There's a reason there's music on top of most of my stories 🤣 I was aiming for one of those romantic dog +owner walks into the mountains but got this instead.

I've had so many people ask me "where is this??" when we go paddling in my stories that I wrote a list of places to paddle along the Sea to Sky Highway. The full list and details are on my blog (link in profile). There's also a list of hikes in the blog too! We live in one of the most beautiful places and have so much water access with gorgeous scenery that's also dog friendly. I've listed car access as well as hike-in access lakes, just note that many of these places will run out of parking in the morning of a busy summer weekend.

Today I had a bad fall- Bourbon was zooming past me and knocked me down so completely my cheek was in the mud and I was lying horizontal on the trail. This was after she made me Dremel my thumb bloody and before I caught her stealing cat poop from the litter box. But you know what? I would never trade any of that if that meant I didn't have the warmest little noodle cuddling me all night long. All the time, money, and limitations that dogs bring are nothing compared to never having to eat alone, sleep alone, walk alone, or fall on your back in wet mud alone (even if they're the cause of it). These girls have been such a beautiful distraction that I really have no idea what I would do without them. #neverstopwagging #earthrated

How does your air smell? Our summer looks a little different than most! We're usually hiking in the snow until July. This year didn't have a heavy snowpack and the melt has happened quickly with warmer temperatures. This means that while we're still hiking in snow, we're also hiking in smoke. There's very little people that are not effected by wildfire smoke these days and it's a very terrifying example of how a warming planet will change all our lives. At the most basic level, please please pay attention to fire restrictions including fireworks and make it your business to say something. I've seen lots of people having campfires during a fireban as I've driven up to hikes, or even people starting fires in the backcountry and it feels extremely uncomfortable to say something. However, if there's a fire that starts up while I sleep, or one on the forest road that cuts me off, I know I need to start making it my business. Lets all stay safe this summer, and I'm really thinking of those battling the fires out East right now. This is just the start of a warmer, dryer season and it will probably get worse.

🔊 They couldn't be more different. Did you blink? #seconddog #youngersister #puppyproblems

This weekend was full of mountains, good friends, dogs, and tired muscles. It was also full of driving, early wakeups, a ton of equipment, emotions, organization and cleaning up (still working on that!). It takte so much to figure out where to go, with whom, what time, and then the snow level, the roads, the people, cloud cover, trip reports and anything else can change it all. Some people like getting up late, some only super early, some like scrambling, some hate snow, others want to go slow, or fast, and some don't get along with others (dogs/people). It can sometimes feel like I've already climbed a mountain trying to organize a trip but it's all worth it once we are out there. Almost nothing can make me feel miserable outside and I'm thankful for each and every person and dog that comes and shares this space with me. Even if you're here online! Thanks for being here with me and sharing the mountains ❤️

Lupines came and went so quickly. We have some within walking distance of home so I was able to see them in the evenings when the days were tough. It smelled marvelous! #lupines #happyplace #vizslalife

Whiskey's always pristine. She hates getting dirty, she jumps over puddles and will take the long way around mud pits and never NEVER lies down or sits her butt on the ground. Bourbon...Bourbon's different. Bourbon loves digging into mud, and then eating it 😈. She loves to jump in puddles, attack her sister, and make bad decisions with a smile on her face. Now guess what happened to poor Whiskey... #neverstopwagging #earthrated

Because everyone seems to like watching Bourbon's #fancyfeet #funnydog #vizslagram

An ariel perspective of a very early morning start with @ilias_odyssey (📷✈️) and @paletrails What a fun morning! I'm so thankful for the laughs, the chatter and good company that thankfully doesn't leave my slow butt behind 😆.

Thank you so much to everyone that's been kind and has commented on the last couple posts. I've read everything and am trying to respond to as many as I can. There's so much love out there, as well as lots of trauma and a sprinkle (or more) of judgement. It's ok, we are all these things and no one really knows everyone else's whole story, or what they are going through. Thank you to everyone who shared their stories with me, and who were so open to chatting. There are such wonderful people I've spoken to and it's too bad everyone lives so far away! I think my preferred coping mechanism is to hike. When I do hard long hikes (with friends and dogs), I gain the self confidence that I can get through other hard things in life. Sometimes these steps are easy, sometimes somewhat vertical, sometimes they're with a gigantic pack on, and sometimes they're alone in the dark with bears around, but so long as I can keep moving, I think life is pretty ok :) And besides, if you've been hiking for a couple hours, food tastes SO much better, the dogs are happy, and life just seems so much more manageable.

This ruggedly handsome swamp creature affectionately known as Sully has been missing since he got swept away in water on Sunday. It's one of my biggest fears, having the life that we do, that something may happen on our adventures but it's also part of the risk of living our lives in the mountains. I'm also scared of getting in a car crash, of cancer, of heights, of disappointing others, of breaking my leg, and most of all, of regretting I didn't live my life because I was scared. All the dogs in these photos are the happiest dogs in these places. Several of them are reactive, several of them have anxiety, and like my own reactive anxious self, we all go outside to be happy and free. I'm really hoping there's a miracle and we find Sully and he gets to tell us the story he's been through , and I'm also reminded of how precious and lucky we are to have every single day with our dogs. Hug your dog extra tight tonight and send some love to Sully's human who's currently going through Hell.❤️