished our 100 Miles today! Well, Mama did. I probably did 100 miles every day! My total was probably close to a bazillion.
It was a gorgeous day with blue skies and a few clouds. Cool and crisp. Geri had to leave today to head back home. Mama dropped our car at the end of the trail, and Geri took us to the beginning. Then off she went. We will miss her. She was a good friend to have for the trip!
Our walk today was the Tioga segment: 16 miles of major up and down. The total elevation change is only 150 feet, but the ascents and descents were close to 3500 feet each!!! Mama has done great for the entire trip, no blisters. But today one of her toes was misbehaving. She rewrapped it three times and it still was rubbing wrong. But she kept going. Good job, Mama!
The terrain changed a lot today. Didn’t see as much of the river, we were usually over 1000 feet above the river! Lots of muddy trails that slowed us down a bit. Lots of rain forest, then up higher it was drier and warm in the sun. No rain today. Lots of high, steep trails. I like to race along those, Mama gets worried. She says I will cause her gray hair, right through the color job! What does she mean by that?
Saw a gorgeous bald eagle floating on the thermals. Also some vultures. I chased a grouse, upset her a bit. She flew up into a tree and screeched at me for awhile. Silly bird.
We finished the walk in only seven hours! With all the climbing we did, Mama was sure it would take at least eight hours. But we are fit! WE ROCK!!!
Then we went to see the Toketee Falls. It was only 0.4 mile hike from the parking area, but lots of stairs to get to the viewing area. I got to do that walk without my backpack! I was very silly on my leash, though. Mama had to keep telling me to “wait”. Lots of people wanted to pet me so I gave them kisses and let them rub my tummy.
On our way back to the cabin we stopped for an ice cream. I like vanilla so that is what we had! Then back at the resort, Mama took me to play in the lake. (We went through lots of poison oak today and I needed to rinse off). I get so excited to play in the lake, but I was tired and the lake is cold and Mama threw the ball too far… I just didn’t feel like swimming out so far… so the ball is gone. Maybe it will float in overnight and I can play with it in the morning!
Mama and I are going to drive to the other resort tonight and try to get these blogs sent to Linda. We went two nights ago, but could never get an internet connection. Sorry about the delays! I know you all want to know how I am doing. The answer is “GREAT”!
Tomorrow we will hang out here at the resort. Just play a bit and relax. We will do the long drive home on Sunday. I will probably sleep a lot on the way home.
Your puppy pal, Karoo

PS Mama wants to add to the blog!
Well, I must say this 100 Mile walk has been quite the adventure. Karoo is the best hiking buddy ever. He never complains about how slow or fast I walk, or how many breaks I take (to pant when going uphill…). He always keeps an eye on me and responds very quickly to commands. He never complained about any part of the walks…if anyone was going to have a bit of a “whine-fest” it would have been me… but Karoo would not care and nobody else was there, so I didn’t whine. I sure thought about it on some of the (MORE???) uphill climbs!
We want to thank everybody for their support (monetary and emotional!) in this adventure! All proceeds will go to animal rescue and Karoo is very proud to have walked for dogs and cats that are not as fortunate as he. A HUGE THANK YOU to all of you!!!
Stacy

Day 5

I'm so handsome!

Mama took these pictures of the scenery:

Wow, today was awesome! We got a nice early start because we planned a LOOOOOOONG walk! The weather forecast was 80% chance of rain. It had really poured all night. And it was raining as we drove to the trailheads. Mama keeps a rain poncho in her backpack and wears her rain hat. Keeps her dry and comfy.

