Date: 2019-10-02
From: Dismal creek 

To: Woods Hole Hostel 
Miles today: 9.5

Special Ed and I were up and out a little after 8. We did find some good water sources within a couple of miles from our campsite and definitely would have gone there if we had known about it. We met three other hikers today one around 10, and two others who joined us at an overlook where we were taking a break just after 11.After we left the overlook Ed went on ahead and I expected to meet up with him at Woods Hole Hostel. Not long after we parted I heard Ed calling to me down the trail where he was standing by a large log laying across it. As he approached the log he thought there was a skunk on the other side but as I came up he saw the it was a dog with a white tail. The dog came around the log and laid down on the side of the trail. I think it was a Basset hound, and it had a tracking collar on it. He looked very thin and exhausted. Ed tried to give him some water out of his hand which wasn¢t working very well, so he took out a collapsible bowl and was able to get him to drink. We tried to get him to come with us and got him to stand and take a couple of steps. His left hind leg appeared lame and he laid back down on the side of the trail. Fortunately we had phone service and after a few tries was able to contact the owner using the number on the dogs radio collar. It took a while to explain where we were - unless you¢re hiking the trail, mile 621.4 north of Springer is pretty meaningless. We finally found a landmark that he knew and I found on my map - the communications tower on Sugar Run Mountain. The tower was 1.4 miles north of me on the trail, and another 0.7 miles to the forest service road which accessed the tower. The owner said he was on his way and I asked him to call me when he got to the tower.Ed decided to head to the tower in anticipation of meeting the owner, and I stayed with the dog, who was called Blaze. I tried giving him some potato chips and a piece of bagel but he wouldn¢t take anything. At one point he got up and started down the trail on wobbly legs. I went to go get him as he was heading the wrong way and realized he was trying to poop which ended up being a large squirt of diarrhea. I was able to get him to come back to me and lay down on the side of the trail. He was breathing heavily and appeared to be having some stomach cramps.The owner called me to let me know they were at the tower but didn¢t see any trails. I texted Ed to let him know they were there. A short time later Ed texted that he found them and they were on their way. Later Ed said the trail was around the side of a fenced in area and difficult to see. If Ed had not gone ahead it¢s unlikely they would have found it!As I was waiting for the owners I ended up standing next to Blaze and using a branch with leaves on it to shoo away the flies which were buzzing around and landing on him. It was a pathetic site as he didn¢t have the energy to move. I tried to give him more water but he wouldn¢t take any. The owner made it to me and I think he was surprised at the dogs condition. He thought it was heat exhaustion, which apparently had happened to him before and was the reason he had a strip of hair missing from his neck to his tail. He picked him up and started down the trail and I followed. After about a quarter mile we came to his friend who had come to help. He had taken his shirt off and was planning to use it as a sling on a pole so they could carry the dog more easily. I gave them the rest of my water to try and cool the dog down as they said I could get water at their truck which was just a couple of miles down the trail.  I left them and continued on my way but I didn¢t think the dog was going to live. I stopped to get water at the truck, but there were three trucks there and I hoped I wasn¢t stealing someone else¢s water! As I got to the road leading to the hostel there was trail magic - gallons of water, and a cooler full of soda, generously provided by Honey Buns, a 2019 thru hiker. Thanks Honey Buns!!When I got to Woods Hole I found Ed, grabbed a soda and filled him in on what happened with Blaze. We both thought he was not going to make it. To our surprise and delight, Blaze¢s owner drove to the hostel with Blaze to let us know that they had gotten him out and it looked like he would recover!!