With Zatara finally finished, and the ever constant pull to explore somewhere new, I decided it was time to take Kelani on a van camping trip to see how she would do, behavior wise, on trails and around a campsite. Even though her and I completed puppy obedience school, she is very protective of me, which brings out her very deep bark, and we haven’t been successful at ending her impulse to jump when she is excited. Because of this, I decided it would be best if it was only the two of us on this trip, so Hurley stayed with my parents.

Since it is still a goal of mine to visit all of the TX state parks, I chose Ink’s Lake for our trip, having never been before. Located in Burnet, TX, this beautiful state park seemed to be the perfect setting for our first camping getaway together. I reserved a campsite right on the water in case my girl decided she wanted to go for a swim. When we lived in NETX, Kelani spent all day every day swimming in our lake though she hasn’t taken to swimming in the gulf since moving to the coast.

If you know anything about Texas, then you know our “camping” season is very short due to extreme heat and humidity, so I chose April, my birthday month, for our getaway since the evenings would be cool enough to sleep comfortably. I figured the water in the lake would still be pretty cold (it was!) but thought if we got hot enough while on the trails, the cold water would be refreshing.

Our campsite was absolutely perfect! We ended each day with dinner overlooking the water and watching the sunset accompanied by a symphony of geese flying in to nest for the night, My favorite part of the whole trip was watching Kelani experience new things for the first time. I was so very proud of my girl as she did an incredible job around camp, and even though she barked and growled to alert me of approaching hikers, she followed her commands, and every interaction went smoothly!

Before we hit the road to head out on our adventure, I made sure to outfit Lani for our trip. It’s important to carry enough water, and even food, for your pups when you take them on adventures with you, especially when in a very hot climate like Texas. I invested in a day pack from Ruffwear for my girl which allowed her to carry her own water, snacks, and poop bags (link to her pack, here, not sponsored I just love it!). Wearing a harness is not her favorite thing, but she got used to it, and having water easily accessible for her was really nice.

This park has something for everyone! Whether you are a water enthusiast or prefer to stay on dry land, you are sure to find as much or as little to fill your time while visiting. Ink’s Lake truly is a gem of the Texas Hill Country with sparkling blue water, colorful rock outcroppings, and stunning sunsets! Kelani and I spent all of our time on the different hiking trails as well as getting plenty of quality time around our camp. We did attempt to enjoy the water, but as I mentioned above, it was cold!

On our first night, we arrived in time to check in, find our site, cook up some dinner, and then settle in to watch the sunset before getting a good night’s rest. This was perfect as it allowed us to both be well rested for the full day of hiking ahead.

While the park has only 9 miles of trails to explore, some of them have steep sections which was a nice change of pace from the coastal prairie lands where we live. All of the trails we chose allowed us some kind of water view. We are both water babies after all! Since this was Kelani’s first camping/hiking trip, (and at the time of this trip, she had just turned one yr old the month prior) I wanted to ease her in and really make sure I wasn’t pushing her too hard. This was probably me being overly cautious as I’m sure she could have handled much more than I allowed, but I decided to break up our hikes with spending the afternoons around camp for lunch and even a midday nap. And let me tell you what, that girl napped hard!!!

On our final day, we hiked up to Devil’s waterhole. This area is popular for people who want to cliff jump into the lake. Since I had Kelani with me, and that water was cold, I did not partake in this popular activity of the park. However, if I ever make it back during a warmer time of year, and with a friend who can watch my girl, I will definetly give cliff jumping a shot!

Once we made it back to the van, Kelani drank down the rest of her water, climbed up in Zatara, plopped down on the floor, perfectly positioned in the middle so the AC would blow right on her once the engine was cranked, and settled in for a very long nap as I drove us home.

Exploring with my girl in a place where the rock walls match her fur coat as we wandered through cactus and bluebonnets will be something I remember forever. I am excited to plan our next getaway, and hope Hurly can join in of the fun, too.