I lead a charmed life. My mom loves adventures and none of our days ever look the same. Sometimes she takes us to live outside. We walk all day and get to chase marmots and see goats and mules, and swim in cold lakes, then we get to eat special food and sleep all together on the ground in the tent. We really move as a pack and have a great time together. I love it!

This time we got to do it for several days. It was hard work leading her around, rock hopping, charging up mountains, rolling in the snow, posing for a million pictures, sniffing out rodents in the wildflowers, and trying not to let her get lost. I was a dog in my natural element, Wild and Free.

Secretly I think my mom is more wild than I am. She wakes us up early so we can chase the sunlight and pound out miles just for fun. I think she would stay out here forever. Not me, I like my bed and town food and people adoring me. Her eyes get wet and her feet get slow when she has to leave, and I happily drag her back to the van as fast as my dainty little feet can go.

I think she forgets how old we are so I like to remind her. As soon as we got back to the parking lot I started limping and acting really old and feeble. She brought me water and held it so I could drink it out of her hands, then she carried me to the van and put me on my comfy bed. I grinned a little and took a nap.

When I woke up I played it up even more and she brought me ice cream and hamburgers and massaged my whole body. She looked really worried and kept saying soft human words and petting me. I like it when she does that.

Later she woke me up and took me to a river so I could stand in the water.

Then she drove me to a sandy beach on a lake and I got to sleep and swim for days and had many more massages.

Vacation life is the best life.

I’m really looking forward to next week’s mountain hiking. The adventuring is great, but I really live for the pampering afterwards!

—Hallie aged 11 and 3/4.