How my dog survived a thru hike with me: Keeping them healthy

I’ve been off the trail for over a year now and nothing I do connects me to the trail more than sharing my experiences with others.
I just spent a weekend in Damascus VA celebrating Trail Days with past, present, and future hikers and the one thing which caught my attention was the number of dogs on trail this year.  Some of them seemed happy and enthusiastic about this endeavor, others not so much, I saw dogs who were lame, and others who were going through emotional struggles.  The trail is not for every dog, it is a place of uncertainty with constantly changing rules and boundaries.  I had been working on this post but realized just how important it was to get it out there.
Here’s some stuff to think about when considering a thru hike with a dog!
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Looking north from Saddleback Mountain outside of Rangely ME

Bookie’s Dirty Dozen on trail etiquette

My next blog is up!  Hope you are all enjoying this journey with me!

http://appalachiantrials.com/bookies-dirty-dozen-on-trail-etiquette/

Hiker life

In the hiker world there is a lingo you quickly learn.

“Hiker midnight”
Anytime after 8pm or the sun has set.

“Hiker appetite”
The ability to consume huge amounts of food without effort.
The odd combination of foods which you’d not normally consider combining, peanut butter and tuna.

“Hiker fashion”
Either trail clothing which you wear for a week at a time or the random attire you put on for town days while washing your trail clothes.

There is also a point where hikers discover a whole new type of challenge, not the day to day drone back in society

What do you do when the “facili-trees” are bare of leaves and you need to go to the bathroom?

The moment when you become aware you have a clear view of the crew making dinner in the shelter when you’re seated on the privy.

Your feet get more attention than your hair

You discover you were photo bombed, not by your friends, but by bugs

When the weather gets wet your dog gets the rain coat

Lessons learned on the trail

The first week on the trail seems so surreal.  I have done so much and yet, already, each day is blending into the next.

The names of mountains bounce around in my head, Big Cedar, Hawk, Blood Mountain, Springer, Powell, Kelly Knob. They’re are already too many for me to count.

I have gained my trail name, Bookie!

The people are amazing; Ghost, Moonlight, Rhythm, Rikki Tikki, Ambush, Arrow, Possum, Twig, and so many more!

There is something to be said for what you will eat on the trail.  I have developed a trail appetite and creativity gains you points. Most common breakfast is oatmeal with carnation instant breakfast mixed in, this one thing has so much potential for adaptation!

Gluten free wrap with peanut butter and Hershey bar!

Blisters,  I know blisters,  at least that is what I thought.  But on day two, when between my toes was burning, I was perplexed.  I had heard nothing of blisters between toes.  I settled into my tent and looked at the situation, they seemed just little bubbles of annoyance,  things that should go away. Go away they did.   With needle and thread I punctured my blisters, leaving the thread in overnight allowing them to drain and settle.

Blister threading

This worked for one of them, the other two were more of a chronic issue,  one where alternative options were needed.  Toe socks it was! 

 
When you’re too cold to function take care of your own basic needs.  After a long day of hiking through rain and mist our arrival at the shelter was bleak as every other hiker on the trail in the surrounding 5 miles was there.  I struggled to get fine motor function going,  after trying to warm myself with hot food and good company I retreated to my tent to shiver through the beginning stages of hyperthermia where I dried off and regained the wonders of normal body functions.

First week in photos

Natural rain shelter

Blue Mountain Shelter sunrise

Trail magic

Let the trail begin!

 

Every step taken brings me further from society and into the wilderness.  I am here.  There is so much to be said and no way to say it.  The trail is nothing like I expected and everything I’d dreamed of.  Within the first mile I was a fish out of water, gasping to fill my oxygen deprived lungs with air. Slow and steady got me up the mountain and on with my journey.

Bear bags hung in morning mist on Springer Mountain

A good day of hiking leaves a tired puppy

I met amazing people within hours of getting on trail.  An older gentleman and I  got to talking while hiking down Springer Mt, it turns out he went through high school in Portsmouth, NH, with my uncles. I came all the way to GA to meet someone who grew up with my family.
I’ve seen remarkable people leave within days. The first two were a wonderful couple from CT,  personal health and the reality of the physical strain the trail puts on your body ended their journey on day two.  Another three left on day three, all for the same reasons.  Day five brought news that Ranger, a 74 year old had also decided to call it after pushing through some rugged terrain.