Rained off and on all day, the sun would peek out periodically. Mamas feet were soaked in her boots. See, she should go barefoot (or puppy foot) like me! My paws were wet, but not soggy!
We wanted to do the Jessie Wright segment, but it is closed for construction. So we had to take an alternate route, UUUUPPPPPP the mountain, and up some more, then up some more! It was very tiring (for Mama, not for me!) and we were on some very steep cliff edges. When we got to the top it was sooooo pretty! Like a meadow with trees. Saw a deer bouncing away. Then DOOOOOWN to the bottom, across a bridge and back onto the North Umpqua Trail. We thought we were on the Marsten segment at that point… not. We had to go another mile to get there (and “miles” in the wilderness are mighty long!!). We did 6 miles in that segment.
Then we finally got to the Marsten trail… but had to walk along the Marsten Bridge to get to the actual trail connection. The Marsten Bridge is the highway… with no shoulder. Luckily there was very little traffic, no cars crossing either way as we quickly walked across. A bit scary and potentially dangerous!

Many of the trail heads are on the opposite side of the river from the highway. So there are nice big bridges to drive across to park at many of the trailheads. As we neared the end of the Marsten segment, Mama looked ahead and saw the bridge for the Calf segment! YEAH!! Then there was one for the Panther segment. Gets pretty exciting seeing those in the distance.
It is so pretty going along the river on these trails. The Marsten segment is 4 miles long. There are many high, sharp cliff edges. I was getting all excited about the traffic on the highway across the river valley… wanted to chase/race the vehicles (esp semis!). Mama just about has a heart attack so she makes me walk behind her for awhile. Sheesh, I just want to have some fun!!
Calf Segment was the next 4 miles. This segment has been closed since severe fire damage in 2003. Just reopened this March. Still some slide areas, but they have put in nice trails and all the deadfall is cut away along the actual trail.

The last segment was Panther. It was five miles. About an hour from the end, Mama was getting a bit tired and ready to be finished. (Me too, but I could never admit that!). Finally saw the final bridge then there was the car! I ran right up to it, I was ready to go back to the cabin!

We ran into many ticks (YUCK) and lots of poison oak (double yuck) today, so when we got back to the cabin I needed a bath. No room in the cabin, so Mama took me to the lake, had me fetch the ball, then rubbed on some shampoo and tossed the ball some more! That makes bath time pretty fun.
So we hiked for nine hours and did 19 miles! That puts our total to 86 miles in five days! We rock! Tomorrow we do a 16 mile hike which puts us at 100 miles a day early! Mama says we may stay at the camp on Saturday and play at the lake, maybe go for a boat ride! I want to play lots of fetch! Hope the weather is nice.
Time to go back to bed. A tuckered pup once again!

Your tired puppy pal, Karoo

Day 4

Me with Mama, me on the trail, and me in front of the trailhead sign:

"River view" and one of the flower-things Mama keeps looking at:

We got a very late start today. After a big breakfast we went to the Forest Station to get better ideas on the trails. The maps we have don’t seem to match well with what really is out there. So Mama and Geri spent some time at the ranger station getting things cleared up.
By the time we started walking it was almost 11am! I was ready to go!! A loop trail was recommended and we started on the “outside” trail. I saw some big squirrels to chase! Mama made me come back, darn. The trail was high up on a steep mountain side, overlooking the North Umpquah River, but also over the highway. We could hear the traffic as we hiked (and I really wanted to check out those vehicles. I would hang over the steep edge and get Mama all worked up! She finally put me on leash for awhile. Darn.) It wasn’t a very pretty trail. Definitely one to skip.
Anyway, it was unclear where to get back to the main trail and we ended up going an extra 5 miles before getting back on the trail! Also had to walk along the highway, with no shoulders, for over a half mile to get to the bridge that led to the trail head! (I was very good, I have been trained to sit when a vehicle is coming, because I would LOVE to chase cars. I was sitting before Mama realized a vehicle was approaching!) Not a very good “loop” trail. Mama is going to let them know! When we got back to the main trail it was GORGEOUS!! Right along the river, lots of water, felt like a rain forest. The trails we did are called the Riverview trail (yuck) and the Mott Trail (beautiful). We did not get to do one more leg that we wanted, got too late, and with the extra 5 miles we still did a total of 16 miles today! I think we (I mean Mama) are at 66 miles now (of course, I have done more!!!)
We have really been lucky with the weather. Nice and cool for hiking. A little rain, but not enough to get us too wet. Tomorrow is supposed to be rainy… hope it is like today! Not much rain at all. BUT tonight, when we got home, it really started pouring! Luckily we decided not to cook on the grill tonight, it would have been awfully soggy!
Tomorrow we are going to eat an early breakfast at the cabin so we can get an early start. Have almost 18 miles planned! Now that I have this blog written, I can get back to sleep!
Your puppy pal, Karoo

