[pct-l] Re: thru-hiking in 2005

[kborski at yahoo.com (Karen Borski)]

Regarding bringing your dog on the PCT:

Aside from all the various opinions about the morality
etc. of hiking/thru-hiking with a dog....I have hiked
the southern PCT, and I would NOT bring a dog out
there unless you plan to winter hike it (which brings
up a whole new set of issues, e.g. snow shoes).  It is
too hot for ANY dog to be out there hiking alongside
you.  You are going to suffer, but dogs cannot sweat,
and thus cannot cool their bodies as quickly and
efficiently as humans.  It's not suffering for dogs in
southern California in April/May - it's deadly.

I have a great dog with whom I hike responsibly (on
leash) and actually find my hike enhanced when with
him.  He loves to hike, and I have spent a lot of time
training him so that we both enjoy the experience and
do not impact other people.  As far as distance goes,
just about any dog in reasonable shape can outhike any
human any day of the year over any terrain provided
the weather is not too HOT and provided you train your
dog to wear booties to protect the pads, which will
wear down on rocky terrain.  Don't let people tell you
that it is bad or harmful or not fun for your dog to
hike 20-mile days.  Just like our bodies, they are
made to travel large miles every day, and it is good
for them (but you need to get them in shape slowly
just like people).  Their closest relatives, wolves,
have known to travel 50 miles per day on average.

You really need to ask yourself whether you want to
limit your hike by taking on the responsibility of dog
care.  The dog trumps you, so if it gets sick or
injured YOU are off the trail.  And it takes a whole
lot of planning, luck and sacrifice to get most people
on a thru-hike.  

Two cents,
Nocona

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