Originally Posted by
hokieav8r
Many folks have reached out regarding the dog. The dog was placed in a no kill shelter and the suspect/owner is allowed to make arrangements for a family member to take the dog. Nothing else has been printed regarding whether someone will get the dog, but the dog will be humanely taken care of as the shelter will ensure it receives a new adopted family if the owner does not do so.
I have read every single post here and a lot of posts on the FB pages for thru hikers.
It is a sad series of events. I equate it to watching a slow motion train wreck that you watched for days as the train slowly went down its path and eventually hit something in front of it. I had a bad feeling regarding this individual when we first heard about them in April. I am sure plenty of people felt the same way.
Keep posting on what you see of note as well as all the beauty and good times you find as you continue on your trek/journey/hike and remember to embrace the great times and moments you find.
Always have a plan in the wilderness, having a plan, no matter what you possess/carry with you, always lends itself to acting on something you have thought of prior to the moment.
People yearn for the views, the hike, the interactions with people and they make plans for those events.
You must plan for contingencies as well. For they will possibly happen. People plan for mail drops, hostel stops, resupply, good meals, places to camp, etc.
You must plan for the things you loath too. Bad weather, rain gear, warm gear, heat and proper clothes and band aids.
Plan on how your pack can place a huge object in between you and something else, know that your trekking pole can puncture something or someone and keep at least 100cm or 120cm between you and them. know how to quick release your pack and break into a sprint, know where you keep your blade and how to draw it quickly when you want to use it fast instead of for opening that mountain house meal that didn't have the quick tear nick in the top right, where you like it.
If you rehearse and plan 10% as much as you plan for and coordinate for the lbs and oz saved in weight, where you keep your stove in your pack vs where you keep your rain gear, what kind of boots/shoes you wear, how long a boot lace is when it's out of the boot, how much 550 cord you carry, how hard a rock is, or whether you sleep with a trekking pole inside the tent with you, or your trekking poles are part of your tent / hammock. These plans and rehearsals can and will potentially save your life to live on rather than perish. No one wants to stop living when you are living an adventure of a lifetime. It's the same as planning for a fall on the trail or a cliff, twisting an ankle or a knee or breaking an arm or shoulder out of socket.
These plans can include knowing that a person can grab a nostril or an earlobe or a finger and just with a little twist, change the course of a day in a non lethal way. You don't have to use it, and you may never will, but just like that item you have to have with you and everyone else says, "I don't know why you carry that with you all these miles," You can carry these plans and rehearsals with you forever, and you still may never use them, but you planned for it. You rehearsed it.
Be Prepared.
It is a tragedy, I Honor the fallen in so many ways. I Honor Ronald Sanchez as a brother Veteran, Hiker and a friend that I never had the pleasure of meeting. I hope that the rest of the journeys in 2019 are in the peace and tranquility as well as the fellowship and groups that the AT provides. There is safety in numbers and many are better than one when facing a worthy opponent.
I can't wait to hike my next section and I wish you all sunny skies and softer trails.