My name is Mindy. My husbands’ name is Mitch. We are high school sweethearts turned lifelong adventure buddies. We both grew up in Utah with the mountains as our backyard and a strong desire to explore them. We’ve built a little life together that includes our sweet furry baby, Zero.
This is Zero. He’s a short-haired Border Collie. He likes long walk without a leash and sitting on top of his humans. Zero joined our family in 2018.
Mitch and I got married in September 2017. We’ve spent the last two years slaving away at college. I finally graduate with my bachelor’s degree in April 2020 and Mitch graduates the year after in 2021. We love to hike, kayak, run, bike, try new foods and travel. I actually had the privilege of living in three different countries growing up and Mitch lived in two. We have a deep love for new experiences and hopefully our little antedotes of travelling help you pick the best places to go.
Zero is our sweet Border Collie puppy. We’ve had him for just over a year and it has been a crazy, active year. I’ll be the first one to tell you that I did not understand what people meant when they said that some dogs are “high energy” breeds. I didn’t grow up raising dogs but I’ve always loved the ones that I come in contact with. Zero comes from farming, or working stock. His parents are herders and they live on a farm. He comes from a long line of workers and “good boys”.
Since getting Zero in February 2019 I have learned exactly what high energy means when it comes to dogs. High energy means after-bath zoomies that entail running full speed up and down the house for a half hour. High energy is going on a 3.5 mile run and still wanting to play a never ending game of fetch when we get back. High energy is leading the way on a trail in the mountains for 5 miles up and 5 miles back without missing a step. High energy is being left without supervision in the yard for five minutes and digging a hole twice your size. Zero is a whirlwind of activity when he’s feeling active, but as soon as it’s time to rest and hang out, he’s the first one on the bed and is ready snuggle on up to you. He’s hard to keep up with some days but I love him. He’s sweet. He’s goofy. He’s loving. And he’s always so forgiving and happy to see me. Everyone should have the opportunity to have a Zero in their life at some point. High energy or not, he’s one of the best things that ever happened to me.
Border Collies and other active breeds are notorious for being high energy but they’re also a dream to train (at least Zero is). Don’t get me wrong, Zero has his bad habits, but I’ve trained him myself since day 1 and he honestly does so well. We get compliments on every single walk that we go on these days. So, without further chit chat, here’s some things you’re gonna want if you have a high energy dog. I’ll include some links of products I liked. (This is 100% not sponsored. I don’t have the clout for that. These are just my tried and true products.)
Training Treats. This is a must. Especially with border collies. Zero has to be trained every single day or his little brain decides that commands don’t matter. I often bring treats on our walks and we’ll do some outdoor training while we are out, then I will spend about 10 minutes working on some other tricks while we’re at home sometime in the evening. At just over a year old, Zero has a reputation of being an incredibly good boy on our walking route and I trained him all myself. We like to get the “mini” treats because they’re less calories, they cost less, they’re easy to stick in pockets and I don’t feel bad about giving Zero a decent amount when I’m training him. These are our favorite brands.
2. Oatmeal doggy shampoo. I don’t know about anybody else, but the air is dry where we live and Zero never drinks as much water as I wish he did. We leave his bowl constantly filled and fresh throughout the day but he’s a busybody. Since the day we got him, he has had dandruff. I don’t know how to fix but I do know that the oatmeal shampoo for dogs helps. We bought one bottle of it when we got Zero and we still have that same bottle over a year later. Zero gets a bath about once a month or whenever he decides to be rude and roll in strange smelling poop. We really like the John Paul Oatmeal shampoo but I’m sure anything else will work too. Like I said, this stuff has lasted us forever and a little goes a long way.
3. Nyla chew bones. Okay, this one is important. Zero used to wreck his stuffies, his bed, his blankets, his “chew toys” and just about anything else he could get his little paws on. Some of this was pure puppyhood, some of it was teething and some was being he needed something to chew on and his “high chewer” toys just weren’t cutting it. We got him some ~fancy~ nyla bacon flavored chew bones for Christmas this last year and we’ve never looked back. We’ve only given him one of the bones and almost 5 months later despite daily abuse it is still going strong! We love them!
These are currently out of stock but you can get something similar from Petsmart or Petco.
