He's quite a social dog and quite enjoys meeting people on the trail. He's perhaps a bit more social than I am even!
No matter how tired he is, he greets people with a little woof, then an intense full body waggle and he doesn't discriminate against day and weekend hikers!
It's been great having a hiking buddy for a few sections and is even better that he brought with him Fran and Ed.
It's great to bump into someone that's heard of you or met your parents--like you've already met!
It's also great to show up at an intersection of the trail and a road and find cold beer, fresh fruit, and hikers hanging out with my parents.
It works well for the dog too since he really can't handle more than a few days at a time.
Though physically he's capable of the 20+miles per day, the issue is as a younger dog (2 yo) he just isn't getting enough sleep.
I brought my tent along for these sections thinking he may sleep better at night and though he does relax more without the mosquitoes nibbling at his tender nose, he knows his job is to protect us and so he sleeps, but with one eye open.
After a few days he starts getting tired enough that his behavior begins to deteriorate. It makes sense, I've seen it in people.
So having Fran and Ed supporting me at the various passes like Sonora, Ebbets, Echo, Donner, and Yuba has made my hiking easier and has allowed the dog to hike a few days, rest a few days and hike some more.
The dog will only have hiked less than 200 miles with me, but as you can see, he's been in some fabulous terrain.
Benton's heart is truly on the trail and I know I'm heart on the trail. Where is your heart?
If it's not on the trail, then get your HEART ON THE TRAIL and support the American Heart Association, the Pacific Crest Trail Association.
My goal is to raise $10,000 to split evenly between these two organizations and I can only do it with your help and support. Thank you.
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