a Sunday hike.

We had been socked in with nasty inversion for weeks when we finally decided it was time to head for the hills and soak in the sun.

We drove out to the Owyees for a little hike with the dogs.  Clara was excited because she got to use her new hiking/camping pack she got from Santa for Christmas.

Here we are in the hats Grandma Waldon made for us and sent out.  Thanks Grandma!

And here is Clara with a chukar Kurtis shot while we were out.  She loved toting that thing around.  She ended up having blood all over her hands and poking at the dead bird's eyeballs for a good amount of time while I watched and cringed.  And she loved having all sorts of camo to wear!  Sometimes she's such a little girly-girl, and other times she's a complete tomboy!

 Here are the puppies after our hike.  They were pretty whooped!  And poor Gwen has been limping for the last week.  I'm hopeful it will get better, but I worry about her rear right knee.  She's doing much better now than she was the day after our hike, but she still limps a little.  The old girl will be 10 this year!  And Mac will be 9!  Time flies!

 Here's Clara prepping for our hike.  She looked ready to go except for the sour look on her face!

 Check out those blue skies!  They were the best therapy and exactly what we needed!

 Here's my first try at a panoramic photo on my phone!

 Nice pink backpack Kurtis!

Clara did pretty well for her first hike!  She probably walked a mile of it, which was more than I expected!  She even hiked up a steep hill.  Although halfway up she told me she needed to stop and rest because her heart was booming!  I carried her the other 2-3 miles in the pack.  It wasn't even that bad - she only weighs 35 pounds or so!  She was fun to chat with while Daddy ventured out in search of birds!

And here is the part of the drive where we had to sink back down into the nastiness!  

The temp was 54 degrees in the sun and dropped to 23 as soon as we crawled back into the inversion.  Sad!

 And here is Clara a few moments after being buckled in!  She didn't even make it out to the highway.  The bumps of the road lulled her right to sleep!  It was a great Sunday!