Ranger hiking on a misty morning

Star has taken to the trail like it’s where she was born.  Every morning she waits by the trailhead while I pack my bag.  Her love for the mountains is clear,  she can’t wait to know what lies around the next corner or over the next peak.  She has also developed the “hiker appetite” and she will eat everything!  Loves her meal topper of Thrive from The Honest Kitchen.

I have found beauty in the mountains that surround me.

Forest mist

Drunk on sleep deprivation

There is a point in time where your body hits a state of drunken euphoria, when you are trying to function off a couple hours of sleep a night. I was at this point. Walking up stairs was safer at a crawl, I had a false sense of happiness which can only be attributed to my body working as hard as possible to keep me functioning on some same level. If you tell yourself enough times everything is in order it still won’t be.

I have been wrapped in a whirlwind of adventure over the past couple of weeks. I made it up another 4000 footer in the New Hampshire White mountains. Mt. Osceola was a fun hike which challenged me physically. The Rocky terrain kept me on high alert as I climbed, stepped, and scrambled my way up. In some ways I was thankful the trail held few distractions, there was no reason for me to stop and pull out my camera, the trail was bare of flowers, moss, or other macro opportunities.

Summit view from Mt. Osceola

This was an exciting day for Star, since she’d been left behind on my last hike. I even borrowed her boyfriend for the day and Tamarack was along for the adventure. The day became a training day for Star, it was all about trail manners, these included but not limited to, giving way on the trail, ignoring other dogs, not begging from other hikers, and learning to pose. The posing became a very serious situation both for Star and Tamarack. I don’t know if it is the fact that both dogs are absolutely adorable or if it is the dog packs they wear.

Pup-arazzi

Never can get them to both look at me

My days streamed one into another. Work was a constant reminder to the day of the week and the dwindling time before my trip.
Thursday came and it was time to hit the road. Hopped a bus to Boston where I met up with my travel companion, picked up the rental car and we were off. Two drivers one car and almost a thousand miles between us and our destination. Twenty hours later, meals on the road, string cheese wrapped in turkey, and too many “no public bathrooms” I was happy to find our motel.
The next days were full of friends and celebrations as I watched two good friends give their vows to each other. The wedding day was one of a kind. Running around Myrtle Beach looking for a white shirt for the groom, or ending the night with the bride tip toeing into the pool dress and all!
I can’t even start to describe the whirlwind of my trip so here are some pictures from the day.

Sealing the deal

Palm fronds

With another twenty hours on the road I land with my feet back in NH. I have less than twenty four hours to repack my bag and hop a plane to CA where I will see the red woods, revel in the beauty of the world and take time to reconnect with me.
I will do my best to post semi regularly with high quality photos from my phone.

Sea Legs atop a Mountain

I stood staring out across the expanse of color which covered the mountains before me. As I drew air into my body I reveled in the accomplishment upon which I stood. Each breath cleansing my body of all the pain, frustration, and disappointment of the past year.

The first glimpse of the colors to come!

On this day it was the air which had me totally immersed in the season. The smell of fallen leaves permeated the air making each breath a reminder of how precious life is.
It was a hike day. Not just any hike but the first hike since I had been sent back to PT and informed my leg was weak and I was on limited activity.

View from the East Ledges

I Packed my bag, including only what I NEEDED, which naturally meant my camera, 2 lenses, and extension tubes. There was no way I was going to miss out on photo opportunities during the fall.

This was just a small hike, elevation gain of 1450′ and 4.8 miles to be exact.

The hike up was littered with little items of beauty. I paused along the way snapping pictures of interesting things, many of which were taken with my iPhone.

Autumn colors lit from behind

When we reached the East Ledges we settled in for a quick lunch and some photo opportunities. The iPhone went away and the real camera came out.

Meeting the wildlife

Attempted to catch and eat this beautiful creature

It might take a moment but she really does love being held in my lap.