4. Jogging harness and hands-free leash. This right here is my saving grace. I am not even kidding. Mitch and I are big runners/bikers/hikers. We love to be outdoors and we love to be active. We also like to take pictures, drink water, touch plants, carry toys, text on the phone, map our runs and do literally any other thing with our hands. I cannot even describe to you the struggle I used to face daily on runs and walks trying to keep Zero from pulling this way and that while I start my running app, changed my music or carried a full doggy-poop bag. I also used to walk A LOT of dogs and this saved my life. Get one. I’m serious. You will not regret it.
This is the exact one that we have. It has a pouch, the leash absorbs some movement so you and your pup are jerking each other around. I am in love. Match made in heaven.
5. Gentle Head leader. Zero is a puller. I will admit it. I have tried literally every trick I can find aside from enrolling him in a training class to curb this behavior. Literally everything! After trying all the training tricks we moved on to leashes and halters. We tried a no-pull harness which failed miserably (though we do still use it for running and hiking), a regular collar, a prong collar and finally the gentle lead. The prong collar was the next best thing for stopping Zero from pulling but honestly, once he got used to the sensation around his neck, he still pulled as much as he could physically stand. The head lead uses pressure points on their snouts to stop them from pulling. I’ve seen a marked improvement in Zero since we got this. He hasn’t quite gotten used to having something on his face, but his behavior on the leash is so much better that I almost cried the first time I used it! And on the plus side, there is not risk of us hurting his throat like we might if he was pulling on a regular collar.
This is the exact one that we use.
6. Dog travel Kit. Okay, I’ll be honest, You don’t absolutely NEED one of these but this has been amazing to have. I LOVE my travel kit. My friend gifted this to me after dog-sitting for us and it made me realize that carrying my dogs stuff all over town in plastic grocery sacks is all fine and dandy, but it is most definitely not the best way to live. The travel that we have comes with four different small pockets located on the outside of the carrier, one pockets on the inside and one large compartment that is sectioned into two parts. I am able to store Zero’s food and toys in the deeper sectioned parts, his grooming supplies in the upper inside pocket and collapsible water bowls that come with the carrier in one of the smaller pockets. That leaves three other pockets for whatever else I need! This is not only great for traveling, dog-sitting or day trips, it’s also good for just consolidating your dogs things in your home.
7. Fetch Stick. I don’t know what else to call these things but they are genius. I suck at throwing toys. I’m not kidding, my release timing is so bad that Mitch makes fun of me on the daily for it. I am the CEO of throwing a ball at the ground three feet in front of me when I intended that sucker to go for miles. This is an amazing invention for people like me and dogs that like to run far.
8. Frisbee. Zero could run after one of these for hours. He loves them and his jumps are insane.
Zero’s is looking a little worn because of how loved it is.
9. Chicken Enzyme Toothpaste. Listen, your dogs breath stinks. My dog’s breath stinks. But more than that, dogs teeth can get plaque, gingivitis and other issues just like human teeth can. Take good care of your doggos mouth. They deserve it and no, those dental treats are not cutting it. Zero LOVES getting his teeth brushed. We’ve been brushing his teeth since he was tiny. We just use a normal tooth brush and a tiny dollop of chicken enzyme toothpaste. Wash your hands after you’re done or else you’ll smell chicken forever (not that I know from experience 😉
ALSO, look how cheap this stuff is!! Why are you wasting so much money on other dental stuff!!
10. Poop bags. Pretty self explanatory for why. You never know when your dog is gonna go. But please, please always pick up after your pet. Especially around water sources.
Thanks for reading and have a wonderful adventure this week!
This trail has special meaning for me. Mitch and I met and started dating in high school, but because we both served missions for our church in different countries at incongruent times, we didn’t see each other in person for almost 4 years. We kept in contact through letters, emails and videos when we could. I always told Mitch that I didn’t want him to meet me at the airport, or make a big deal of our reunion. But of course he didn’t listen. 😉 Luckily, he was on a cruise with his family when I came home, so I had a few days to settle in before we finally got to reunite.
In May of 2017, my sister (who I used to hike with every Saturday) told me that she wanted to take me on a new hike. During the hike, we got lost. Mitch had given my sister pretty specific instructions for the hike. My sister and I didn’t make it to the planned destination until hours after Mitch thought we would get there. My sister and I had gotten so lost that I suspected that this whole hike was orchestrated by Mitch and my sister confessed it was. She ended up calling Mitch to get us back on track. We finally made it up to the overlook and my reunion with Mitch was very sweet.
