A few words of wisdom about hiking with dogs and humans.
1. Try to find a trail that has water sources en route. That way it is not necessary to carry extra water for us dogs.
2. Uncrowded trails are good because we can spend more time communing with nature and less time with other people and dogs.
3. When Fenster and I were puppies, our parents walked us around the yard off leash and gave us lots of treats. That way, we learned to stay with them because that is where the fun is.
4. It is a good idea to take your humans to puppy kindergarten. That is what we did. We learned to be friends with all different kinds of people and dogs.
5. When I go hiking, I always get a delicious sandwich on the summit. It is a great way to reward the effort of climbing.
6. For the most part, people are happy to meet small dogs on the trail, because we are so cute and nonthreatening. We are trained to continue on in case there are any people who don't want to meet us -- see also 2, 3, 4, and 5, which help make us good ambassadors for dogdom.
Stairways to Heaven
Some of the higher ascents described in the journal entries include: Mt. Abraham VT (4006') 6/15/07; Mt. Tom NH (4051') 10/5/07; Mt. Pierce NH (4312') 7/30/06; Sandwich Mtn. NH (3980') 9/16/06; Breadloaf VVT (3835') 10/5/06; and Mt. Moosilauke NH (4802') 8/27/05.
Some useful links
For more information about Bruce Hesselbach, visit his website at http://www.sover.net/~hessel/ which includes information about his book on hiking in Vermont. A wealth of information about select hikes in the Northeast can be found at http://www.franklinsites.com
Welcome...
Welcome to my doghouse on the net! Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Dickens and I am a Welsh terrier, born near Sacramento, California, on May 3, 2003. I had two sisters and one brother. In July, 2003, my brother and I were flown to our new home in Newfane, Vermont. We were named Dickens and Fenster after a TV show in 1962 starring John Astin as Dickens, but most people think that I was named after Charles Dickens. That is okay; in fact I have Great Expectations that you will like this new website.
My plan is to show you some pictures of my home and the hikes that I have been on and make a few helpful hints to humans about good places to visit with your best friends of the dog variety. You can click on the word "photos" to see pictures of the hikes and click on "journal" to read about them. One (Oliver) twist is that my photos are mainly in chronological order, but the journal is in reverse chronological order. Don't blame me for this mystery (of Edmund Drood), blame Our Mutual Friend, Bartleby the Scrivener.
The photo section is in several parts starting with "My Friends" and then going on to other titles such as "Tankerabogus" and "The Pruneface." The older photos are in the top sections and the most recent photos are in the bottom sections.
My home is in snowy Vermont. My human parents are Bruce and Carol Hesselbach. Bruce is the author of High Ledges, Green Mountains: My Section Hike of Vermont's Long Trail (Bondcliff Books 2005). You can get more information about this book on Bruce's website (see lower right of this page for the link).
On the trail to Mt Moosilauke there is a sign that says good canine citizens are allowed but prohibits many others including llamas. I feel sorry for the hikers who traveled all the way from Tibet to go hiking here and had to return home unsatisfied just because of the past naughtiness of a few thoughtless individuals. Don't let this happen to you! It is up to dogs and humans to be good ambassadors of hiking and help keep trails open to the public.
The journal entries are listed in reverse chronological order. Therefore, if you would like to read about my early hikes, you need to go back into the archives. Just click on the calendar in the archives where the earlier hikes are stored.
Of all the hikes I have been on, I only wrote about my favorite ones. I am doing this as a public service to all you hiking doggies out there and your human companions. I hear that you bipeds have a shocking tendency to become couch potatoes. Hiking is the perfect remedy for this and the companionship is a bonus. As I always tell my human, anytime you are out in the wilderness, and you are bitten by a poisonous rattlesnake, I will always be right there by your side with the anecdote.
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