Too Hot

Ebon during a water break

I took Ebon back to the state park today, taking my mother and significant other with me. I was hoping to go when it was fairly cool, but as it turned out we ended up at the park during the hottest part of the day. The high today was 89, but with 56% humidity and a UV index of 10 the heat index got up to 94. We took plenty of water, but the day had to be cut short with an expected five to eight mile walk shortened to just three. Why? Poor Ebon couldn't take it.

After he stopped

It's been cool lately and he hasn't carried a weighted pack in at least a month. I thought he would be fine carrying the eight or so pounds he had (~10% of his body weight) as long as we drank plenty of water. However, he didn't seem to want to drink much water when we stopped. So, we kept on. After we had gone about two miles, he did a little hitch in his step, then stopped and flopped down in the middle of a shaded part of the trail, panting heavily. I stripped his pack off and offered him more water. I would have taken off his collar too if it weren't for the park leash rules. We stayed there for some time while he drank and I splashed water on him to try and cool him down. It wouldn't have been so bad if we were at home, but we were in the middle of a forest. He spent a good twenty minutes alternating between laying down and drinking. By that time, he was acting more perky so we began taking the short way back, us carrying his pack. I took a little diversion along the way to let him splash in the shallows of the river that runs parallel to parts of the trail. On the way back, he even did his happy little prance-wag at the sight of a pair of Jack Russells what were coming down the trail.

Ebon now, contently sleeping with cats

At the car I put him in some shade and offered him more water. I also took an icepack (my mom happened to bring a cooler) and alternated applying it to under his front legs and under his ears, where he felt the warmest. When he was panting more gently, we hopped in the car to leave, AC on full. It wasn't until we were back at the condo and he had time to lay on a nice, cool floor that he finally stopped panting. He's been normal even since.

I've learned a valuable lesson about this. Usually, Ebon's up for just about anything, but there are a number of things that were likely contributes to his overheating. First, since he's black his coat absorbs heat like crazy. I know this and normally he's able to regulate his temperature just fine, but it was hot and the UV index probably made him heat up faster than normal. Second, the weight of the pack and it's addition of a layer of padding over his fur probably made things worse thanks to his exertions and the insulating and restrictive nature of the harness. It also didn't help that he wasn't wanting to drink the water I offered him. Next time, he won't be carrying weight if the index is over 90. We also won't we going such a long distance during the hottest part of the day.

I feel like an idiot for pushing to the point he got to today. My mother actually thought he might have been having a seizure when he hitched before he flopped, but it was clear that wasn't what was going on. For now, he hasn't had a seizure since October.

Returning to the Park (lots of pictures)

Since it was a holiday, I decided it would be fun to go back to the state park and traverse more of the trails there. So, Ebon, my significant other, and I hoped into the car and made our way there. The first time at the park we completely ignored a two mile loop and another mile long stretch. This time, we covered practically all of the trails that are marked out on the park grounds, skipping a couple of sections of the smaller trail loops near the beginning. I thought about having us double back and do them as well, but our light was failing so we opted to head back home after spending three hours there. It was overcast with only a few breaks in the clouds, unlike the completely clear sky we had last time. We only saw two other dogs this time: a liver, white, and tan Australian shepherd and a rather ruddy white German shepherd. I'm trying to be more active, and part of that is taking Ebon out on more long outings. He's definitely not complaining.

There are a lot of wide open views of the marsh.

Ebon happily forging ahead. This is about when I noticed his pack was slipping and we stopped so that I could even it out.

Ebon hopped onto a picnic table for this one.

The observation tower can be seen in the distance. These little wooden walkways litter the park, raising sections of trail above the boggy marsh below.

Another view from the observation tower. This time, with clouds.

There are a lot of beautifully twisted old trees at this park. Though this one looks dead, there is still a lot of green on it.

A section of the embankment I mentioned before. There are numerous historical sights at the park, and this is only one of them. As I mentioned before, the earthen embankment to the left was built during the civil war as a defense. It's still there, and countless trees have grown from it, including the leaning one you see here.

Also, yesterday I went and checked out the wooded area behind my parents' house that I haven't investigated in detail in years. The last time I ventured through it it was still relatively clear and only a little fighting was involved to get through the tighter areas.  Ebon came along off lead, and he was actually very timid about venturing into the overgrown brush. He spooked as the sound of me stepping on a branch more than once.

