WhiteBlaze Pages 2024
A Complete Appalachian Trail Guidebook.
AVAILABLE NOW. $4 for interactive PDF(smartphone version)
Read more here WhiteBlaze Pages Store

Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 1 2 3 LastLast
Results 21 to 40 of 50
  1. #21
    Registered User
    Join Date
    06-25-2012
    Location
    Lurkerville, East Tn
    Age
    64
    Posts
    3,719
    Journal Entries
    1

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by tdoczi View Post
    did you miss the thing about the great rat hunt?
    No. And I agree that the rat hunt was a bad idea. Could we call it a dumb idea? A stupid idea? Could we hammer him into the ground for even thinking such a thing? Yes, we could, but we shouldn't. I've seen people - often new to WB - beaten by some of us just because they had a bad idea, and then they leave and never come back. Without encouraging the bad idea, we can still be nice. That's what I was trying to do.

  2. #22

    Join Date
    05-05-2011
    Location
    state of confusion
    Posts
    9,866
    Journal Entries
    1

    Default

    Dogs are like children.
    When you get them, its a responsibility to take care of them

    Forever


    Thats a long time
    In reality its only 10-15 yrs on avg

    Even if it cramps your other plans.

  3. #23

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by illabelle View Post
    No. And I agree that the rat hunt was a bad idea. Could we call it a dumb idea? A stupid idea? Could we hammer him into the ground for even thinking such a thing? Yes, we could, but we shouldn't. I've seen people - often new to WB - beaten by some of us just because they had a bad idea, and then they leave and never come back. Without encouraging the bad idea, we can still be nice. That's what I was trying to do.

    Well said....As I put my pitchfork back in the barn....
    Trail Miles: 4,927.6
    AT Map 1: Complete 2013-2021
    Sheltowee Trace: Complete 2020-2023
    Pinhoti Trail: Complete 2023-2024
    Foothills Trail: 0.0
    AT Map 2: 279.4
    BMT: 52.7
    CDT: 85.4

  4. #24
    Registered User
    Join Date
    06-18-2010
    Location
    NJ
    Age
    47
    Posts
    3,133
    Images
    1

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by illabelle View Post
    No. And I agree that the rat hunt was a bad idea. Could we call it a dumb idea? A stupid idea? Could we hammer him into the ground for even thinking such a thing? Yes, we could, but we shouldn't. I've seen people - often new to WB - beaten by some of us just because they had a bad idea, and then they leave and never come back. Without encouraging the bad idea, we can still be nice. That's what I was trying to do.
    i guess my point is, and this isnt trying to be harsh or judgemental or trying to beat anyone down, but that idea is so out there that if the OP was seriously planning on doing it then the answer is most definitely and without a doubt NO, a hike with those 2 dogs is a bad idea.

  5. #25

    Default

    A rat has 650 calories apparantly. I have been trying to recall how many rats I've seen around shelters however and could only think of the rat I saw in Boiling Springs near the pond outflow going under the road. Mice are estimated at about 30 calories.

    I don't think it's a good idea though. Stealing food from the snakes who work hard all year for your vacationing dogs? Pony up for the dog food man. One vet bill is going to crash your budget or one trip to drop a dog or dogs back home will too.

    Take your dogs hiking for a weekend or two and see how you manage.
    "Sleepy alligator in the noonday sun
    Sleepin by the river just like he usually done
    Call for his whisky
    He can call for his tea
    Call all he wanta but he can't call me..."
    Robert Hunter & Ron McKernan

    Whiteblaze.net User Agreement.

  6. #26

    Default

    [QUOTE=gpburdelljr;2236174]
    Quote Originally Posted by Old Hillwalker View Post

    If you read the link, you will fnd that leashes are required on more than 40% of the trail.
    Thanx for posting this. I tend to forget it's that much of the AT that requires a dog to be leashed and the areas where dogs aren't allowed. That requires additional responsibility to being already responsible for one adapting to LD trail life as largely an unknown.

