Yesterday husband and I loaded the dog box back into the pickup so I can take the hounds to other venues. Dogs are intelligent creatures and easily get bored with running the same trails, so I try to never run the same route twice in a row and when I have time drive them to places they at least haven't been in a while.

This route was one we've done many times in the fall out of the Thorp parking area on the Iron Horse trail. I can make a figure eight loop of sorts by utilizing a road along a canal and sneaking down a country road. This is NOT a route that would be even remotely possible for a large team since it involves a road crossing and a very dodgy climb out of the canal back up onto the railroad grade.

The hounds are normally very quiet riding in the truck and at hookup, but last night they went nuts for reasons only they know about. I could hear yodeling in the box nearly the whole way to the trailhead, with the volume increasing the closer we got. By the time I got stuff out, dropped them, and started hooking up they were screeching. Fortunately I got them calmed down for takeoff, which was into such a stiff headwind that it slowed our progress down to a very manageable speed.

The dogs did pretty well, needing a few stops for water- understandable since it was approximately 60F- but also turning on the afterburners on the canal sections, where they seem to instinctively realize they might jump a critter coming in for water.

So I figured they were going to be pretty wasted when I got back to the truck. HA! Instead I got a 3-part whining, jittery chorus. Below is proof: Anya yelping and spinning and leaping around on her chain, Dulcie just sitting and shivering and whining in the middle, and Rogan frantically batting around/chewing on a dried up weed. AFTER RUNNING THREE MILES IN A VIRTUAL OVEN. I have NO IDEA what this is all about! After a somewhat musical ride home they ate dinner and spent the rest of the evening snoozing quietly, so I'm assuming we're 'back to normal'... whatever that is....