The next day's hike starts with a bit of excitement. It all happened so fast that the camera couldn't capture it, but as we left our camp with the plan to hike to a lake at well over 9000ft, Dawg jumped into action! Two of the amazing things about dogs, are their hearing, and sense of smell. We - his less capable buddies really appreciate these abilities as he routinely alerts us to dangers we didn't even notice.

We were not more than 300ft from our camp, a camp marked with unmistakable signs for those who know what to look for. Suddenly Dawg tore off at breakneck speeds in full attack mode. It took a second before I even realized what was happening. A big bear was coming down the mountain right into our camp area. The ferocious beast was a thing to behold as he chased that terrified bear into the woods. I quickly called him back. This is important, as I don't want Dawg to corner or trap the bear where it might think the only choice is to turn and fight. We never saw that bear again. Thanks little buddy.