Day 3

Today we did the “Dread and Terror” segment of the trail! Geri joined us on the first part to the Lemolo Falls. She wanted to do some photos and some painting. Mama and I went on at a faster pace, lots of miles to cover!! Today I wore my video kam and the KarooKam. Mama thinks she got it all figured out. I looked quite cool with the cameras!
The hike was beautiful, all along the river. There were bazillions of seeping rocks and waterfalls coming off the sides of the hills. Mama was once again mesmerized by all the little plant life.
At one point we ended up in an area that had been badly flooded and became quite boggy. We were getting a little worried about getting through to our next stop! I kept finding incredible smells to follow and would race off a bit with my nose to the ground. I got a bit nervous and worked up… started barking and really got Mama a bit nervous! Finally scared a young buck and he sailed down the mountain side and swam across the river!!! I wanted to go after him, but Mama called me back… and I behaved… kind of. She was worried enough that she put the leash on me… darn it, I want to get that deer!
We have never seen anyone on the trails so far. But it is a popular trail for mountain bikers and we saw tire tracks today, probably from the weekend. Mama is amazed that anyone would ride a bike on those trails!! It was “dread and terror” enough on foot!
Mama saw a river otter today. I missed it. Just as well, I would have wanted to chase it, also!
The KarooKam did not work for long today, only got two pictures. Mama may post them, not very good pics, but you can see the tip of my chin and tongue! We haven’t checked the video cam yet…
According to the maps we did 19 miles today… sure felt like it, but we only hiked about 8 hours….
I finally ate a decent dinner tonight. Now it is time for bed!
Once again, sleepily yours, Karoo

Photos from Tuesday (Day 3)

These are some shots of the handsomest red-headed boy on the trails today:

Some of the plants Mama was so interested in:

Some of the scenery (there was so much water everywhere!)

Mama took this shot my puppy pawprint:

And here are some of the bridges we got to cross:

Our Adventures on Monday!

WOW, today is gorgeous!! The sun is shining, the sky is clear, the air is crisp and cool. Mama had the fireplace going all night, so it is toasty in the cabin, but very cool outside.
Diana realized she could not join us today. So we had to figure out our own game plan. Due to difficulty getting transport to start/stop points, Mama decided to do two “out and back” trails from the resort.

Oh my puppy goodness! What great trails! We walked from the resort, across the dam, another half mile to the trailhead. We walked east to hit the point where we started/stopped yesterday, then came back. We had to cross some creeks with no bridges again. I followed Mama across some rocks at one crossing. I am getting pretty good at following in her footsteps! Mama thought I may be kind of quiet and subdued today because I was tired yesterday. BUT I recharged my batteries overnight and was even sillier than yesterday! There were lots of squirrely squirrels that I had to chase. I can run very fast with my backpack on, but those darn squirrels still got away. I will keep working on it…
The trail we were on has peek-a-boo views of Lemolo Lake and the snow capped mountains. Lots of little flowers that kept Mama interested. Different terrains because there have been controlled burns here to make the forest healthier.

The second trail we took was to Lemolo Falls. What a gorgeous trail, following along the river that was cascading and falling all over itself! There was water coming out of every rock and crevice. The trail was often covered with running water. Mama was intrigued with all the mosses and little plants. The Lemolo Waterfall is quite stunning (according to Mama, I just wanted to play fetch!). We did a total of 15 miles today!

