Note: In this installment, Trudy, the Miniature Schnauzer, reports on her traverse of the AT in Massachusetts in the autumn, 2001.

Traildogs, you would not believe how great a hiking state Massachusetts is. From Greylock to Everett and Race Mountains, it was just spectacular. Fields, rock ledges and the ever-exciting roadwalks through towns kept me happy. I loved reading the doggy trail registers in towns (i.e. fire hydrants and telephone poles). We saw our first snow and Momma dressed me in that undignified yellow fleece jumpsuit with the hood that she made. I look like a monkey in it and feel like a foo foo dog. But I love my blaze orange vest and bandanna. Every morning Momma velcros them on me and I feel like a real hiking dog. Deer season has started and I don't want to be a target!

 

At night it has been pretty cold. I stay warm in Momma's sleeping bag. She leaves a dish of water for me to drink out of at night--I wake up a lot with a perishing thirst because it gets pretty hot in the bag. During the day she offers me water constantly but I'm usually not thirsty.

 

We slept on a porch in Dalton. Tom Levardi has been letting hikers stay outside his house for 18 years. I barked at everyone that went by, just like a real yard dog. The only thing that I didn't like in Dalton was this little girl who ambushed me from her yard. "Is it pettable?" she screamed. And then she ran right up and grabbed me without even letting me smell her first. Then she tried to pick me up. Oh no, girlchild! I don't think so. I don't let anybody but Momma or Daddy carry me and sometimes I even growl at them. I might be little, but I'm not a toy. Let's just say I have some issues around personal space.

 

Not too many dog encounters, but we stayed in the old empty summer house of the Cookie Lady and her husband and I played with their dog near the blueberry bushes. He was cute, but a little old for me. Maybe I come on a little strong. When the Cookie Lady saw me in my yellow suit she thought I was adorable and took a bunch of pictures of me. I guess that thing does have its uses.

 

On Halloween night we walked in the rain to find this shelter called The Hemlocks. I hate hiking at night because I don't see that well even during the daytime. But Momma and Daddy still haven't gotten used to this daylight savings thing. The problem was, there was no sign for southbounders, which we found out after we went way past the shelter and had to turn around. Sure enough there WAS a sign on the side that northbound hikers would see. By that time I was so cold I stood on Momma's pack when she took a break and looked up at her imploringly, praying she would pick me up. She got the message and put me in the pet pouch, then swaddled me in her fleece jacket with her raincoat over it. I warmed right up but then I saw two deer bounding through the woods and wished I were back down on the ground. All I could do was bark at them. It was most dispiriting.

 

The day I found out how much Momma loves me was when we had to cross this swamp near Great Barrington. All the bog logs were under water and it didn't look like there was any way around it. She didn't want to get her boots wet, so even though there was a thin crust of ice, she took off her boots and socks, tied them to her pack, picked me up and walked across in her bare feet. It took her 15 minutes to warm up again. I think she had better get some waterproof boots like Daddy. It's going to be a long winter.

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