My parents took me on my first camping trip this past weekend. Our adventure began on Saturday morning. After breakfast, Mom and Dad began loading all this stuff into the car. I didn't recognize most of the items but when I saw my green suitcase and my bed go in, I knew I was gonna be part of the fun. Whatever it was, I couldn't wait to get goin'.
We drove for about two hours. Most of the drive was on a highway but at some point, we left the main road and ended up driving a swirly parkway called the Blue Ridge Parkway. Eventually, we turned onto a gravel roadway with lots of crazy turns. Dad's a good driver but I was still kind of frightened. I saw Mom gripping the dash board and I even watched the road despite the fact that I'm usually out like a light during car rides.
Anyway, we eventually arrived at Crabtree Falls. What a beautiful sight. After a quick potty break, we began the hike. At 10:30 in the morning, there weren't many folks on the trail but we saw some dogs who also brought their people for some exercise. The hike was somewhat difficult. I didn't have any problems but I helped pull Mom and Dad up the mountain. All the work was worth it, though, because we got to see a very beautiful view of the Appalachian Mountains. On top of that, I got to try a new treat. Mom told me that she forgot to bring my treats on the hike so instead, she offered me this crunchy, nutty, oaty bar thingy (I think it's called a granola bar). Oh my gosh. It was so amazing. But not as glorious as the treat I got later that night (more on that later).
Dad and I at the top of Crabtree Falls.
View of the App Mountains
On the way back down the mountain, I stopped and cheered on the hikers below.
The oh-so-pretty waterfall.
Close up of the falls.
After the hike, we jumped back in the car and drove a short distance to the Montebello campground. Mom and Dad immediately got to work on setting up the campsite. I think I did a good job surpervising. As you can see, we have a great tent. It's huge!
Here I am, lounging on my bed in the tent. You can see the sleeping bags and air matress that Mom and Dad used. We weren't exactly roughing it on this trip. :)
This is the other half of the tent that went totally unused during the trip. Yep, it's a big tent. Dad says we should advertise this a our "rustic" accomodations at the Half Way To Myrtle Beach Inn. With the tent, we can now accomodate up to 14 guests!!!
Once the campsite was set up, we took a little rest and a short walk. Then, Mom started to prepare some food. I was given my usual kibble and decided I was too tired to eat so I just chilled out while Mom and Dad ate dinner. After a while, though, the most wonderful gift was given to me. Something called Dinty Moore stew. Have you heard of it? Oh my gosh, you gotta try this stuff. Mom dropped a generous serving on top of my food. Once I finished what was in my bowl, I went hunting around for more Dinty Moore. I even licked some rocks in search of that heavenly flavor. I will gladly go camping every weekend if it means I get to have Dinty Moore.
The next morning, we headed out from the campsite and drove to Mt. Pleasant. The morning was not pleasant. It was overcast and raining lightly. By the time we got to the trailhead, the rain had stopped but it was still really overcast. Regardless, we set off on the trail. After hiking for about 45 minutes, another dog came running down the trail toward us. He didn't have his person and seemed to be all alone. He did have a wierd radio collar on him and I guess that's how he communicated with his people. Anyway, he turned out to be a big help because he prevented us from getting lost on two occassions.
This is me and my new friend at the top of Mount Pleasant.
As you can see, there wasn't much of a view with all the clouds and fog. Presumably, one can see a picturesque valley and mountains from here.
Dad tried to get me to scramble down the rocks with him. I like to think I'm a smart dog so I didn't follow him....
...despite all his efforts.
The Mount Pleasant hike was pretty tough so afterwards, we relaxed at the campsite, ate dinner (no Dinty Moore this time) and went to bed. In the morning, the tent got packed up. I really wanted to stay (and eat more Dinty Moore stew) so I staged a sit-in on my bed. 
The above photo pretty much represents the position I've been ever since returning home. It was a tiring trip with all the hiking, setting up the campsite, packing, cooking, swimming (oh yeah, I went swimming too) and looking after my parents. I loved every minute of it.
