Date: 2007-02-11
To: Trail lessons for Chloe
Miles today: 0.0

I started Chloe's AT lessons this week. The command "wait" needed retraining and enforcing. "Stay" means to sit or lie until I return, but "wait" means to stop until I say "Good girl or OK." I use it when we are crossing a road, but now I am teaching her to stay close and not run ahead on the trail. Another good lesson is to teach her to keep one ear constantly tuned in on my footsteps. This lesson is taught by hiding behind a tree when she gets too far ahead. She looks back for me, finding I'm not there she runs back looking for me. I then scold her for getting to far ahead. This lesson is easier taught when they are a pup and the fear of losing Mom is strong. Now she's too confident in Mom always being there to feel that fear. The imminent scolding is the correction now and possibly a swat on the behind. These lessons are going well after five years of Larry letting her run free. The third lesson is for her to step off to the side, sit and stay upon meeting another hiker. Even if their dog veers over to her for a sniff, she can't move. I called Kincora hostel yesterday to see if they accept dogs. No problem if they are well behaved. I finished our daily hiking schedule for the fifth time also. I don't recommend an exact schedule for anyone, but I like it for me. I know we will be in Dumascus on the 4th of July. I can call ahead and make reservations at the Hiker's Inn. It also helps to pack the mail drops and have them labeled and stamped on a scheduled day to be sent. My support person only has to drop them at the post office. The exception is the box with spare boots. Even that one will be weighed and stamped just not labeled with an address.I am not in favor of SPAM diced up in pasta. It tastes like Vienna Sausage. I much prefer it fried. I have yet to try the turkey SPAM or dried beef. The website whiteblaze.net was very informative on a wide variety of subjects. I had to take notes on all the tips and tricks, "What I would do different next time" and the article on photography. The last enforced my decision to take disposable underwater cameras and leave my good digital at home safe. It's new since my last one was dropped in the sand. That's all it took and it was ruined. Moisture isn't good for cameras so they spend a lot of time packed away. The recommended pictures taken on the trail were of the life and people out there doing it. These are of interest to people back home as much if not more than one vista from a mountaintop after another. Also it can hang from my chest strap rain or shine and the plastic case will take a lot of abuse. They are well suited for close ups of trail life, but fail at long distance views. These I will take from the internet and add to my albumn. Like buying postcards on a trip of pictures you wanted, but didn't get. Damascus "Trail Days" was very tempting for a while, but we will plan to attend it next year before continuing with our hike from PA. The timing is right, we may meet people we know and it will be an exciting prelude to our finishing the hike. That year we will be hiking with thru-hikers where this year we will be behind them reading about their hikes in the trail journals in the shelters. My training is going well. I am jogging the nature trail each morning with a 10lb. barbell and then working out in the gym on the stairstepper and weight machine. Pretty good for a 59 yr. old fat lady with bad feet.