San Juan Loop Trail

The Crouts hit the road again today for another adventure in nature. We had so much fun 2 weeks ago out on the trails that we HAD to do it again! We went out Ortega Highway to the San Juan Loop Trail. This is a kid and dog friendly hike. There aren't supposed to be cyclists, but we saw two small groups. There was also a trail run going on and we had to jump out of their way from time to time. Chloe was supposed to stay on her leash, but she HATES being on it when we are on the trail. She pulls so hard that she is breathing hard and sounds like she is choking. As soon as we took her off she was happy, stayed with us and was the best trail puppy EVER!!

Again, Jason marveled at all the trees that were around us- This area of Orange/Riverside County is so beautiful!

Here we are at the beginning of our hike. It was a beautiful, clear day- not too hot and not too cold!

Since we took Chloe off the leash and wanted to get out of the way of the trail runners, we decided to go off the beaten trail (MISTAKE). We did come across some beautiful areas, but we were doing some serious SQUEEZING through tight areas that are not intended for humans to walk through. Chloe was in heaven- she could go anywhere and get through anything, but the humans (especially the adult ones) had a more difficult time.

We actually went through that- how you ask? It was hard and I have the scratches on my arms to prove it. Thankfully we were spared any Poison Oak!

I am kissing the ground of the trail once we were back on it. I never thought I would be so excited to see it. Although the off road hiking was challenging, I will say that it was a joy to see the boys problem solve and be awesome "trail blazers". I think they have a future in hiking!

We are coming back again soon! After we left we headed to Lake Elsinore which was the closest gas station. Although we came prepared with lots of snacks and water- we forgot to check the gas meter. Oh well, it all turned out! The one down side of taking Chloe with us is having to wash her when we get home (she gets DIRTY). I also took the opportunity to trim her hair which had gotten really long! Our reward for our efforts? Yummy Oggi's pizza for dinner.