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Thursday, July 24, 2014

Mirror Lake (Pond) Oregon


Day 3 of Vacation - Mirror Lake here we come!

Tired after our trip hiking Hunchback Trail we took a lunch break/nap in the instance of the dogs, and then turned around and headed right back out again for a hike to Mirror Lake. We did not realize this would be a hike...

I was under the impression that you could drive to Mirror Lake..as in right up to the lake. And the hubby and I were hoping to give the dogs some fun play time while we enjoyed the scenery. Little did we know, you have to hike in.

In order to get to Mirror Lake we ended up parking at the trailhead. And since we were there, their was no point in turning back now! It was another 1.5 miles hike to the lake - so 3 miles roundtrip. Keep in mind, we had already hiked 4 miles at Hunchback Trail (that story here).

Trail to Mirror Lake
Hubby and Dante in the Lead





It was a beautiful hike, thankfully it wasn't very steep but rather a slow uphill climb. Our feet were pretty tired though, both dogs weren't hardly slowed in the least!

We weren't as big of a fan of this trail, it was extremely busy. We encountered lots of people and dogs. One thing that we have worked really hard on is leash manners.
Dante is a champ when it comes to leash manners but we've had him longer. This August he will turn 2 and we'll have had him for an entire year!

Ziva on the other hand, while she is pretty good on the leash she still gets rather focused and intense around squirrels (her nemesis) and other dogs. Depending on the dog she can either have a great meeting and be ready to play, or ready to do battle.
Most of this depends on how the other dog greets her - and we are very in tune to the body language and overall situation. We know how to properly introduce her to other dogs. 

One thing that she doesn't like is being rushed at - if another dog greets her to fast and intensely then she becomes defensive. The problem we run into is that while we keep our two dogs under control - that does not mean that other owners keep their dog/dogs under control.

If we encounter and owner whose dog is straining and pulling them we move aside, give passing room/clearance, have our dogs sit, and then proceed again once the ill mannered group has gone by. If we encounter a dog who is calmly walking with their family then we know we can safely pass by without incident.

When we greet other dogs we always greet the owner first, permission must go both ways. If they do not ask us then we do not allow their dog to meet ours. If they ask then we can and usually do allow a puppy meeting. Socialization is very important for bully breeds. Dante is naturally very dog friendly, he thinks all dogs are his friend. Ziva on the other hand must be constantly socialized, she takes time to warm up to other dogs but after a slow introduction becomes much more comfortable with the situation.

As far as the trail to Mirror Lake went, it was narrow but we didn't end up having any problems passing other dogs. Unfortunately the majority of the dogs we ran into were not under very good control, and flexi leashes aren't even close to having your dog under control! (But that's a different tangent I won't get into today.)




Ziva's turn to walk with dad.
Mirror Lake was surrounded by dense brush and being a popular place meant that their wasn't much available spots where their was good water access. The large groups of teenagers and loose/barking dogs weren't much to our liking either so we didn't spend much time looking at the lake.  It just wasn't that impressive, although the hike itself was nice and Mt. Hood was gorgeous to look at we decided it should be called Mirror Pond rather than Lake.

Accidentally sat on a sooty log! Oops...

After a total of 7 miles hiked we were all exhausted, but first things first!

Dirty dogs must wash their paws!!
Dante looking dejected..
Puppy too!

Time to rest the weary feet.







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