We were walking on the side of a very steep hill/mountain. Mama would not let me play fetch there, she felt it was too dangerous. But she made up for it! When we got back to the resort, we went to the lake and played a lot of fetch! Mama kept worrying that I would be too tired… come on! I am KAROO!!!!

This is my new pal Chomper:

Our friend, Geri, arrived! She is the artist that did the KarooKards! She is going to stay a few days, do some hiking and lots of painting. She took more pictures of me today. Smart lady!
Well, Mama needs to get to a spot where she can get these blogs sent. There is no internet access available here so she needs to drive to a WiFi spot. I better tag along…
Your puppy pal, Karoo!

Our Adventures on Sunday!

Hi Everybody!
Mama made me get up to write this tonight. I was sleeping (!!) quite comfortably, thank you! BUT you do need to hear about our first day hiking!
We did the most eastern segment of the trail, leads to Maidu Lake in 9 miles one way. This is an “out and back” trail. It is wilderness, so no vehicles can get there. We started out by the North Umpqua River and followed it most of the way. The elevation change was about 1800 ft. One of the residents here said we may run into snow so Mama took some extra layers of clothes and socks. I’m tough, I don’t need anything extra!
I wore my cool back pack and carried my poopie bags, TP (for Mama), gloves (for Mama) and MY snacks! Actually, I am so excited and worked up over this trip, I have hardly been eating. Wasn’t even interested in my snacks… but did share Mama’s cheese and crackers and fruit! But that was later!
The start of the trail is not far from the campground, so we took a quick drive and parked, then off we went. It is very pretty here: lots of trees, the river, birdies and squirrels (gotta get those!). Saw lots of elk tracks (and some poop) but not any actual Elk.
The trail is well worn, so no chance of losing it and going the wrong way. Good smells, too! Lots of stream/river crossings with good wooden bridges. EXCEPT one creek was way rushing and no bridge! Mama walked across a log, I jumped in the creek, it tried to wash me downstream, but I am strong and got to the other side. (OK, Mama did help pull me up the bank… but I could have made it myself!). One the way back, I would not have been able to make it by swimming… so Mama took off my packs, left on the harness and hooked the leash to me. (Just in case….). BUT I followed her across the log like a champion!
We had some clouds, some sun, some breezes, some rain and SOME MOSUITOS! (Luckily not too often, but when they were there, they were horrible) The hiking was great, we did run into a little snow, which turned into more snow, then even more! We finally had to turn back (Whimpy Mama) because she was sinking to her knees and a couple of times to her hips. We were to the spot where the elevation change was 1300 feet in ONE MILE! AND all we could see was snow! Guess I am not too sad that Mama turned back!
We were almost back to the trailhead, when there was a split in the trail… didn’t notice it on the way out. Hmmm, which way to go… we took the wrong, LONG way. Oh well, that is OK, it added on the miles we missed my not going all the way to the lake! Mama thinks we ended up doing about 16 miles today. About a mile from the car I started grabbing sticks to play fetch! Hiking is good, fetching is great!
Finally got back after about 8 hours out on the trail. When we got back to the cabin, I fell asleep. I am a tired pup! Then we visited up at the main building for awhile. I greeted everybody, then fell asleep again! Mama wants me to eat some supper. After finishing this blog, I am going back to sleep!!
Tomorrow, we will hike the Lemolo section of the trail and Diana is going to join us!
Sleepily yours, your puppy pal, Karoo

Day One Photos!

Would you believe it? We got to a WiFi spot, and Mama emailed all my photos and posts back to the office manager so she could put them all out here for you to see, and then her laptop started acting up. I'll have to give that laptop a "woofing to" when I get home! In the meantime, the nice folks at the Ocean Shores Animal Hospital have been able to upload a few photos and some posts:

Here are some shots of me on Day One, having a blast, and not tired at all!