[pct-l] dog

[steve_peterson at sbcglobal.net (Steve Peterson)]

Also, there are signs as you enter Kings Canyon National Park (and I believe 
Sequoia National Park) (southern Sierras) specifically prohibiting pets (and 
other things I won't mention for fear of igniting yet another re-hash of an 
oft-discussed subject).
--Steve

Eric Lee (GAMES) wrote:
> Elizabeth wrote:
> 
> Mostly I was just unsatisfied with Yogi's explanation (very short) and 
> wanted some other opinions.
> 
> 
> Search the list archives, you'll find lots of good information there.
> 
> Briefly, the problems with thru-hiking with a dog in one season (as
> opposed to shorter section trips) are as follows:
> 
> 1.  The desert heat is extremely hard on dogs.  Dogs generally can't
> regulate their body temperature as well as humans can, and the heat is
> hard enough on humans.  Imagine what it must be like as a dog.
> 
> 2.  The rocky terrain found in the desert and many other places farther
> north is very hard on a dog's feet, even with booties.  Don't picture
> soft, pine-needle-covered trails.  Picture sharp, abrasive rocks.  Most
> thru-hikers wear out multiple pairs of shoes during their trip.  Imagine
> what it must do to a dog's pads.  
> 
> 3.  Having a dog along greatly complicates logistics.  Hitchhiking is
> much harder.  Resupply is harder.  If your dog needs to get off the
> trail, you can't just put it on a bus.  This seriously decreases your
> odds of finishing in one season.
> 
> 4.  Your dog can't talk.  Humans can say, "You know, I'm beat.  I need
> to stay in town for an extra zero day."  Dogs can't tell you that.  Is
> it fair to put your dog on a deathmarch where it has no choice but to
> keep walking 20 mile days regardless of what it _wants_ to do?
> 
> I have no problem with people section-hiking with their dogs.  More
> power to them.  However, I think a traditional one-season thru-hike with
> a dog is a terrible idea.  The vast majority of dogs that attempt it
> don't make it.  Even the ones that do arrive in Canada usually have to
> skip huge sections.  (Timber, one of this year's thru-hiking dogs, would
> have been in major trouble had he not been able to skip around desert
> sections in Meadow Mary's RV.  Depending on who you ask, Timber wasn't
> having much fun during last part of the trip, either.)
> 
> For two first-hand accounts of thru-hiking dogs on the PCT this summer,
> check out these journals:
> *  ERTMan and Red
> (http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=2039)
> *  Bradley and Banner (http://www.pctforpets.org/)
> 
> Both dogs were harshly punished by the desert sections, both dogs got
> off the trail before reaching the Sierras.  Even if you think your dog
> is different, at least read the journals (particularly the second one)
> to understand what you'll be up against.
> 
> Eric
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