    Boiled down that means two dogs on leashes more than 40% of the AT while trying to backpack yourself without hurting yourself.

  7. #27

    Default

    Not so wise conducting a rat hunt with dogs around shelters where other dogs might be and other people are especially if the dogs are not trail trained or trained field hunting dogs. One of my stubborn gung ho German Shorthaired Pointers would have trampled all over other people's stuff, through water, people cooking, etc to catch prey. Upstate NY on a pheasant hunt he took off after a flushed bird. No matter how much we attempted to restrain him he tore off. Came back 30 mins later with the pheasant in his mouth all full of mud and thorns, split paw, and a gash in his side. It ended the hunt. We had driven 3 hrs to do the hunt.

  8. #28
    Registered User middle to middle's Avatar
    Join Date
    09-25-2005
    Location
    A A county, MD.
    Age
    83
    Posts
    360

    Default

    Yes verrry bad idea ! I recall packs of dogs chasing deer!

  9. #29
    Registered User
    Join Date
    03-20-2013
    Location
    Pittsburgh
    Age
    70
    Posts
    963
    Journal Entries
    1
    Images
    2

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Trambo View Post
    My idea was to hike with rat traps and peanut butter. I would set these traps up around shelters, in hopes of catching the "dogfood" that is scurrying around those areas. I thought that hikers would benefit from some rats being killed, but also from the companionship of these two animals (they're service animals and super sweet).
    Start at Gravel Springs Hut in VA. We shared it with a rat this summer. Humans had the lower deck, he had the upper platform.🐀

    Maybe you could do something about the bat at Pass Mountain Hut, too.🦇

    Keep their rabies shots up to date.
    76 HawkMtn w/Rangers
    14 LHHT
    15 Girard/Quebec/LostTurkey/Saylor/Tuscarora/BlackForest
    16 Kennerdell/Cranberry-Otter/DollyS/WRim-NCT
    17 BearR
    18-19,22 AT NOBO 1562.2
    22 Hadrian's Wall
    23 Cotswold Way

  10. #30
    Registered User
    Join Date
    07-15-2018
    Location
    Pilot, Virginia
    Age
    69
    Posts
    91

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Maineiac64 View Post
    It would be easier to get back together with your ex fiance.
    This is the funniest reply I have heard on WB yet! My abs are sore from laughing.

    I liked the OPs comment about his dogs being "service animals". Aren't all dogs "service animals" these days?

  11. #31
    Registered User
    Join Date
    06-25-2012
    Location
    Lurkerville, East Tn
    Age
    64
    Posts
    3,719
    Journal Entries
    1

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by tdoczi View Post
    i guess my point is, and this isnt trying to be harsh or judgemental or trying to beat anyone down, but that idea is so out there that if the OP was seriously planning on doing it then the answer is most definitely and without a doubt NO, a hike with those 2 dogs is a bad idea.
    I fully agree. And my post wasn't a reaction to your post or any other in this thread. It was intended to prevent the type of harsh attacks I've seen elsewhere, or if not prevent, at least let the OP know he was still welcome on WB and he should stick around. Lots of good information and good people in this forum.

    The trail is open to all. If he chooses to hike, I hope he does so without the dogs.

  12. #32

    Default

    Thank you for your post! Not a lot of people would take that path and hopefully the responses you have received will help you make your decision. I have a few thoughts to share as well:

    First - dog demeanor. Most owners believe their dogs are friendly and will readily behave in the home and yard environments, however, when they enter the woods many dogs change their behavior with the huge elevation of stimuli. These conditions and can change a dog to become far more aggressive, protective, and inquisitive. The only way to check this out is by actual experience.

    If this is a weekend hike, then I would encourage that as a starting point and a good learning model to see if the dogs will change behaviors and how you will be able to control the animals, how much food they require, how they behave around other hikers and vice versa, and how camping with them works out. However, a thru hike attempt of the AT is significantly different and the following issues (among others) will have to be addressed.

    Has a Vet determined both dogs are able to take a walk of 2,000 miles in all weather and terrain conditions found along the trail? If not, this should be the first step to make the stress assessment and make gear and animal support recommendations.