This trail is located in Farmington, Utah. We start out near the Davis Creek Trailhead and follow the Bonneville Shoreline Trail until we get to the bottom of the trail. This trail has actually been developed a lot since we hiked it in 2017 and even in 2019. We hiked it in March 2020 and they’ve added some different signs and the bridge is still very secure. It’s become moderately popular trail, with quite a few different routes to take once you get about midway up. It was honestly busier than we have ever seen it because of the Coronavirus and everyone not having anything to do but get outside with their families. That being said, it was not so busy that you can’t maintain 6ft distance between your party and another.
The entire trail to the cliff outlooks is about 4 miles roundtrip from the parking lot, but to the bench overlook that we like, it’s about 2.25 miles round trip. When you are standing in the parking lot facing the mountain, go left, there should be a sign there for “Triumph Trail” or Bonneville Shoreline Trail. This trail leads down to Firebrick Road. In the spring, Steed Creek gets pretty full and you might have to walk through water to get from Bonneville Shoreline to Firebrick Road. The bottom of the trail marker will be on the right side of the trail. Once you leave Firebrick Road there is a steep increase, but it’s not steep enough to not be pet and kid friendly. To get to the bench we like, follow the trail markers for Cliff Outlooks or the “Grotto”. Make sure to take a left when you get to the bridge that goes over the creek. After the bridge, there are some steeper switchback, but take it slow if you need to, the view is worth the work.
We love this trail and we hope you do too! As always, these trails and these mountains are beloved. Please respect it by packing out what you brought in and cleaning up after your pets!
We discovered this trail in September 2017. We went on our honeymoon in Park City, Utah and spent some time on the trails in that area. It is absolutely stunning. The colors, the town, the weather and the wildlife. We try to make our way up there once a year at least and we always make time to visit our favorite spot.
Bloods Lake Trail is 2.8 mile trial at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon. When we went in September 2017, there was hardly anybody around, but recently the trail head was moved off the observation point, down about half a mile. As of September 2019, there was construction being done at the new trailhead along with Porta Potty bathrooms.
We brought Zero with us this last time and he had a great time! There were other dogs on the trail so, keep that in mind if your furry baby is a wanderer. This particular trail is so popular with dogs that there has been an increase in fecal matter contaminating the water. Bloods Lake is the direct water source for a girls scout camp in the area. As a friendly reminder to the humans of our furry friends, please please please pick up after your dog. Conservationists are trying to stop allowing dogs on this trail, which is already the case with so many of the trails in the area. Humans who own these lovable, energetic creatures, we need to do better. I know you love your dogs. And I love mine too. I want to continue to enjoy beautiful places and fun experiences with him. Please don’t ruin this for everyone else. Pick up after your dog.
We bring Zero with his little life vest and he’ll just swim the whole afternoon long.
The trail starts out on a gentle decline then progresses in intensity to some steeper switchbacks. It finishes on another decline before you come around the trees and spot the lake. I am in fairly good shape and I found the trail to be moderately difficult. I would be prepared to take your time and some breaks if you have some tiny hikers in your party. The view is 100% worth the climb. For those of you who are more adventurous and willing to make the trip with some extra gear, the lake itself is gorgeous and calm. It’s the perfect lake for kayaking or stand up paddleboards (and kudos to you if you’re willing to trudge this new trail with all that gear. Whew!). Bring your family, pack a picnic and get ready for a gorgeous afternoon.
I really hope that you get the chance to experience another one of our most favorite trails.
My favorite season to walk the trail is late spring. Everything is in full bloom and was vividly green.
I love this trail. It is miles and miles of paved pathway that follows the Weber River as it winds through Weber county. There are quite a few parking lots that are scattered along the trail. These parking lots are the perfect starting place. You get to choose which direction you want to go (north or south) and still have miles of shade, gentle turns and gorgeous views in either direction. There are turn offs that take you to a huge disc golf course, dirt trails that wind closer to the river, mountain bike tracks, a kid-friendly mountain bike training park and small picnic areas sprinkled throughout the way.
Since getting Zero, our border collie, in February of 2018, we have walked this trail almost every day. Sunshine, rain, snowy or covered in leaves, this trail is always well maintained. There are trash receptacles placed periodically along the trail, doggie bags placed sporadically (I would still recommend bringing your own) and bathrooms by the parking lots. In the wintertime, they lock most of the bathrooms but a few porta-pottys are accessible in some of the parking lots.
Zero LOVES this trail because there’s plenty of things to smell and access to the water at multiple points.
There’s plenty of places to go down to the river for floating or fishing. If you are ever in the area or need something to do when you’re in the Ogden/Riverdale area, I would highly recommend you check this place out.
M+M Adventures 