Nosing around Nolde Forest

As I mentioned before, Tom often takes me for walks at Nolde Forest. I like going there. It's always an adventure.

I heard him say that we've been on every trail there, and with over 665 acres, there are miles of trails. Believe me, I've nosed them all.

We started out easy by taking the most common trails that begin near the Sawmill Parking Lot, but in time, we decided to venture out.

One really hot day this past summer, we found ourselves at a pond, there at the forest, and I was allowed to take a swim. Boy, my tongue was hanging that day. Must have been 90+ degrees.

We have taken hikes with most of Tom's grandkids at Nolde, but never all of them at the same time. One day we went to the turtle pond. That was fun, too!

Another evening, Tom & I were hiking on the Coffee Pot Trail, in the back part of the forest, and we saw a deer back there. I chased him a short distance, but darn, he got away. I also discovered a trail that Tom says isn't on the map. He named it the "Stanley Trail," since I found it!

The park ranger said, though, there are quite a few trails that are not exactly on the map.

One of my favorite things about running at Nolde, is guessing which way we're going to go when the trail splits off, etc. Since I am usually out ahead, Tom often yells, "Left, Stanley. We want to go left." I can usually figure it out. I guess I have a 50 percent chance of getting it right.

I must say, I am getting pretty good at figuring this human stuff out.

I know what "eat" means. That means it's chow time. I wouldn't miss that for the world. I can also figure out "Do you want to go for a walk?" and "Want to ride in the truck?"

There's also a few phrases like "Stay off the road" or "Stay in the yard." They're all pretty easy. I get it.

The words that seem to give me trouble are "No," "Get down," Drop it," and "Leave it." Actually, I know what they mean, but they're no fun. So, when they yell those words, I just cock my head to the side and give them the look. You know the look. Like, "what are ya trying say? I don't understand! So far, they're buying it.

Back to the forest....

The last few weeks we haven't been walking in the back part of the forest. Something about deer hunting... archery... I don't know what the big deal is.

You see a lot of interesting other dogs down at the forest. Some are friendly. Some are not. We usually just smell each other's butts, then we're on our way.

Things are looking a little different these days in the woods. The leaves keep falling off the trees, and you can see a lot further into the woods. I don't remember that happening before. Well, last year at this time I was just a pup. I was probably living out in the barn with my mom and my brothers and sisters.

Come to think of it, I don't remember much about the snow either.

Well, I guess I'll wander upstairs to the bathroom and get a little drink from toilet. Then, it's nap time! Yipee!

Woof! Woof!
Stanley