09/13/2026
Well the audience has spoken and it looks like everyone wants more blog/hiking/life posts on here so thats exactly what we're gonna do!
Blog Post #1: Big Knife Provincial Park
You ever just wake up as a parent and know that there is no way your family can spend one more day at home without going bonkers?! Well that was me a couple weeks ago!
We hadnt gone out in days and had just been plugging away around the farm and soaking up the hot summer days. I knew Bjørn was getting a bit stir crazy and so were the dogs....simply too much farm time and no real adventure outlet.
That morning i decided it was time to drive the 45mins one way to go see this provincial park. We had driven past the park turnoff before but never had time to stop in so it had been on our radar for awhile already. Not alot of information was available online for it other than that the hoodoos were a sight to see and dogs were allowed.
After loading up two backpacks of essential hiking gear (I carried the water, map, phone, keys, hats, sweater & snacks....and bjorn carried the important stuff: an ungodly amounts of dog treats, Tate's tennis ball, his juice and his camera 😆).
We arrived and immediately realized that the reviews online didnt do the park justice at all! There was a huge play park for kids, a clean camping area (pretty full too so obviously its a well loved campground), a well maintained trail system and gorgeous valley views! We hiked to the Hoodoos and discovered a teepee someone had build on the ridge (that was by far Bjørn's favorite part) so we had lunch at the teepee and enjoyed the warm breeze and sunshine.
The dogs did fantastic for their first outing in a couple weeks. Chester was high stepping and trotting along gleefully, taking everything in and making sure the squirrels kept their distance from his tiny human carrying his snacks 😆 He also enjoyed trying to befriend EVERY person we met, he is a social butterfly and always has been!
Tate was very well behaved also, as is his usual demeanor now since his rehabilitation. He was a little watchful of a big aggressive acting dog that was doing his best to escape his owners grasp and run at us. We unfortunately often run into ill-behaved dogs on our outings and it does give me slight anxiety when im with my son also as I always worry ill have to protect him from another dog or getting caught between a random dog and our dogs trying to protect us. But luckily, we carried on and eventually the other dog started snarling at the next hiker along the trail in front of them and forgot about our little group. Id be lying if I said I wasnt watching over my shoulder just in case the brute came tearing down the path behind us, you truly never know what other people's dogs will do and after owning/training/breeding dogs for many years...my head is always on a swivel.
The rest of the hike carried on with great success. The river was winding and a beautiful walk to complete at a leisurely pace (the only pace you can do with 2 dogs & a nature loving kid who stops at every bug, berry and bush lol). There were even some cows grazing in the field beside the park boundaries so we stopped to say hello to them, as we do with every cow herd we spot.
After a total of 4kms, we arrived back at the car tired, smiling and HUNGRY (apparently my lunch/snack estimates were a bit on the lean side for our hiking team 😆). The car ride home was quiet, Chester and Bjørn fell asleep in the backseat before we even left the park boundaries and Tate & I had a quiet ride home listening to tunes and singing/howling off key in the front seat!
In conclusion: exercise is a very important part of a heelers life and its something we state right on our website and to new puppy parents. They THRIVE on adventure and tasks, they love having a job and enjoy feeling accomplished. i believe we as humans also tend to do better when exercise and adventure are treated the same as every other biological need. We often get stuck in the rut of the same daily cycle and you may not see how much you needed a break until you get one and feel the weight evaporate off your shoulders.
So if you've been stuck in a rut and need some clarity, try a hike! May not fix everything but you'd be amazed what it can do to lighten your load, even if just for the day. And as always, bring a four legged friend 😉🧡
