Date: 2016-01-09
From: At Home missing the trail

To: At Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

A long overdue update, after leaving the trail in Hanover due to Lucy's illness we went back home to Massachusetts to recuperate. I'm still not sure if she was sick due to bad dog food or something she ate along the side of the trail. After Lucy recovered we were planning on returning to the trail when my father-in-law passed away after a long illness. The trail isn't going anywhere so we decided to postpone the completion of our journey until 2016. My plan is for Lucy and I to complete New Hampshire and Maine this coming summer, either heading north from Hanover or maybe starting in Baxter State Park and going southbound. I received a question from Bruce who will be hiking the AT with his dog this summer asking for advice. Below are my thoughts on the topic a lot of which will probably be obvious. A quick disclaimer, I am not a vet, my advice is built on hiking 1,750 miles with my dog last summer but every dog is different so when in doubt consult your local vet: PREPARATION: You need to train with your dog in order to get them used to the physical rigors of a thru-hike. Lucy and I walked on local trails 5-7 miles at least 4 to 5 times a week for the four to six weeks leading up to our start date. I had her wear her harness/pack building up the weight inside over time so she would get used to it. In addition to helping get her in shape these long-distance walks also helped get her paw pads toughened up. We also section hiked Massachusetts the summer before to test our equipment.EQUIPMENT: I used RuffWear brand dog equipment which held up very well to the rigors of the trail:> Harness/Pack: it should fit well to start but allow you to tighten it as your dog gets lean during the hike. Lucy started at around 36 lbs but was down to 32lbs at the end despite my best effort to keep her calorie count up (more on this below). I would also use a harness that allows you to detach the side-packs if needed. During your prep hikes ensure the harness fits and doesn't restrict movement or rub any areas raw. >Leash: I used RuffWear's Roamer Leash that has stretch webbing that extends from 7ft to 11 ft when your dog pulls. It has a loop at the end that you can put around your waist or your pack's waist strap freeing your hands.   >Bowls: I used two plastic camping bowls that collapse flat, one for water and one for her food. They don't weigh a lot and this allows you to give your dog both food and water when you stop for lunch and camp at night. > Rain Jacket: Lucy wore a RuffWear's Cloud Chaser rain jacket lined with fleece on the extremely cold days at the start of the hike and on days with heavy rain. I left the jacket on at night when temps were below freezing.> Sleeping Pad: Lucy shared my tent and I used RuffWear's Highland Sleeping Pad with a small fleece blanket to throw over her. I sent the pad home once temps were well above freezing at night but kept the fleece blanket for her to sleep on, it gives your dog who just hiked the same miles you did some comfort and can help with ticks (see below). I bought the 4'x3' fleece blanket at a local pharmacy for under $5 and threw it away and replaced it when it got too dirty. PACK WEIGHT: The general rule of thumb is that dogs can carry a maximum of 15% to 20% of their body weight (including the weight of the harness/pack). However, I kept Lucy's to under 15% at the start and after the first 4 weeks or so sent the side packs home and carried her gear and food myself. Pack weight depends on your dog's capabilities, weather and the distance you plan to hike daily. With Lucy I noticed that as the temperature got warmer it became tougher for her to carry much weight and keep up her energy level throughout the day. My goal was to hike between 15-20 miles a day after getting my hiker legs. I decided I would rather carry her food/gear and be able to hike longer days than have her carry the weight and do shorter days. My advice, don't expect to be doing 20+ mile days consistently if hiking with your dog, you'll wear them out and they'll get injured.FOOD: I used a limited ingredient, high protein dry dog food. The food you get off the shelf at a grocery/convenience store usually has a lot of fillers and doesn't have the protein and nutrient content your dog will need when thru-hiking. I also carried a few ounces of vegetable oil in a plastic bottle and added it to Lucy's meals, this is a great way of adding extra calories. Despite my best efforts Lucy still lost 15% of her body weight on the trail. I would recommend using mail drops for your dog's food since you will not find a high protein dog food in most local grocery stores on the trail (and smaller resupply points may not even carry dog food) . WATER: It's important to keep your dog hydrated! In stretches with a lot of streams this is easy, just remember to keep your dog out of areas where hikers get their water. I would either fill her bowl up and have her