[pct-l] Fwd: Re: Cats on Trail

Sun Nov 18 18:07:38 CST 2007

Hi All-

I am posting these email exchanges from Jim "Geek", of the cat "Ziggy" fame.  I have his permission to do so.  It's quite an interesting read.  Start from the bottom and read up to read in chronological order.....

Gail aka Wheeew

jim adams <geek147 at yahoo.com> wrote: Date: Sun, 18 Nov 2007 15:51:33 -0800 (PST)
From: jim adams <geek147 at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Cats on Trail
To: g l <gailpl2003 at yahoo.com>

 Gail,
  I used to be on pct-l prior to my PCT attempt but I dropped it because it would simply FILL my email everyday. Once I got back home I never went back to it.????

  I was selling my 2002 van while I was out on the trail but it didn't sell. As a result I used $2600 of my hiking money to make van payments and maintain insurance. I simply ran out of money and had to quit early HOWEVER, I was so burned out on hiking due to the desert that by the time I got into the Sierra's, I was ready to quit! I think that if I could have made it into Oregon that it would have changed my attitude and I may have finished as the Cascades of Oregon and Washington were really what I was looking for out there.

  My main concern for your pup would be shade or lack there of and too much overheating. Maybe an umbrella?

  Yes, Ziggy is gone. I put him to sleep on December 29, 1993...someone had  shot him and broken his spine. He was paralysed from behind the front legs back. He looked like a small bobcat with the coloring,  long hind legs, 2" tail, ear and facial tuffs, and 19 lbs. but it is illegal to shoot bobcats in Pennsylvania so I will never understand the reasonimg.

  You can forward the story if you want...that would be nice for the memories of Ziggy's adventure. There are alot more details to the story. Ziggy LOVED to swim. He would dive out of the canoe after things. He would wade out into the water chest deep and catch and eat fish. He loved to whitewater canoe and had been in class IV white water and also canoed over several waterfalls, the tallest one 12'.
  He loved riding on motorcycles and also the bicycle ride home from Maine...he rode on the rear luggage.
  He knew the meaning of several works of english such as camping, canoeing, hiking,and paddling. For instance, if he heard you say hiking  or backpacking or camping, he would jump up and sit on top of my backpack until either we went or he was satisfied that we weren't going and he was safe to climb down. If you mentioned canoeing or paddling, he would lay on the hood of the car waiting to go.
  His long hind legs were so powerful that he would stand still on the driveway and leap to the garage roof to lay in the sun and sleep.
  Oh,  BTW he would sit on command and come to you everytime he was called....he thought that he was a dog. He disliked dogs and would intimidate them immediately by charging after them and chasing them away. He was fearless.

  Oh well, I'm babbling on with old memories...sorry.

  I would still not take the pup!...just my .02 worth.

  geek
g l <gailpl2003 at yahoo.com> wrote:
  Hey Jim-

Thanks for the great email!!  What a grand adventure your trip was.  I did a thru on the AT in 1991, so yeah, I've very familiar with "the Orient Express".  At one point, someone called the authorities on Irwin for "animal abuse", I believe.....

I know you don't read pct-l, but I've been talking a lot on it about the fact that I will be CARRYING my guy most of the way.  I have devised a carrier that attaches to the front of my shoulder straps.

Can I ask why you didn't complete the PCT?  And I'm supposing that all these years later Ziggy is gone?

I wouldn't mind forwarding your email about your adventure, to pct-l, with your permission of course.  I think the readers would enjoy it!

All Best,
Gail

jim adams <geek147 at yahoo.com> wrote:    Gail,
  I did thru the A.T. in 1990 with my cat Ziggy and I absolutely loved it but I don't know of any other animal that I would have or could have taken safely.
  My trip was a three part adventure that began with me canoeing from Pennsylvania to New Orleans then thru hiking the A.T. then bicycling back to my starting point in Pennsylvania. It took 13 months.
  I got Ziggy (by accident) as a 6 week old Manx kitten in Manchester, Ohio on the river part of the trip. He literally grew up on the river and camping. He didn't know any other lifestyle.
  When I finished the paddling segment and was headed to the A.T., I wasn't sure whether to take him or not and in fact almost sent him home instead but I decided to give it a try. He walked the first 34 miles which just did not work out--too slow so I picked him up, put him on top of my pack and hiked. He never hiked another step...he rode the whole way. This isn't to  say that he was not active. As long as it was OK with others on the trail at the shelters, I would let him off leash and he would play, run and EAT MICE. He was also a great companion.
  Now to the downside.
  I would NEVER attempt to do that with another cat or a dog. Even if I got another Manx kitten, and the Manx breed has alot to do with this because they have a very different personality than most cats, I don't think that there would be much of a chance that the kitten would adapt and grow up as Ziggy did. 
  I carried all of Ziggy's food and he had about 10 different meows that I learned to know what he needed such as being too hot, needing food, needing to void, etc.
  In 1990 Mr. Bill Irwin, a blind man, hiked the A.T. with his seeing eye dog Orient. Orient was constantly under veterinary care at every town the entire way up the trail and very well taken 
  care of. Not only was he treated for several things along  the way, his vet stated that at the end of the hike, Orient had 7 years of premature wear on his pads due to the thru hike.
  It is also far more difficult just to deal with small things like restocking and staying in town and eating in restuarants.
  I have since re-thru hiked the A.T. in 2002 and I attempted a thru this year of the PCT and neither time did I take a pet. It is just too hard on them.
  The PCT is a whole different world than the A.T. It would even be harder for a pet on the PCT. The trail itself is alot harder surface and would wear the pads even more. The PCT is MUCH too hot to easily and safely hike with a pet. You will have enough difficulty carrying enough water for yourself  prior to Kennedy Meadows. The PCT does not have easily reached and close together towns for help for your pet if needed. You may have to carry your pet 30--50 miles just to get it to help. The PCT also has too much wildlife that  can kill or injure your pet such as rattlesnakes, bears and especially coyotes. Coyotes are EVERYWHERE on the PCT and will kill your dog EVERY chance that they would get.
  I know that you love your dog and that you desperately want to take it with you but please leave it home. You will still have a good time and it will stay safe until you return.
  This probably isn't the info that you were hoping for but this is my opinion of the whole picture. 
  I loved Ziggy and would not have changed anything on that trip but taking Ziggy was an accicent that just happened to work out. I have never taken a pet since and still never will in the future. It is just too hard and unsafe for the pet.
  Good luck on your hike and please let me know how it turns out.

  geek

g l <gailpl2003 at yahoo.com> wrote:
    Dear Jim,

  I got your email address from Sly who got if from whiteblaze.com.  Anyway, I'm planning a thru on the PCT next year with my little 6 lb Maltese doggie, and I've heard a lot of negative.  But I've also heard that you carried your cat on the whole AT and some other adventures as well.  Could you advise of any problems/ concerns I should be aware of while travelling with a pet on the trail?

  Thanks,

  Gail aka "Wheeew"

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