[pct-l] thru-hiking with a dog

[Rebecca Mezoff]

I had to CARRY my 70 pound labrador over that grating at Echo Lake.   
It is really bad for dogs.  Desolation Wilderness is a tough place  
for a dog.  It is really rocky and can be hot.  My dog burned her  
feet badly on the southern approach to Dick's pass (really rocky and  
it was very hot in the sun) and I had to cut the hike short by a  
couple days and hike out at Emerald Bay because of it.  You have to  
be really flexible when you bring your dog in hot conditions... and I  
wasn't willing to wait 3-4 hours for the trail to cool down, thus my  
hike was cut short and my dog suffered.  Lesson learned for me!  Now  
if she is with me and we encounter conditions that are unsuitable for  
her, I know I have to reroute or (usually) sit under a bush and wait  
for things to cool off, even if we wait a long time.
Rebecca


On Sep 13, 2006, at 9:31 PM, Marshall Karon wrote:

> I'll add another dog item. I have taken my dog on a PCT hike from  
> Donner
> Pass to Echo Lake and several times around Mt. Hood. I had one  
> pooped dog
> each time who slept non-stop for days. And going over the steel  
> grating at
> Echo Lake was absolutely terrible for him. Unless your dog is  
> trained to
> walk 8-10 hours a day and you protect their feet, you are really  
> being cruel
> to your friend.
>
> Marshall Karon
> Portland, OR
>
>
>
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