Daisy's Doxie Adventures!

I would like you to meet my dog, Daisy.  She is a full breed Dachshund and will be 7 years old this year.  These pictures are of her "Happy, I Love Going on Adventures face!"  She LOVES going with us EVERYWHERE, especially if it includes a car ride and a hike (exploring time for her). Often times this is all included on our geocache hunts.  She knows that usually when "Dad" (Dear Hubby) is home and awake, that we are going to go somewhere.  And she expects demands to go. 

It's been our routine lately that on Sunday after church we will be going on some kind of car ride, hiking, exploring adventure.  And as soon as we walk in the door from church she gets that happy look on her face and starts barking which sounds more like "Lets Go".  She can't wait for us to change our clothes or grab a bite to eat, she is right there under our toes making sure we don't leave her. 

So I have decided to begin a weekly theme of what I am going to call "Daisy's Doxie Adventures" where I will share our adventures of the week, sometimes through the eyes of Daisy.

Last Sunday we headed out for a geocaching adventure Southeast of Bozeman towards Yellowstone N.P.  We drove a long the Old Yellowstone Road along the Yellowstone River.  Daisy loves looking out the windows of the car and usually insists on riding in the front seat on my lap, this way she doesn't miss anything.  If she see's cows or horses out in the fields, she will start barking.  She tell's me she wants to go play with them.  She thinks they are Dogs just like her and they need chasing. 

We stopped along the river to find our first cache.  We wandered through some trees and tall grass.  Daisy saw a rabbit and started chasing it.  She saw grasshoppers and tried catching them.  Mmmmm... They are a yummy treat!  The birds were singing and there were some fisherman nearby.

After that we continued on our way up into the mountain to Pine Creek Falls Campground and Trailhead.  To find this cache we were supposed to hike 1 mile up the mountain following the trail.  

We are heading into the high back country which is considered Bear Country.  Living where we live it is a MUST to carry Bear Spray with us at all times.  We also have whistles and know to make lots of noise.  We are especially careful and causcious at this time of year when the Bears are just coming out of hibernation and usually have young cubs with them.  It's also common to pack some heat... just in case.  Knowing that we share our backyard with bears and other dangerous wildlife can be a little unnerving at times, but I would not want it any other way.  We just have to be aware of our surroundings at all times. 

So while we are hiking up the mountain on this trail, I am singing all kinds of songs, blowing the whistle often and talking loudly.  Daisy is enjoying trying to chase all the little critters she see's such as chipmunks and things like that.  Of course, we don't allow her to get to far away from us. 

This hike was AWESOME!  We would never have known about this place had it not been for geocaching. We followed the river/creek the whole way.  Sometimes we ran into snow and ice but it wasn't too bad.  The forest was beautiful and smelled so good.    We crossed the creek a couple times and Daisy enjoyed drinking the fresh water. 

This is a frozen waterfall.  Isn't it pretty?

Once we reached the geocache spot, there was this gorgeous waterfall.  It was so beautiful and peaceful. 

We enjoyed resting and taking pictures before we had to head back. Daisy liked exploring the area.

Another couple with a yellow lab came up the trail behind us and Daisy was acting like that dog was crossing her territory or something.  She was barking and trying to chase him off.  She must have thought she was bigger than he was.   It was pretty funny to watch.

We had such a wonderful day.  This hike/geocache hunt was very much worth the time.  The weather was great, the area was gorgeous, we couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. 

Daisy is such a trooper.  Even though she is small, has short legs, and she probably hikes twice as far as we do or any other larger dog, she doesn't let that slow her down.  She loves to be with us.  She loves to explore and see new things.  And we sure love to have her with us. 

After we get home from one of our trips, this is how we usually find Daisy.....

Flopped out on the couch......

Notice her hind leg?  Funny Girl! 

She is such a good girl!

Stay tuned for more of Daisy's Doxie Adventures coming soon!