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drifters quest
11-29-2009, 13:45
I'm coming from Washington, so I have a lot to work out bringing a dog on the trail with me. I'm finding it quite complicated just to get her to Springer and then it won't be long before I hit the Smokeys. My question to you is have any of you started the trail on your own then had the dog join you at a later time? My mom gets off school late April and she really wants to come visit me when i'm on the trail and offered to drop the dog off when she is able to get over. Not only will this probably make it easier to adjust to the trail, but it will save me a lot of money. My dog is a border collie and has no problems with fitness.. are there any concerns about doing this?

Johnny Thunder
11-29-2009, 14:01
I don't see any negatives so long as you are aware that your dog will have to ease into the hike even after you get your "trail legs."

You'll avoid having the dog with you during the high concentration of other hikers and dogs in Georgia. He/She will avoid most of the cold (although a border collie shouldn't have problems with cold anyway).

The only thing that might happen is that you decide that you like hiking on your own. No idea until you get out there. Good luck!

ShelterLeopard
11-29-2009, 14:33
The only problem I could see with you and your dog starting at separate times, is that you will need to be very sensitive to your dog's physical condition. If you both start together, doing seven miles day, you both build up strength together. If your dog joins you and you're already doing high mile days, he/she won't be ready (probably), and you'll have to slow down to meet your dog's pace until s/he is ready. Even if your dog is very physical active, he, like a human hiker, will need to adapt to the hiking life.

Just keep that in mind, and you're good.

drifters quest
11-29-2009, 14:59
Yeah, she has no issues with cold. I work on a ranch here in Wyoming and I have yet to see her get cold!! Would have made a good bed warmer in the beggining though. A big concern would be the Summer heat. Although I grew up in Hawaii where it was hot and humid, it's been a while, here in Wyoming 10% humidity isn't uncommon. Hopefully that won't be an issue, but April and beggining of May shouldn't be too bad.

The mile difference is one thing I thought of. She is a very active dog, border collies are known for their extreme level of fitness and they always need a job. I'm sure hiking with her would please her very much. My dad is a biker so i'm hoping he can do a lot of biking with her at home and I have other ideas on how to keep her fit for high miles while i'm gone. She shouldn't have much problem adjusting to the high miles and if need be I can slow down for her for a bit. We go hiking almost every weekend, and although the miles aren't what will be done on the trail, I have found she's a good hiker and camper.

CrumbSnatcher
11-29-2009, 15:19
cheap car, cruise cross country and hike! thats what i do. One time i sold the vehicle in dahlonega before starting at AFSP(he test drove it while dropping me off at the visitor center and then paid me) i was praying he wouldn't drop the tranny on the way. he couldn't drive a stick to save his life!!!
the other times i parked the car at hostels/friends houses,near the trail and hitchhike back from katahdin, back to the car for the drive home! the road trip adds to the fun!!!


my trusty chariots
*1979 mercury monarch
*1981 ford fairmont.
beat the hell out of hitching to nebraska from katahdin- 1999

ShelterLeopard
11-29-2009, 19:28
The mile difference is one thing I thought of. She is a very active dog, border collies are known for their extreme level of fitness and they always need a job. I'm sure hiking with her would please her very much. My dad is a biker so i'm hoping he can do a lot of biking with her at home and I have other ideas on how to keep her fit for high miles while i'm gone. She shouldn't have much problem adjusting to the high miles and if need be I can slow down for her for a bit. We go hiking almost every weekend, and although the miles aren't what will be done on the trail, I have found she's a good hiker and camper.

I definitely think your dog will adapt to (and love) hiking very well. Just remember, dogs need to adapt just like humans do. Marathon runners often have a hard time in the first couple days of a hike.

CrumbSnatcher
11-29-2009, 19:39
1# got to be willing to say goodbye to your new trail friends and slow down if the dog needs to go slower
2# you might be able to have another hiker watch your dog while your in the park.(maybe another WB'er that likes dogs)
3#hitch around the park
4# have your mom bring your dog,and get to visit mom!
no matter which choice you CHOOSE, you need to HYDH hike your dogs hike!!! have a great hike

drifters quest
11-29-2009, 20:01
Unfortunately I don't know anyone on the East coast, except for my sister in Bethesda, MD. Definetely don't know anyone in Tennessee.. well, one person, but they're in Memphis at the other side of the state. Are there many people on this forum in the area that are willing to take a dog for a week?
So when you did your hike you brought a car up to Springer then? Another issue i'm having a hard time figuring out is getting her from Atlanta to Springer since the MARTA only allows dogs in kennels small enough to fit on your lap, she's 40lbs and her kennel is definetely too big for my lap!
If my mom does bring my dog, I am willing to slow down for her in the beggining as well as carry some of her stuff for her, knowing her though, I don't think she would slow me down much.

karoberts
11-29-2009, 20:04
It is a very good idea to have the dog start late. First, it solves the problem of the Smokies. Next, the dog will miss some of the wet spring weather. Wet dog in the tent is inconvenient. Finally, it will give you time to decide if you even want the dog with you at all.

