Vegas's First Hike

Say hello to my new puppy, Vegas. She's a 13 week old chihuahua and weighs 2.3 pounds. I delivered her by Caesarian section and my friends at work got her for me for my birthday! She's little enough to take pretty much anywhere, which is great, and she rides in a pack when we go hiking. She's too little to jump up the rocks and steps! Because size comparisons are funny, here's Vegas vs. a tulip poplar leaf! LOL

Okay, so for our first hike we did Pinnacle Mountain which is apparently the summit right next to Table Rock Mountain, and the views at the top are similar, but this hike is longer, and flatter at the beginning without all the steps, but the last mile and a half is killer. With chest-high poison ivy. And lots of plants like this mountain laurel:

unknown cool flowering weedy things...

There are all these wild lilies in various shades of red and pink, all over the trail!

Mill Creek Falls

(oops)

This, I presume, is the dismembered sign at the summit site. Really, the only reason you know it's the summit is that the next trail head begins here. That and there's this circular clearing. That's really all that tells you...

Aforementioned circular flat clearing.

More wild lilies...

I believe this is wild columbine, just not quite in flower yet. Fields and fields of it!

Crazy snail, and the view from nearly the top. I did about 10 miles with the spur trail and the backtracking. Vegas did like 0.1 mile. I blew out my knee and limped the last 4 miles back. Vegas rode in her pack. LOL The cool lookout rock is below. The view is awesome. Obviously. :)