Today, Jake and I decided to cross one of our hikes off the bucket list: East End Of Rundle! Mount Rundle is a 12 KM stretch that has 7 distinct peaks, and overlooks Banff and Canmore.
Although we did not attempt the true summit, we attempted the most eastern side of the mountain stretch. As per usual, we picked up a pup from Megan's Rescue Efforts named Jet. This spunky guy is a 2 year old ball of love who was returned to Megan's Rescue Efforts after his first adoptive family welcomed a beautiful baby who was ultimately highly allergic to Jet's fur and dander. As you will see throughout this post, Jet is a wonderful companion, full of personality, who is currently looking for his forever home!
If you or anyone you know think that he would be a great fit in your family, please click here to fill out an application for this adorable guy!
Adorable Jet in the car, heading to the mountains.
The view from the trail head! We knew we were in for a beautiful hike on this beautiful day.
Pictured here is Jet at the beginning of the hike. He was respectful during the entire hike, never pulling us, and always checking that we were both OK! He was a joy to have accompany us, and given the chance we would take him again in a heart beat.
This hilarious pup has an obsession with snow, and tries to dig tunnels with his nose like a gopher would. Every patch of snow that we passed, he dove face first and played in it like a little pup. Don't let his age fool you, he still has tons of puppy left in him; you just luck out with getting a trained puppy!!
As we continued along, we took a bit of a detour and veered off the well beaten trail. An adventure is an adventure after all and with these 2 in tow, it was one I won't soon forget. At one point we had to climb a steep embankment to rejoin the main path, and Jet was full steam ahead. This guy was up for anything, often jumping excitedly over rocks and small stumps.
This small break was one that we knew we had to take. That peak mountain in the background is Ha Ling , one of the first summits that Jake and I conquered together. It's remarkable to realize that we climbed and stood at the tip of that mountain (in the middle of Winter mind you!). Making memories in the mountains is something very important to me, and I am glad that we now have some with this amazing pup.
This dog was made for the mountains and all they have to offer, I'm telling you. We had to scale large rock slopes similar to the one pictured, and he did so like a champ. There were times that I wasn't sure that I could do it, only to look up and see Jake and Jet smiling down at me. We used a longer leash, and allowed Jet to climb his own path, and surprisingly he often chose a better path than Jake or myself did. He was a trooper the whole time, and without him I don't think I would have gone as far as I did.
Continuing on, the view only improved! Although we were not able to reach the summit (due to sheet rock that was causing unsafe scrambling conditions for Jet), we did get 90% of the way up!
See below for some photos of the beautiful view that we were offered.
I often forget how lucky we are to live in a place as beautiful as this.
I just wanted to point out the way that Jet is looking at me. He is so in tune to the human that he is with, and he always makes it his top priority to ensure that he is well aware of what they are doing. If he wasn't paying full attention to me, he was checking in on Jake.
This was taken just before we decided to turn around. As you can tell, Jet is more that willing to keep going; but as I explained in my Hiking With Dogs, Know Before You Go post, it is always up to you to monitor your dog and ensure their safety at all times. Going further on the hike would have put him in some unsafe situations, and that was something that we were not willing to do. Jet is a trusting dog, and we need to keep his trust by ensuring that he has an adventure filled, but safe day.
As we made our way back down the trail, I stopped for a minute and thought about how far these feet have taken me. I often forget how many trails we have traveled and the many things we have seen. This life is a crazy ride, but I am trying to enjoy every single second of it, and sometimes that requires stopping to soak in the life I have been blessed with.
Once we reached the car, we headed into Canmore for a quick stroll through downtown. You see, Jet still had a bit of energy and I wanted to give him some exposure to people and other dogs. Although not surprised, it was so refreshing to see the way he greeted other dogs, and people. Every single dog that we passed, he was friendly and polite, and every human that we passed gave him a pat and said "what a good boy!".
Once we hopped back into the car to head back to Calgary, Jake and I realized something... Jet was actually tired!!!!! This little guy trekked on through the whole day, but once he hit the back seat and we were on the highway again, he was ready for a siesta.
Check out those tired puppy dog eyes. A successful day: a hike knocked off the bucket list, and a tired pup.
I could never say it enough, if you are looking for a friend to add to your family, please don't overlook the shelters and rescues. Jet is an amazing dog, well mannered, trained, and ready to give you all his love, he just needs a chance. If you aren't able to give Jet the home that he deserves, please share this post and help him gain the exposure to find the family that is looking for a dog just like him!
Once again, please check out Megan's Rescue Efforts for more information on Jet and others like him looking for their forever home.
Til next time friends,
Char xoxo
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