Hike 5: Codorus State Park

Hike number five was just under 2 miles.  It was a brisk day with windchill around 9 degrees.  My mom and I headed to another local trail at Codorus State Park.  This one travels around Lake Marburg and passes by an old cemetery.  As you can see from the headstone, it is pretty old with one person laid to rest there who fought in the War of 1812 and was defending Baltimore when Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner.  Most of the original headstones have worn smooth or are broken, but there is a large marker in the center listing all the names of those who were interred there.









It was a chilly hike along the one side of the lake, but when we rounded the edge of the lake, the wind was no longer an issue and the sun was warming us up.  There's still plenty of ice around even with the slightly warmer temps we've been having.













You can see from the photo of the lake that we're in drought conditions here.  The lake is drained in the winter, but this is lower than I've ever seen it.
My husband skipped this hike because of dealing with a nasty cold.  We both missed hiking this weekend because of rain and needing to take some Boy Scouts to a merit badge college.  We'll have to try to get a short hike in this week with the dogs to get caught back up again (my mom managed to get her hike in)

The New Hiking Partner

I love the idea of having a 4 legged hiking companion.

I have 2 dogs, but neither one would make a good hiker.

One is 14 and having arthritis issues.

The other one, while physically fit, isn't the best around strange people or animals,

so not the easiest to work with.

I've been fostering for a rescue for a year now, and when I saw this girl, I knew.

Lucy is a Boston Terrier Mix.

I can't tell you what she's mixed with, 

her mom was around 18 pounds with pointy ears and brindle fur.

Her dad was a full Boston.

She's 100% spoiled brat.

She has a thing for sleeping under blankets.

I'm guessing I'll have to come up with a sleeping bag for her

when we're ready for overnights.

Right now we're working on house breaking, basic commands 

and leash manners.

She'll do anything for a treat.

She'll be completely up to date on all of her shots in 2 weeks.

For anyone hiking with dogs, it's a good idea to get all the shots-

including those for Lyme's disease and Leptospirosis

(Plus your Distemper, Parvo and Rabies)

before taking your dog out to public areas.

Make sure your dog has a decent flea and tick preventative.

I've always used Frontline Plus, but right now we have a free trial of Nexgard

(and I've heard from other hikers with dogs that it works great).

If you have a young dog like I do, or even an older dog who has never hiked before,

make sure you talk to your vet about how to go about getting started.

Young dogs should not go on any extreme hikes.

Lucy will most likely do a mile or less to start and on easy trails.

Puppies bodies are growing, and you don't want to strain any ligaments, tendons or cause problems with growing bones.

And with an older dog who might not be in shape, you want to start out small and build up their muscles and endurance-

the same as you would for yourself.

So, in the meantime,
Lucy will be working on her training,
and most likely her napping.
For those on Instagram, Lucy has her own IG account
(my husband thinks I'm nuts)
Lucy The Boston Mix