Hiking Big Devil's Stairs with our Best Friend

"A dog is a man's best friend."

     Has any best friend of yours given you a 6am wake-up call every Saturday?  Has any best friend of yours pooped in your yard and then expected you to clean it up?  Has any best friend of yours asked to go on a walk and then just yell at squirrels the entire time?  Okay, some qualities in having a dog don't live up to the old saying; however, having a dog has been one of the best experiences I've ever had.

Our best friend pooping when we want to take a picture.  "Smile" has become the new command for "Go potty."

     Most recently, we headed back to Shenandoah National Park for another fun-filled day of hiking.  This time we took our best friend, Maya.  No bears were going to cross our path with her around, that's for sure!
     We chose to complete the 11-mile trek on Big Devil's Stairs trail.  With her short legs and long body, Maya completed an impressive 6 miles.  We took turns carrying all 12lbs of her for the other 5 miles, but during those 6 miles, we were entertained beyond a doubt.

"You mean I have to jump this crick?"  (If Maya could talk, I'm sure she would have somewhat of a redneck accent.)

"So didn't quite make it across.  That water's cold, eh?"  (With a little Canadian.)

"Bat dog! Give me somethin' more challenging, yo!"  (And some gangster.)

Yes, we have become those parents.

"How many pictures are we going to take today?  Squirrel!"  (The girl has some major ADD.)

"Check out that view!"

"While you get that shot, I'll go ahead and poop over here.  No worries, you don't have to pick it up.  Consider me wildlife."

"Would someone remove my vest, so I can be completely camouflage?  It's the only way I'm going to catch anything around here."

Lunch break!

Pdub's turn.

PDub's makeshift walking stick.

"The hills are alive.....with the sound of music."  Where's my backup?

All tuckered out.  "Would someone give me a rub down?  Awe, that's the stuff."

     With our hike in the Andes still in our minds, this hike was simply okay.  Hopefully, we will find some other trails that will satisfy our breathtaking (both cardio and sightseeing) needs.  Either way, we enjoyed having our best friend with us!