Mt. Elsay loop trail last weekend, but no Mt. Elsay this time. No peaks bagged, actually. With the forgiving snowpack long gone, we are discovering just how clumsy she is now. Vestibular is still with her. You know that boulder field up to Elsay that she cruised up or down at least once a year? Well, she can't do it unassisted any longer. We made it up, but it was a lot of work to get her up for both of us. Won't be going that way again.
She did good for the rest of the route and I am quite proud of her.

She has cataracts developing and her hearing is slowly declining. Apparently she is losing control of her bladder too. She'll be 14 soon, so nothing unexpected. She's still very vibrant, energetic and enthusiastic.

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The intrepid Katie.

Your posts are a wonderful collection of stories. It would be really cool to see them all bound together in one volume with each story as a separate chapter. The narrative, the charm of Katie and the beautiful pics... much better than any calendar.

John: Elsay rock slide is not cakewalk equally for 4-legged or 2-legged pets, and that whole loop is very demanding; Katie did fantastic. Regarding her slowly deteriorating health - as you said, it is nothing unexpected & she still has wonderful life, thanks to you. My only comment is: When the day eventually comes, please don't let her suffer, if you know what I mean. It will be hard on you, but you'll be doing her a favor. My friend had a dog he loved to death, I hiked once with them & we both laughed watching her chasing rabbits, then coming back with sheepish look in her eyes because she couldn't get any. Eventually she lost control of her bladder and hind legs; she was looking with that pleading look "Help me", but nothing could be done. This won't happen for several years for Katie though & we'll all still be enjoying her continuous outdoor adventures.


Go Katie

Thank you. All very kind words.

Thanks. Yes, not the easiest of trails even without the boulder field. It was quite the change. Usually I didn't have a worry in world through them. She always did her own thing and went her own way, and I went mine.
Anyway, don't worry about when the time comes. I've gone through the senior dog years many times and I'm not one to watch them be unhappy. Thanks again, guys.

Strachan/Hollyburn loop in the rain yesterday. Christmas Gully was beautiful with all the lush summer greenery. Saturated, but it was a warm wet. The greenery is really taking over that trail.
Katie handled the gully ascent very well. Boosts here and there, but a piece of cake compared to the Elsay boulderfield. Same with the NW ascent of Hollyburn.
She may have been trying to coax the sardines out in the first picture, or it may have been something about beagles needing to stay dry. : )
Blueberries were very scarce. That stretch of the Baden Powell between Hollyburn and the parking lot is usually loaded, but it was tough to find any. We both love that little loop.

Second pic is from last weekend. We took zeljkok's advice and finally checked out DePencier Bluffs. That whole side is new to us. We started down below at the Deep Cove Lookout trailhead, visited Goldie Lake, DePencier Bluffs, and then Mystery Lake. Beautiful trail and forest. We both really enjoyed that too. Especially Katie...she didn't need my help with anything. : )

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Very glad to hear that even after >6yrs I've been off the Coast my comment can inspire someone like J&K for a trip. I also did it from Deep Cove Lookout at a time, Goldie,Mystery and all.


Envious about Strachan. Love that loop. Must try to do it somehow this Oct when colors are changing, fav spot on North Shore



Katie game face on as always. Or is it sardines

We always avoided that side of Seymour thinking it was a busy place with families and kids. We hardly saw anyone.

As for game face, ya, she was asking/demanding/ordering her sardines. That was on Strachan.

Terrible picture exposure wise, but as with most pictures of her, I had to snap it quick. The mischievous look on her face of "ha ha ha, I shouldn't be up here" more than makes up for my slow draw. : )

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It's been awhile, but it hasn't gone by without trying. Anyway, Katie is doing remarkably well. Since our last update, she has had much more than DePencier Bluffs in her. We just have to avoid boulder fields. Happy to report she still has big days in the mountains in her. We've done some Dilly Dally loops, some Strachans up and down Christmas Gully, an Unnecessary, a Harvey, a Flora, a Coliseum, and the big test last weekend, Mt. Webb. She's probably done with the Coliseum trail, as she did need a lot of help up a lot of those short scramble bits enroute through the trees. Other than that, she handled all the rest with strength and vibrancy. No problems handling those with big distance and cumulative elevation to them.
She doesn't hear very well anymore, so I have to be really careful with that. Vision is really good still. Vestibular is still with her, though. She's just handling it better and better as we go along. : )

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So much charm in these J+K posts. There's a coffee table book in all these posts. A few dozen of your best, most picturesque hikes with Katie front + center

Hikers would love it. Dog lovers would go crazy for it

You are a persistent one, xj6response. Many thanks for all the kind words you send our way.

A shot from yesterday. Final few meters up to Magnesia Peak via the steep west side. Made it a bit of a loop by traversing the east side of the south ridge on descent and then dropping westward down to Magnesia Meadows. No trail once off the HSCT and she did great throughout. One of our favourites, and you can't really beat that combination view of Harvey and Howe Sound from the peak.

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A few pics to share from our trip up to Mt. Seymour yesterday. Took the steep and direct trail up to First Peak. She needed a butt boost here and there, but she declined using the chain. Something about chains and ropes....seems to have a dislike for them.
She pretty much handled the rest of the route to Seymour on her own.
Not beagle weather, but nothing she hasn't seen before. : )

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Snow at elevation?
We are still swimming in Lake Michigan off Chicago, water temp about 11.5 degrees C. (Air temp about 6.)
I enjoy seeing Katie's alert, responsive face. What a joy she must be.

Watching her tread the trails is my greatest joy. She is just so much more alive out there compared to city life.
As for snow elevation, on Friday the first signs of it was around 1150m in the Lions Bay area. Walking in it full time around 1300m. It jumps around so much in october/November around here, however.

A few pics from that day. The north peak of Unnecessary Mtn. via it's west ridge. Short, steep and scrappy little hike. Beautiful forest, ridge, and peak views of the surrounding area. Parking is expensive in Lions Bay. Two to three spots at the trailhead. Otherwise you work your way down Oceanview Rd. and grab the next one you see. Free parking seems to be working it's way lower and lower each time we go there.

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What is it (how much?) In my time it was free, although it was next to impossible to get spot at trailhead. Lower down by the school (~10 min extra walk) it was fine. This is probably history nowdays