I always bring my dog with me. But if I could stand hiking without him, I wouldn't bring him. I say, only bring the dog if life without him is unimaginable.

drifters quest
11-29-2009, 20:08
Well, life without her is certainly gonna be difficult! Especially on those cold nights where she can help keep me warm :) Thanks for the help everyone. I'll have to make this decision pretty quick. I'm a little worried about leaving her at home though, if for some reason she doesn't get enough exercise, well, she can get expensive haha

sasquatch2014
11-29-2009, 20:19
Well, life without her is certainly gonna be difficult! Especially on those cold nights where she can help keep me warm :) Thanks for the help everyone. I'll have to make this decision pretty quick. I'm a little worried about leaving her at home though, if for some reason she doesn't get enough exercise, well, she can get expensive haha

Understand that having had border Collie mixes most of my life. I found that I tended to adjust to the trail faster than my dog. After a week while I was still ready to push he needed a zero. As many have said keep an eye on your pal and hike at her pace plan for a an extra zero or to early with her to let he catch up.

I wish I could help you with the early part of the hike but when you make it up to Pawling NY know that you will have a place to stay and a dog friend to play with yours. Love to talk Wyoming with ya. Both my kids were born out there worked a guest ranch for a number of years and then lived in Sheridan for a bunch after that. My phone # is normally at the train stop on the AT. or send me a PM thru here.

drifters quest
11-29-2009, 20:34
Thanks sasquatch!
Just curious, what kind of preperations did you do before hand with your dog? How fit was he? Did you find that he did fine adjusting to your mileage, but just needed some extra zero days? or did you have to slow down and take the extra zero days? I'll keep the possibility of extra zero days in mind at the beggining of the trip and plan accordingly.
Planning the beggining definetely seems to be the most difficult. Now if it was the PCT I have family all along the West Coast :P It's just getting her to trail head and boarding her out is the worry.. I don't know how well she'll do at a kennel.

CrumbSnatcher
11-29-2009, 21:07
i will never fly again with a dog,if it has to be under the plane in the luggage dept. way to dangerous!

drifters quest
11-29-2009, 21:45
Flying with her definetely makes me nervous, especially since I know she would likely be a nervous wreck, I would have to give her something before the trip. We flew four cats and a dog from Hawaii to Washington when we moved, we had no choice. Otherwise, my mom is likely gonna drive out.. but that could also be just as stressful. I have been reading a lot about flying with dogs, a lot of places have good tips and suggestions to make sure your dog is being handled well and safely

CrumbSnatcher
11-29-2009, 21:57
i wish you well,i probably read the same research you did.
i wasn't happy to find out about the animals that don't make it! (the airlines said they could live with the % that die. because of the great numbers they ship/fly.) i flew my dog, could hear her crying under the plane,delayed takeoff. and i bought the kennal at the airport after a hike to fly home. included was the shredded papper that comes with the kennal. to spread out to catch the pee. when we landed back home all the papper had blown out of the kennal. that shocked me. and i did not trust the baggage loaders either

Two Speed
11-30-2009, 07:22
i will never fly again with a dog,if it has to be under the plane in the luggage dept. way to dangerous!What Crumb said. The airlines don't like to admit it but a fair number of animals placed in cargo don't make it alive.

superman
11-30-2009, 07:45
I wouldn't put a dog on an airplane or in a kennel. I rented a car to drive Winter and I to Atlanta and then used a shuttle by a friend to Springer. When we went to the PCT we took Pat's old car and sold it a hiker that we shuttled when we got out there. I bought a ford explorer to drive home. When we hiked on the FT we drove down and my son dropped us off at the trail head. I took a train back to get my blazer when we were finished hiking. Pat and Winter hung out with a friend that we'd hiked with on the AT.:)

drifters quest
11-30-2009, 15:53
K, looks like the best way to go then will be for my mom to bring over when she drives, I already made the plane reservations to fly over, so no changing that. I do think besides the bed warming part, that it will be easier to start the trail without her anyways, although I will miss her a lot, at least I know she will be in a good place with my parents.