We continued on our way enjoying the views as we worked our way around to the summit. Upon the Summit I settled in and braced my knee up. As we started down the wobble of my legs became apparent and I was thankful for my forethought!

A beautiful hike down with the light fading and the colors becoming more vibrant as the harsh light of midday ebbed.

Trillium remnants

This beauty sat just off the side of the trail. Happy to have seen it!

Last view headed off the mountain

There will be more!!!

This is just the beginning – Photo courtesy of Mikaela Ritter

A day in pictures

No matter how far you’ve come you can always go further.
The desire to be out in the mountains camping under the stars sits heavily upon me. To wake in the morning and heat water over a camp stove. To sip coffee while watching the stars fade into the morning light. To know that all I need is right there at the tip of my fingers.

Moonrise and Sunset can cause extreme shifts in gravity so please be cautious when outdoors during these exchanges

While I wait for the mountains I will spend my time in the places I can kick back and enjoy the air. Today was all about that bass, ahhh beach, beach that is. Darn that song is all over the radio and creeping into your head when you least expect it.
Star and I spent the late morning walking the sand with our best friends. Running, playing and being goofy. Because in life it’s really all you have.

A common exchange between me and Star

Deer impression 101

Best friends!

Somehow the mustache shifted…

I didn’t know the dog but he was having too much fun not to capture the moment!

Life takes a hiatus

My idea of life and yours may be completely different. When I think about what it means to be alive I picture time spent hiking through the woods, swimming in lakes, and kicking back at the end of a day looking up at the stars. Therefore my life is on hiatus. I was ready. The trails were calling my name and I had places to be. BUT until I get clearance, from my wonderful physical therapist, I am not allowed to do any “serious” hiking.

Sometimes you find the “trail” on the water

My days are filled with many things. Simple walks through the woods, going to work where I bowl or play on giant water slides, facilitating team building with awesome youth, photographing my best friends wedding, escaping mad wasps, or researching all the cat food in the world. Again, our idea of excitement may vary. As enjoyable as all of these things are they are either a brief blip on my radar or a constant in my life. And for this reason they do not satiate the desire that burns within me to hike to the top of a mountain and lay out to enjoy the wind, watch the clouds and relax knowing my house, for the night, is on my back.

I unexpectedly became a wedding photographer

The blips in my life usually hold quite a bit of excitement. I rarely walk away from them with regrets. Some blips last longer than others or are intertwined creating rapid fire blips or blips². For example my woods walks are a regular blip in my schedule. I load the car up and head to the woods, grab the Chuck-it and my dog and that’s that. Now let’s create some excitement.
Imagine it’s been a peaceful walk. The weather is perfect, there is a slight breeze rustling the trees and keeping the bugs at bay. If you close your eyes and lift your face toward the sky the rays of the sun peek through the leaves warming you ever so slightly. The latest, and greatest, blip on the radar is swimming for the pup. Star has just learned how to swim so it is a mandatory activity when water is near.

Nothing like a good shake after rescuing your ball

Today, swimming was perfect! We continue on our way enjoying a very lazy walk. There is no rushing today, it is a day of absolute freedom. As we finish up our hour plus meander we round the bend to the last section of trail. Star leads the way, an easy twenty feet ahead. Suddenly the woods are full of screeching! I look up to see where it is coming from to find Star frantically pawing at her face and biting at her legs and belly. Every muscle in my being wants to rush forward to help her. Instead I stand rooted in place calling her name trying to coax her to me. She can’t focus on my kind voice as the angry wasps bury themselves in her. I start yelling, demanding she come to me. My voice must cut through her pain because she starts moving in my direction. I turn and start jogging down the trail, calling over my shoulder, I glance back long enough to see her there then sprint forward trying to stay well in front of her. I usher her down into a stream where she can lay down and cool her body from the angry stings. I become all that drives me crazy. I coo and fawn over her, I use a baby voice and ask her questions she can’t answer.
We call it a day and make our way out of the woods, using a different trail of course. Upon returning home I take some time to turn the cooing into productive hands on investigation of the sting zones. It’s been half an hour and her poor face has started to swell.

A little ice to reduce swelling on her jaw and neck
She loved this idea!

A little research and a vet call later Star is happily dosed up on Benadryl (1mg/lbs). She curls up on the couch and passes out all in good fashion. The swelling on her cheek and jaw have reduced dramatically by bed time and she seems none the worse for the blip in our day. But I know this blip will leave an impression on the radar.

So we sit, we tally, we appreciate what we have and look forward to what we want.

anything is possible given enough time and determination

The journey is the destination

There are times when life takes over. I had this awesome plan laid out and suddenly I was pushed off onto a detour. It’s been just over a year since I had my ACL replaced, I had found the trails again and had huge plans ahead of me. But first it seems I need to travel some bumpy ground before I get to my destination.

It’s important to enjoy the wildflower that line your path

Three months ago my leg started bothering me. At first I thought it was all in my head but I realized the pain was consistent, I was allowing the pain to become part of my day to day life. I made a couple calls, one specifically to my surgeon. “My tibia is achy. More specifically, where you put a screw in my leg I am getting a deep throbbing pain in the bone. Any chance the screw is coming out on its own?”

Three weeks later I’m sitting in his office while he pokes my leg and confirms my fears. I’ve got a screw loose. Another three weeks and I’m sitting in a hospital bed waiting to have it removed. Bonus to the surgery, I’m back in physical therapy to continue focused muscle building. Surgery was quick, I walked out of the hospital on crutches and found a nice place on the couch for the next couple days while the throbbing subsided.

Guess being short a loose screw isn’t a bad thing

Star and I missed the woods. Short walks at the park were all I could handle despite my hopes for more. But true to my style I found myself back in the woods by the end of the week. What would have been an easy 45 min casual walk covering 2 miles became a 2 1/2 hour walk. If it had been flat terrain I’d have had little difficulty but this section of woods housed dips and rises which slowed me drastically. Once again I was humbled by how quickly life can change.

When you’ve been cooped up for a week with nothing but Chuck-it time at the park it’s time to branch out when you hit the woods.

When forced to slow down you start looking at all the things surrounding you.
You pause and readjust your angle, the new perspectives are worth it.
Black Eyed Susan’s catching rays

It’s the little things you need to stop and take a moment to look at.
Even if it means getting low to the ground.
“Corpse Plant or Indian Pipe”

My feet were back on the ground and I was moving forward, so why stop? If you’re going to get things done you’re better off doing them all at once. I’d been dreading making a dental appointment. But the wisdom teeth were past due and I wanted them out. A simple evaluation visit turned into multiple appointments getting my teeth cleaned and cavities taken care of (until two weeks ago I’d never had a filling). These trips were just the beginning, little did I know just how much I’d detest the idea of sitting in a dental chair.

X-rays of my mouth showed how very special I am. I not only had wisdom teeth which needed to be taken out but I had FIVE!!! Lucky for me I only needed two extracted. I made an appointment as soon as possible hoping to be done with it. Just as my leg was back on the mend and I was ready to hit the mountains again I found myself only dreaming of them. While the nitrous oxide kicked in I drifted off to the great outdoors. I saw myself hiking down the AT with my pup at my side. Life was awesome! Then I came too. I was in a fog. I couldn’t believe the surgery was already done and the awesomeness of the trail was not real. oh well, I felt GREAT!

All smiles and full of “laughing gas”

Almost a week out from the extraction and life is still on hold. The dry socket I acquired on day four put a bit of a damper on the quick recovery, granted I can’t complain too much since my face didn’t puff up. A bonus and yet slightly disappointing, due to lack of swelling, I had no opportunity to play the role of a chipmunk. I do feel like a holiday special though, full of spice and everything nice. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to appreciate cloves again. Not after 48 hours of having my jaw “packed” with something heavily doused in clove oil (with the likely hood of a couple more days ahead of me).

So this is life at the moment. I am planning, plotting, and bleeding minds dry while I search for information about hiking the AT. The more knowledge I can gain the better off I’ll be. To sit and read someone else’s story about their experience on the trail just makes the prospect ahead of me that much more exciting.

We’ve done it before and we will do it again!!!
Summit of Mt. Chocorua