    Has your physician assessed you for the trip? You should get checked out before a thru and determine if you are strong enough to carry each dog for a distance if they should become hurt, or need help navigating portions of the trail. There are some dangerous situations you can get into without realizing it like crossing bodies of water. These can be very fast flowing streams and rivers after rains that dogs will have trouble with. That may require you to carry them across and exposes you to a higher level of risk and consequence in repeated crossings of fast flowing water.

    How do you plan to serve the rodents you kill along the way for the dogs? Will they eat the "game" fur, feet, and bones, or are you planning on butchering them? If butchering, what do you do with the remains? Tossing the gut pile into the woods will leave a decomposition odor others will have to put up with for a period of time and will attract carrion. Burying remains will need to be deep as they will be dug up fairly quickly with the same effect. Discuss this diet with your Vet when the dogs are assessed as there is likely not enough nutrition in that food source to be practical and you will need to supplement the diet. Also, be aware of local protections for the small creatures of the woodlands and the fact you may also catch or seriously injure other creatures you didn't intend to catch like skunks, opossums, raccoons, or muskrats. Catching these animals can constitute illegal trapping. Rat traps may be considered leg hold traps, prohibited in many places and/or the animals be out of season. Lots to consider there.

    That said, carrying food for the dogs will be necessary to supplement their diets. Carry weight becomes an issue depending how frequently you want to make trips into town to resupply. Requiring the dogs to carry their own food can bring other problems with joints, muscle strains, and paw pad damage over different terrain. Something you should ask your Vet about.

    Leashes or being under control by a competent person are required on a large percentage of the trail through State, County, and local laws. Many sections of the AT is considered National Park land, which (along with BLM lands) also require leashes on most, if not all, trails as well. Very few people (emphasis on very) understand what competent control is never mind demonstrate it. By the your initial statements, you have not been around the dogs over the past year(s), so its likely you do not meet the competent person control definition, especially in the face of overwhelming stimulus found in the trail environment. So leashes will be needed along with a strategy on how to keep the dogs from wrapping themselves up along with you and other hikers with them.

    You will need a strategy for resupply trips to towns with two dogs. Hitching a ride with two dogs will be difficult on nice days, nearly impossible if its raining. Do you leave them tied to trees in the woods waiting your return or do you plan to walk into town unless fortune smiles at you that day with a pick up truck solution?

    In town, dogs can be an issue, two dogs may double that. Many merchants do not want dogs in their shops and restaurants, so a strategy will be needed for these conditions. If you tie them outside to parking meters or bike stands, local ordinances may not allow it because it can prevent device use by those using them for designed intent or interferes with pedestrian traffic. These are things you will need to have some options handy to deal with. Then there are hotels who do not want pets at all, or will charge you a significant cleaning fee if you bring them. To be sure there are a lot of dog-friendly places to shop, eat, and sleep but Murphy's Law dictates you won't find them easily when you need them most.

    As mentioned previously, GSMNP and BSP does not allow dogs, so boarding will need to be arranged. GSMNP will need a shuttle service for the dogs as well unless you will shuttle back to the dogs and shuttle back to where you shuttled from to continue.

    There are a lot of small issues that will need a strategy of some sort. Dogs can make a lot of noise when the owner is away from them getting water or tending to other needs. Barking at strangers at all hours or repeatedly at anyone that wanders near them for example. Dogs (especially wet and muddy) are typically not well tolerated when they walk peoples gear with muddy paws or punctured by claws. Water bottles and food knocked over by inquisitive or thirsty/hungry dogs can become a very serious issue.

    Then there are people who do not react well or will act inappropriately with dogs. Some people have phobias or are scared of them due to life experiences and will take defensive action you have to be prepared for (as an aside, threatening someone feeling threatened by a dog doesn't end well usually). Some people find them a nuisance and have low tolerance for precocious animals barking at things, jumping on them, and crotch nosing. Some people are inappropriate and will pat your dog or feed it something without asking. You will need to be twice as prepared for all these encounters with two dogs.

