When we lived in China with Polar, we were in a mountainous region in the southwest, pretty close to Tibet. Since I love the outdoors, I took Polar hiking all the time. She was the best hiking partner because she's always eager to go out, never complains, ready to go in any weather, and she out hikes me by a long shot. There aren't a lot of defined hiking trails in China, so we usually just pick a direction and go, explore places we've never been, sometimes bushwhacking and often I had no idea where I was. It was a lot of fun. Here are just a few photos from our adventures between 2009 and 2011.








































































Now, in case you're wondering why I put a shirt on Polar, it's not to keep her warm, but rather to keep the mud and slush turning her into a mud ball.






































































BTW, Polar climbs this trail often with no help from anyone.

I think Polar would fit right in on our hiking adventures! LOVE all the pictures!!!!

such gorgeous pics and a beautiful dog.

Wow I love the pictures..

Polar is a great hiker..

No leash??

She is very train if you can away without a leash..

No leash? It's a Malamute thing... Yup, I definitely have more of a Malamute thing going on. Sweet pictures! That's amazing how similar AND different the two regions are.

Looks like you've got quite the trail partner there.

jbealer wrote:

I think Polar would fit right in on our hiking adventures! LOVE all the pictures!!!!

I have hundreds of photos from different trips, but I'm too lazy to post them all.

iceblulady wrote:

such gorgeous pics and a beautiful dog.

Thank you!

ljelgin wrote:

Wow I love the pictures..

Polar is a great hiker..

No leash??

She is very train if you can away without a leash..

I keep Polar on a leash when we are close to civilization, but once we are up in the mountains I usually let her off leash. China doesn't have a strict leash law, plus I stay away from the busy places so we hardly ever meet anyone on the trail. When we do, it's usually local villagers collecting firewood or picking mushrooms on the mountain, or Shepherd with their sheep, then I call Polar back to me and put her on a leash.

Love the ghost trees pix.

How does Polar do when it's hot?
Do you have to start early and be done before the heat of the day?

harrise wrote:

No leash? It's a Malamute thing... Yup, I definitely have more of a Malamute thing going on. Sweet pictures! That's amazing how similar AND different the two regions are.

Looks like you've got quite the trail partner there.

Thats not true!! My mal can't be off leash at all!! haha

btw I showed my hubby your malamute! He was in love! So pretty!! I am happy to have another mal owner on here!

I usually don't get to excited about a wooly but damn he is one of the most handsome woolies I've ever seen.

Great outdoor pics also.

Great pics! Thanks for sharing!

Wonderful photos!

Thank you for the great photos! Polar looks to be quite the hiking partner!

Gorgeous Pup, it's funny how BIG she looks when nobody is around then when you have someone to put her next to she looks small. Gorgeous either way!

We've been letting Appa off leash more and more lately (in remote areas) and he's been doing great ... until he gets a bug in his head then he's deaf as can be. Last time he decided the other people with a dog cross country skiing were more fun than us. Luckily they caught on and stopped and waited for us to catch up and get him...

harrise wrote:

No leash? It's a Malamute thing... Yup, I definitely have more of a Malamute thing going on. Sweet pictures! That's amazing how similar AND different the two regions are.

Looks like you've got quite the trail partner there.

We were living right around 2000 meters (6500 feet) in Yunnan, which is just slightly higher than Denver. So the elevation is pretty similar. The biggest difference I think is the wet and dry season, summer is the wet season in Yunnan, hence all the green trees and rice fields in some of the photos. Sometimes it will drizzle for a few days straight, which is actually quite miserable for a hiking dog. No raincoat can keep Polar dry in that weather.

jalepeno wrote:

Love the ghost trees pix.

How does Polar do when it's hot?
Do you have to start early and be done before the heat of the day?

When we were in China, the heat wasn't too bad. It would get hot in April and May, but then the rainy season comes and cools (as well as wets) everything down. Polar spent a summer in Florida, that was bad. Like you said, we pretty much keep any outdoor activity to the morning and then late at night.

norbreedslove wrote:

btw I showed my hubby your malamute! He was in love! So pretty!! I am happy to have another mal owner on here!

Here4thePics wrote:

I usually don't get to excited about a wooly but damn he is one of the most handsome woolies I've ever seen.

Great outdoor pics also.

26nikita wrote:

Great pics! Thanks for sharing!

Ghost wrote:

Wonderful photos!

MicroBrewer wrote:

Thank you for the great photos! Polar looks to be quite the hiking partner!

rileyflorence wrote:

Gorgeous Pup, it's funny how BIG she looks when nobody is around then when you have someone to put her next to she looks small. Gorgeous either way!

We've been letting Appa off leash more and more lately (in remote areas) and he's been doing great ... until he gets a bug in his head then he's deaf as can be. Last time he decided the other people with a dog cross country skiing were more fun than us. Luckily they caught on and stopped and waited for us to catch up and get him...

Thank you all!

My philosophy is that being off leash is just as trainable as any other thing you have taught your dog to do. and probably easier if you start from a young age. I'm not a dog psychologist. but if i made it 2 years never having been off a leash outside, and suddenly, i'm free, I might take off too; vs. being taken off leash in public places (always alone) from a young age.

We just tried off leash at a park (granted we were alone), and she played really well off leash. I sat with my friend at a bench, Keeonah started chasing birds, I called her back, and she came running. Of course, she knew she would be getting like 7 pieces of her doggie trail mix if she came... IMHO, a good recall is probably the most important thing for a dog to have.

EDIT: Riley, your sig pic of Appa is flawless. Such a beautiful boy you have!

MyKeeonah wrote:

We just tried off leash at a park (granted we were alone), and she played really well off leash. I sat with my friend at a bench, Keeonah started chasing birds, I called her back, and she came running. Of course, she knew she would be getting like 7 pieces of her doggie trail mix if she came... IMHO, a good recall is probably the most important thing for a dog to have.

I agree that having a solid recall is very important for a dog, but I also think training depends on a dog's individual temperament. Polar has a pretty good recall, while I'd like to think I did a fairly good job with her, I don't know if I can train another husky/malamute to be the same.

MyKeeonah wrote:

My philosophy is that being off leash is just as trainable as any other thing you have taught your dog to do. and probably easier if you start from a young age. I'm not a dog psychologist. but if i made it 2 years never having been off a leash outside, and suddenly, i'm free, I might take off too; vs. being taken off leash in public places (always alone) from a young age.

while this might be true for other breeds, your boy is still only 5 months old... please be careful if you keep up the off leash, don't want to see you on here saying he ran away.

jbealer wrote:

while this might be true for other breeds, your boy is still only 5 months old... please be careful if you keep up the off leash, don't want to see you on here saying he ran away.

She**

While she does get the deaf ear every now and again, "HEY!" gets me eye contact 97% of the time. Having her off leash is completely situational as well. While we are on the subject, around what age is the norm for a husky to find their "adventurous" side. Because, though curious, keeonah will wander, but generall speaking likes me to be in her line of sight at all times. Sometimes I like to pretend that somehow, my training has made a her a wonderdog, but I know that illusion will be shattered one day:P