Date: 2014-07-30
From: Monson, Maine

To: Somewhere in the 100-Mile Wilderness
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 140: Somewhere in Maine¢s 100-Mile Wilderness¢¦.But this is a diversion from Buffalo¢s treks. Since it¢s been a while since we¢d heard from him and will probably be a couple more days, Mum, the Transcriber is taking the liberty to illustrate another form of Trail Magic. The Canine Version!Soon after I returned home from the trail in early April and got back into the routine of taking care of the dogs in the morning, I and our two dogs Macgyver (The Duke) and Chena (Warrior Princess) ran into Canine Trail Magic down at the corner. Two retired gentlemen take a walk every morning with another friend, but these two guys Ken and Don have dog treats in their pockets!As expected, Warrior Princess barked ferociously at them this first time and The Duke pulled back, not wanting to get too close. As soon as Warrior Princess saw TREATS, she was their new bestest friend! She got a couple treats from both Ken and Don. They had to toss treats to The Duke, as he would not come near them, and I had to keep a short leash on Warrior Princess so she wouldn¢t grab the tossed treats before The Duke decided that they were OK. (She¢s also a Bully!)It only took that one time, and now Warrior Princess keeps watch on that corner when we go out for our morning strolls. We¢ve run into these Trail Angels a couple more times since, and I started thinking about how this is so much like Hiker Trail Magic, except for one thing. Warrior Princess EXPECTS this EVERY time we go for a walk!I wish I had had my camera yesterday. I and the dogs were up near the house when we saw the Trail Angels at the corner. If I had let Warrior Princess go, she would have made a bee-line for Ken and Don at the corner. Instead, she was pulling with all her 9-pound might, front legs out to the sides and off the ground, fixed on where they were! The Duke, on the other hand, was more interested in the smells whafting from the blades of grass, and if he doesn¢t want to move, we don¢t move. He uses his 20 pounds to an advantage, AND if I try to pull in the opposite direction, he can do a Houdini out of his harness in a blink of an eye.You could almost see the disapointment in Warrior Princess. We got to the corner, but of course, they were gone. She wanted to go after them, as she knew which way they went ¢ out to the bridge and around the island. She might have even known that they¢d be back, but in any case, she was willing to at least wait. In the meantime, The Duke took in all the pee-mail and decided it was time to go home. Warrior Princess gave him a look to say, ¢You idiot, those 2-legged dogs are coming back and they have TREATS!¢The walk this morning was a Canine Trail Magic Success. We were almost to the corner and Warrior Princess spotted the Trail Angels coming down the hill. Her front legs went out, grabbing the asphalt to get there before the Trail Magic disappeared. Ken and Don DID NOT disappoint! The Duke stood to the side, but got a couple treats as well. A car was coming, the Trail Angels were moving on, yet Warrior Princess was vacuuming up the last remnants of treats in the middle of the road, while The Duke was pulling to get to the grassy area.Chena is the second Chihuahua we¢ve had, both rescues, and these two Chihuahuas have come with Hiker Appetites! The first Chihuahua, Yukon, ¢grew¢ to 16 pounds! (he was a barrel-chested Chihuahua to begin with.) After we¢d feed him in the house, he¢d scratch the door to go out, but what we eventually discovered was that he¢d go out to ¢finish¢ our other dog¢s food! I took him to work with me and the students would feed him whatever they were eating, which was not healthy for either one! Chena is at least a bit on the hyperactive side. As I am preparing their food in the morning, she is running around in circles! She even helped Macgyver drop a couple pounds by initiating evening games of ¢Chase¢. I am here to say that Chena, Warrior Princess, would make a great thru-hiker. She already has the appetite and is able to sniff out Trail Magic from afar!Thanks for the little diversion. We ought to hear from Buffalo in two days, from the top of Katahdin! I am sorry that I will miss that one, but I think my brother and sister will have fun meeting up with him and hearing stories from him and The Herd!The Mum and¢¦..