Same Place, Different Season

We returned to the park we went cross country skiing many times this year. It's hard to believe that it was the same place because the park looked completely different without the snow. White was replaced with lush green. This state forest area is great in the winter and summer. There are multiple trails for skiing and hiking.  We let Niko off the leash here. It is also very secluded. With our kayaks and Niko in tow, we arrived at the park on a hot, sunny, and humid afternoon.


There is a pond in the park we wanted to kayak in. Niko was actually in it last time. Well, he was on it because it was frozen and he had no idea it was a pond.
We wanted to get Niko more acclimated in the kayak and this was another round of practice. We first took a walk on one of the trails. With him off leash, he ran ahead and back over and over again. The intent was to let him run out his energy so he has less energy to be kayak/water-anxious.


We had the pond to ourselves the entire time. This turned out to be a great condition for Niko. He was a lot calmer and I was able to get out into the water as well. I usually play lifeguard on shore, anticipating a wet shiba frantically escaping Ed's kayak. Halfway through, we moved him into my kayak and I enjoyed having him be my passenger. The pond was calm and quiet except for ducks and birds. Niko watched the wildlife and basically observed while being paddled around. It was very hot and sunny and we got out after an hour. I scooped water in my palm for Niko to drink from several times.

When we were packing up, Niko crawled under the car for shade and the cool stones probably felt nice.


Great progress for Niko on the Kayak!