CrumbSnatcher
11-30-2009, 16:04
K, looks like the best way to go then will be for my mom to bring over when she drives, I already made the plane reservations to fly over, so no changing that. I do think besides the bed warming part, that it will be easier to start the trail without her anyways, although I will miss her a lot, at least I know she will be in a good place with my parents.
DQ, are you saying your moms going to drive out to the trail from washington state? with the pooch?
have you figured out where you will meet up with to start hiking with your dog?

drifters quest
11-30-2009, 21:06
Yeah, thats right, my mom wanted to come visit me on the trail, at least the way she was talking it was about driving.. its about a 2-3 day drive.. maybe longer with the dog... Do you think that driving would be more stressfull for her than flying?
Well, my mom gets out of school end of April, so we wouldn't be able to figure out where to meet until I know where i'm at at the time. By then i'll know too if it will be too difficult for me to have her on the trail and whether or not things are even working out with her at home.. I'm just worried she won't get exercised enough at home and start chewing on things and digging holes in the backyard. I really want to find the least stressful solution for her and my family.

superman
11-30-2009, 21:18
Yeah, thats right, my mom wanted to come visit me on the trail, at least the way she was talking it was about driving.. its about a 2-3 day drive.. maybe longer with the dog... Do you think that driving would be more stressfull for her than flying?
Well, my mom gets out of school end of April, so we wouldn't be able to figure out where to meet until I know where i'm at at the time. By then i'll know too if it will be too difficult for me to have her on the trail and whether or not things are even working out with her at home.. I'm just worried she won't get exercised enough at home and start chewing on things and digging holes in the backyard. I really want to find the least stressful solution for her and my family.

Some dogs travel better than others. There are also things you can do to make a long drive easier on your dog. Winter and I drove from NH to Alanta, then to Springer. Plus, we drove to the FT, PCT and numerous other hikes. Border collies NEED exercise every day.

CrumbSnatcher
11-30-2009, 22:40
hows the dog handle the car just around town?,might give you an idea of how he'll do on longer trips. on the loner trips i would stop every hour to let my dog pee& stretch. you seem like a cool dude with a great dog,i hope it works out for you and you guys have a great hike!

drifters quest
12-01-2009, 00:42
Thanks crumbsnatcher!
She does great in the car around town, just lays down in the passenger seat and goes to sleep, after a while she'll come over to me and cuddle up, but she's generally pretty good. We will be driving home to Spokane for Christmas in a couple weeks (about 10 hours) so that will be a great way to tell how she would do on a longer drive. I certainly hope it works out for us as well, I definetely would love for her to join me and i'm sure there is nothing she would enjoy more!

karoberts
12-01-2009, 00:49
Continental has a program called "Petsafe" that I have used about 8 times. It is very expensive, but they take special care of the dogs. They have a heated and cooled pressurized cabin for them, air conditioned and heated door-to-door vans so the dogs don't sit on the tarmac, and special "pet handlers" who will give the dogs water. So far, so good.

drifters quest
12-01-2009, 01:04
Petsafe sounds like a great program, I already booked with Frontier, but i'll keep it in mind if it ever becomes neccesary to fly her.

Harley&Me
12-08-2009, 14:14
I started left Springer on Feb 21 and my parents dropped my dog off three weeks later in Hot Springs, NC. I really liked this arrangement because it allowed me to adjust to trail life before adjusting to trail life with my dog. He had absolutely no problems in terms of fitness and could out-hike me from day one. I also really liked leaving early in the season because I didn't have too many other people around me on the trail. Those that were became close friends. I was probably around number 50 leaving Springer and was in the low twenties at Katahdin. The most important thing is to make sure that you and your dog have a good relationship and that you are in command. Check out my blog http://harveyat.blogspot.com if you have more dog questions.

drifters quest
12-16-2009, 01:37
Thanks Harvey!
Your blog was very helpful! Kelly is about the same age as your dog was when he started the hike. I also don't think she will have any problems keeping up. I definetely am thinking that bringing the dog later will be the way to go.

Gaiter
12-16-2009, 07:00
Thanks sasquatch!
Did you find that he did fine adjusting to your mileage, but just needed some extra zero days? or did you have to slow down and take the extra zero days?

your dog shouldn't adjust to 'your' mileage, if you care for this dog, you must adjust to its' mileage and pace...
you will have a starting adjustment period and you will have to slow down both pace and mileage to allow for your dog to have an adjustment period and begin hiking your dog's hike

Doughnut
12-16-2009, 14:58
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/images/icons/icon1.gif Has anyone started with their dog later?

Sorry, My dog's name is not "later"

drifters quest
12-17-2009, 00:27
Well, i'm afraid if I hiked my dogs pace I would die after the first couple miles. She has a lot of stamina. The biggest concern I would have is other problems, such as issues with the pads, though she runs a lot everyday over some not so great terrain at home so i'm sure she has pretty tough paws. She doesn't just get your average half hour walk a day at home, I work on a ranch where she runs around constantly, then I also take her for walks, bike rides, etc. She gets a lot of exercise at home.

I definetely wouldn't hike any faster than she could handle and take days off if need be for her- I have no deadline and am in no hurry, but I have a feeling even if she starts a month after me that that won't be neccesary. I do also have a way to get her home if things don't work out on the trail.