drink from that or ensure she was well downstream from where people fill-up. In areas where water sources are few and far between (i.e., PA thru NY) you need to make sure to give your dog water regularly. I hiked with two one-liter Smart Water bottles in the side pockets of my pack, one for me and one for Lucy. That way I could track how much she was drinking during the day. I would stop for a water break at least once every hour and ensure she drank her fill. GENERAL HEALTH: Keep an eye on your dog throughout the day. They can't tell you when they need a break or if their harness is rubbing them raw. I always monitored Lucy's energy level, when she was starting to lag I would take a break to let her rest. When the temps got warm I would start my hikes early in the day and take a long afternoon break to avoid the heat. Remember dog's don't sweat and can overheat so be extra cautious when hiking in temps above 70 degrees. Also, check your dog's paw pads regular to ensure they don't get raw. I used Musher's Miracle brand all natural wax every few days on Lucy's pads to keep them healthy. I kept a couple ounces in a small plastic screw top jar and sent refills in my mail drops.TICKS: Ticks were a plague to thru-hikers last summer from mid-Virginia through southern CT. I can't count the number of hikers I knew who found ticks on themselves and quite a few who ended up getting Lyme disease. I used Frontline monthly flea and tick treatment on Lucy but even with that she would regularly get ticks on her legs and paws (though Frontline kept them off her body and head). I would check her visually for ticks during rest breaks and at night and I also sprayed the fleece blanket she slept on with Permethrin which killed those I missed. Ticks can be as small as a pin head so don't think visually checking your dog each night is enough. For myself, I applied small amounts of Deet on my arms and legs during the day and sprayed my clothes and the outside of my pack and sleeping bag with Permethrin. It's critical to reapply Permethrin regularly, the instructions say it last up to 6 weeks but I did it every 4 weeks to be safe and never found a tick on myself (even though people hiking with me who didn't spray their clothes reguarlly had issues). I heard many hikers debate whether applying chemicals (i.e., Permethrin and Deet) is healthy but after seeing how many people got Lyme I'm glad I choose to be safe.WHERE YOU CAN'T HIKE: There are only two parts of the AT where you can't bring dogs, The Great Smoky National Park in NC/TN and Baxter State Park in Maine. I used Loving Care Kennels for the Smokies. The owner was great, she picked Lucy up at Fontana Dam at the start of the park and dropped her back off at the northern end. I know of one person hiking with their dog who kept their dog at the Standing Bear hostel at the northern end of the park while hiking the Smokies and the dog was returned hurt. My advice, spend the extra money and use a professional kennel service.AWOL GUIDE: the AWOL guide is by far the best guide for the AT. It does a decent job of highlighting which motels/hostels accept pets and if they charge an extra fee. But I always called a couple days ahead to double check and to reserve a room. Awol wasn't always right and many places only have one or two rooms that allow pets which can fill-up fast.DOG ETIQUETTE: Remember that not every hiker likes dogs or wants to be your dog's new best friend. Be considerate! I kept Lucy on a leash throughout the hike since she loves nothing more than chasing after squirrels, birds, deer, wild turkey, etc. There is at least one dog every year that goes missing on the AT since they weren't on a leash and I didn't want to face that risk. Even if your dog is well trained you should still keep them on a leash near road crossings and at all shelter areas. I also didn't sleep with Lucy in shelters unless I knew the other hikers, asked their permission and ensured there was space in the shelter in case a hiker showed up after dark. Make sure your dog doesn't do their business around shelter areas, water sources or directly on the trail. I always walked Lucy away from these areas and covered her crap afterwards (leave no trace!).WOULD I DO IT AGAIN: Simple answer, yes. My dream was to hike the AT with my dog and having Lucy there as my constant companion helped make the tough days bearable. I was also lucky enough to hike with people who ended up liking Lucy as much as I do. BUT be prepared for the added complexity and responsibility. I carried between 3-5 lbs of extra food and gear and I had to continually pay attention to Lucy changing my hiking pace and milage plans based on how she was doing. In towns I couldn't stay at many of the places with other hikers since they didn't accept pets and I always had the added worry of ensuring she was ok back at the motel when out and about in town.This ended up being a much longer post than I intended but I hope it's helpful. Hiking the AT with your dog is worth it, just be prepared.