This area was completely clear eleven years ago, but now it's so thick with saplings that it's a bit of an effort to get through. Ebon had a much easier time since he's much lower to the ground.

Here it's clearer, but the trees have still closed in. There used to be a clear twenty foot wide swath that provided an unobstructed view of the fence in the distance.

Ebon reappearing from the brush. This snarl of plants was once a five foot wide trail that lead into the woods for several hundred feet. Now, it's barely distinguishable from the surrounding forest.

Adventures Galore (lots of pictures)

Once again I went to another new park! I'm working on visiting basically every single one locally that allows dogs. Today myself, Ebon, and the significant other went to a state park. It's the only state park that is feasible to visit on a regular basis (all of the other are about an hour away, while this one is only fifteen minutes or so). This, I think may be my favorite so far. Some of these pictures look a bit like the park that was once a rice farm that I last spoke about, but in fact the two are over thirty miles apart. This is the first park or recreation area I've spoken of that requires a fee to access (namely a $5 parking fee), so that's a small downside. However, the park is beautiful, had a trail with the potential for quite a significant hike (five different rail loops and numerous spurs totaling about five miles or so, so at least ten if you double back at the end). I will definitely be going back. We spent about two hours there, going about five or six miles (two complete trail loops, and a spur out to the observation tower) at a leisurely pace. I managed to get a blister thanks to wearing my not-so-broken in hiking boots instead of my comfy sneakers. Oh, well. Now, on to a whole bunch of pictures!

Ebon on a bench built into the wooden marsh walk near the beginning of the trail when entering at the park's visitors center. I actually injured myself at this exact spot during my undergrad, so it's permanently seared into my memory. Unlike the majority of these trips, it was completely cloudless. The temperature was just cool enough to make a jacket comfortable. No bugs were out, which is a miracle sometimes, it seems.

If you look closely you'll see deer tracks. This is an area of the marsh only sometimes inundated by water.

Near the area seen above, Ebon checking out the brackish water of the marsh. At this point, it was high tide.

In front of one of the many benches along the trail.

A set of benches where we stopped for some water. One of the loops starts just across that bridge.

A fallen tree in front of one of the local rivers. There's another bench right next to this spot.

A lovely shot of the woods. Most of the trail actually cuts through the woods, and you pass by picnic areas, outhouses, shelters, and other facilities along the way. After this I had to readjust straps and redistribute the weight in the pack because it was drooping badly to one side. It's only our second outing with it, so practice will get the fit right.

A view from the observation platform. Some houses can be seen far in the distance. It's a great place for birding, and there's also a picnic table. There were stairs up to this level. Ebon used to be afraid of stairs, and I'm so proud of him for having no issues with them anymore. He happily charged up and down them with no hesitation.

More from the platform, this time the river in the distance from Ebon's point of view. I'm amused by how many pictures are of him facing to the right. I think it's because he walks to me left and it's the easiest way to look back at me when I step away, ask him to wait, and then take a picture.

Ebon begging for water. He likes to drink it out of a squeeze bottle and I was opening it at this point.

Ebon standing on an embankment near the end. Apparently, this man-made earthen wall was involved in the civil war. Its' been there so long that trees too large for me to wrap my arms around have grown from it. Amazing stuff! It's the closest thing there is around here to a hill.

We actually met nine different dogs on this trail! I rarely see so many, so it was quite interesting. Here's the list: one yellow Labradoodle, one sable Shetland sheepdog, one merle (black and tan dapple) miniature dachshund, one white and black extreme piebald Pomeranian, two English cocker spaniels (one roan and one ticked, both piebald black and white), one tricolor fifteen inch beagle, and two rat terrier mixes I think? (both ticked piebald black and white underneath). No pictures, I was too busy reminding Ebon of his manners. He was quite excited to say hello to the Labradoodle, but the smaller dogs he mostly ignored other than to politely sniff them. Quite interesting.

Last but not least, I got a really good shot of one of Ebon's rusty legs (specifically his left forepaw). This is what they look like in bright sunlight. Inside with lower light, there's only a hint of red visible. I think I'm a bit too fascinated by my dog's feet.