    If a thru hike is planned, which I presume it is, dogs reduce the chance of successful completion by a significant percentage over not bringing a dog. Two dogs I would imagine would compound that percentage.

    Lastly, most dogs want to be with you wherever you decide to be. Dogs cannot tell us when they are nearly at the end of their endurance, they want to be with us so they will literally kill themselves to do that at times. 2,000 miles is a very long distance for anyone, especially for a dog who isn't able to tell you it needs a couple of zero days to heal up or just cannot go much further and needs to go home. It's a serious decision with life altering consequences for your dogs. If there is a doubt, there should be no doubt.

    I wish you well!

  13. #33
    Registered User ldsailor's Avatar
    Join Date
    02-25-2016
    Location
    St. Petersburg, FL
    Age
    74
    Posts
    774

    Default

    [QUOTE=gpburdelljr;2236174]
    Quote Originally Posted by Old Hillwalker View Post
    If you read the link, you will fnd that leashes are required on more than 40% of the trail.
    It was always my understanding that dogs were to be leashed on the AT. Every time the subject came up on the trail that is what I heard. But Old Hillwalker is right. Here is what the ATC says on their web site. Despite this policy, I wish it was 100% of the time. I have had several incidents where I thought an unleashed dog might attack. This is particularly true when going NOBO and I meet a SOBO hiker with an unleashed dog. Heck, I have met a bear on the trail and felt less threatened than a few dogs I met.

    Leashes are required on more than 40 percent of the A.T., including:
    Leashes are required on more than 40 percent of the A.T., including:Leashes are required on more than 40 percent of the A.T., including:

    • Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Pennsylvania and New Jersey
    • Maryland (entire state)
    • Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, West Virginia
    • Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia
    • 500+ miles of A.T. land administered by the National Park Service
    Trail Name - Slapshot
    "One step at a time."
    Blog - www.tonysadventure.com

  14. #34

    Default

    The OP---Trambo---makes one post and disappears? So why are we commenting to someone who won't respond??

  15. #35

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Tipi Walter View Post
    The OP---Trambo---makes one post and disappears? So why are we commenting to someone who won't respond??
    I think we have a mole.....
    Trail Miles: 4,927.6
    AT Map 1: Complete 2013-2021
    Sheltowee Trace: Complete 2020-2023
    Pinhoti Trail: Complete 2023-2024
    Foothills Trail: 0.0
    AT Map 2: 279.4
    BMT: 52.7
    CDT: 85.4

  16. #36
    Registered User
    Join Date
    12-19-2005
    Location
    Knoxville, TN
    Posts
    3,715
    Images
    3

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Gambit McCrae View Post
    I think we have a mole.....



    well....

    if theres a mole in here----OP can catch it and feed it to their dogs......

  17. #37

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by TNhiker View Post
    well....

    if theres a mole in here----OP can catch it and feed it to their dogs......
    Ol trapper Trambo might wanna attend this workshop!!!!

    Lander-Poster-1-960x540.jpg

  18. #38
    Registered User
    Join Date
    06-25-2012
    Location
    Lurkerville, East Tn
    Age
    64
    Posts
    3,719
    Journal Entries
    1

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Tipi Walter View Post
    The OP---Trambo---makes one post and disappears? So why are we commenting to someone who won't respond??
    True, he hasn't been back to this thread. But he does have another thread active - something about Food Optimization. So he's still around.

  19. #39

    Default

    And lots of chatter about essential oils.

  20. #40
    Wanna-be hiker trash
    Join Date
    03-05-2010
    Location
    Connecticut
    Age
    42
    Posts
    6,922
    Images
    78

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Tipi Walter View Post
    The OP---Trambo---makes one post and disappears? So why are we commenting to someone who won't respond??
    Tipi, what are you doing online? We’re in the middle of a polar butthole, shouldn’t you be out enjoying the arctic weather?
    Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.

Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 1 2 3 LastLast
++ New Posts ++

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •