WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH THE DOGS WHEN YOU GET TO THE NATIONAL PARKS?

I apologize, Mr. Gratch, for taking so long to respond to your question, but I’ve finally gotten around to answering it for you.

Fortunately, there are only three places on the trail where dogs are not permitted to hike.  The first section is the 72 miles of trail that traverses the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park; the second is in New York where the trail goes through a small zoo in the Bear Mountain-Harriman State Park (not sure about the mileage), and the third is the last and final section of the trail within Baxter State Park in Maine which covers about 14 miles.  As prepared as I feel for the trail, this is probably the most unprepared I am on any aspect of the AT.  It’s been hard to plan for potential emergencies involving the dogs, including who can watch them at a moments notice.

Missy and I are lucky enough to have good friends who work as raft guides in Erwin, Tennessee (which the trail meanders through) who volunteered to watch the dogs for us when we hike through the Smokies.  Our plan is to have our friends, Emily and James, meet us at Fontana Dam in North Carolina at the Southern entrance to the Smoky Mountain National Park and pick up Molly and Tess.  We would then hike the 72 miles of the Smokies that the AT cuts through and either have Emily and James drop the dogs off with us once out of the park or (depending on how the dogs are doing) continue watching them for the 103 miles that we have to cover until we reach the section of trail that goes through Erwin where Emily and James work on the Nolichucky River.

The next section that the dogs won’t be allowed to hike is the easiest section to take care of.  The trail has a by-pass for the zoo depending on if thru-hikers have dogs or the zoo happens to be closed.  Some hikers might look down on us for taking a by-pass, but if I don’t have to leave my dogs with someone then I don’t mind at all; especially since the by-pass was marked for hikers with dogs or for zoo closures.  Once we’re past this section we won’t have to worry about the dogs (unless there is an unforeseen emergency) until we get to Maine and Baxter State Park.

Baxter State Park is the last and final section of the trail where the dogs won’t be allowed.  There is a kennel that we can drop the dogs off at for a day or two while we hike the last 14 miles, but Missy and I haven’t really planned that far.  I think we’re hoping that in the 4-½ months that it takes us to get to Baxter State Park we’ll come up with a plan for the dogs.  My worst fear is that the dogs will have to leave the trail early on when we first start and possibly not come back.

This is the hardest thing to plan for.  Right now our emergency contact list for the dogs is a total of one phone number, my brother Case.  We just don’t know that many people who are willing to be on call all summer long just in case the dogs need a break from the trail.  We don’t know when or if they’ll need to leave and that can make it hard for a person to commit to being an emergency contact in case our dogs get injured.  Not that this is what I’m banking on, but I have heard of thru-hikers with dogs speaking with other hikers whose friends or family are willing to help out, just in case something happens and the hikers can’t get someone they know personally to come for a few days.  I love my dogs and I hope this is something we don’t have to deal with, but it is always better to be as prepared as possible.  This is definitely the one aspect of the trail that makes me the most nervous. 

 
Picture
About to drop in on a run, Nirvana, and I had to stop and stare at the big bold face of Mt. Wood, the tallest peak visible from June Mountain.
BUZZZ…BUZZZ…BUZZZ…

…What? What is that?  It can’t be my alarm already.  Why?  I just went to bed…I should
just call in sick today.  I don’t want to get up.  Why do I have to do this, the
sun isn’t even up yet, and my bed is so warm.  I just want to
be…

…Up here, above the deepest, darkest, depths of the oceans.  Above the ambling,
rambling rivers and roads.  Above all of the organic, rooting, crawling,
swimming, walking, flying elements of Earth.  Above all, except, perhaps the
hardiest of plants, bravest of birds, and those searching for the next step, or
the answer, or a fleeting moment where it all makes sense.  Searching and
grasping for anything that you can cling onto for dear life, anything that will
help you take the next step, give you just enough courage to be able to face the
newest challenge.

All of these introspections, dreams, and feelings raced through my body as I stood
on the peak of Mt. Wood.  And then I was ecstatic, standing there on top of the
monolith that seemed to challenge the surrounding environment as if it was a
teenager rebelling against its parents.  I had never felt so good.  Staring out
over the edge of the craggy peak, looking down at where I had started, my head
began to spin and a drunken feeling swept over me.  I was so giddy with
excitement that I could barely contain myself.  I had done it.  I had
accomplished what I wanted to do ever since the first day I worked a chair lift
and looked across the valley to the bold face of Mt. Wood.  Amongst all the
commotion within my body, a great calm began to spread throughout and I no
longer feared the challenges that lay ahead.

On the summit of Mt. Wood I knew that I would be ok.  I knew that what lay ahead
wouldn’t be easy, but I knew I could accomplish whatever I set out to do.  I
knew that Mt. Wood was not the last peak, but merely one of the first that I
would climb and learn from.  These last few weeks, thinking about the thru-hike
of the Appalachian Trail, I’ve found myself dwelling on the day that I climbed
Mt. Wood.  When I begin to get nervous I think about Mt. Wood and everything
that Missy and I have done since then, and I can feel that great calm spread
over me again.  I feel all the anxious, excited nervousness slip away and I
think about everything that we will see and experience, the people we will meet,
and everything that this adventure will teach us.

Some of my happiest moments have been when I’ve found myself lost in the forests and
mountains of the Eastern Sierra.  Knowing it’s just the Earth and I makes me
feel comfortable, more open, and willing to share my thoughts and feelings.  I
know that the Earth won’t judge me and will accept me for who I am as long as I
treat it with the same respect that it shows for me.  I hope to share this with
Missy as we walk, scramble, and climb our way North on the Appalachian Trail.  I
hope to share with her some ecstatic moments similar to the one that I felt on
top of Mt. Wood.  I still get nervous now while I wait to start the trail, but
with memories of Mt. Wood and Missy by my side I know that we can do it and that
when all is said and done we will never look back on this time with
regret…

P.S. Mr. Gratch, I apologize for not answering your question this week.  I felt the
need to take a break from the trail and enjoy the place that I was at and it
made me think about all the memories I had acquired.   Mt. Wood is prominent
among them, especially since I look at it every day at work!  I promise I will
respond this next week.  To those who haven’t asked any questions yet, don’t be
shy; ask away!

I’d also like to ask those interested to give me your e-mail address.  I would like
to get a list of people who I could just send out a quick group e-mail too in
order to inform you of when I make a post.  You can just send an email with the
subject heading of “AT Bound” to [email protected]. Once I get your address I will
send you a notice every time I make a post. 


Thank you to everyone who has posted comments here and on Facebook.  Please keep them
coming!