it's a dog's life

Now that the weather is warming up it's time to hit the trails with the dogs. The great thing about Boise is the foothills trails system. Boise backs up hard against the foothills to the Boise Mountains and much of the surrounding elevation is public space. There are miles of trails for mountain biking, running, walking or just enjoying nature. And every third person seems to have a dog or two. With just a short five block walk from the front door we are at Camels Back park where a number of foothills trails end. We can take the short but strenuous climb straight up to the top of Camelsback, a hill or more properly the end of a ridge that juts into the northend neighborhood. We can continue on that ridge back into the foothills for a short distance but have to come down into the nature preserve to avoid a row of houses built on the ridge. We can walk round the hill instead and go straight into the preserve which is usually what we do. The area has been planted with cottonwoods lining the stream, wild roses and blackberries, sage brush and other wild flowers. It's quite peaceful and provides nice restorative environment for a stroll.
That's Bennett in the picture by the way. We rescued him a year or so ago. We're not sure if he's an english foxhound or a saint bernard / spaniel mix. We're leaning toward foxhound more these days.