Apparently there're no dogs allowed on this section, except during man hunts. Also no rapping... and I was just finding my rhythm.

So here's another quick update on the trip so far! Overall things have gone great for me but less great for the pup. Like most dogs he has a pretty strong fear of thunder, which I knew before we set out, but I hadn't really considered how much not having a place to "hide" would affect him. The tent doesn't really give him a sense of security, so the nights with thunder storms (which are frequent in the summer) have been pretty rough for him. He hasn't slept much on those nights and even though the storms clear up before morning and we're not hiking in bad weather he's exhausted.

So we took a quick break for a couple of days to let him calm down and get some sleep, and now we're setting out again. But I've decided these next three days will be the last ones for him on the trail. We'll do our last bit of hiking (in good weather assuming the weatherman is on point... always a dangerous assumption) and then my parents have very kindly agreed to come get him and look after him while I continue on the trail solo.

I'm very sad to have to continue without him, as it's been a dream of mine to hike the trail with him for years. But ultimately I would never want to force him to do anything he's not enjoying. When the sun is shining he's the happiest mutt out there, but at this point I feel like his fear of the thunder is outweighing his enjoyment otherwise. So it's time to call it for him.

On a happier note, here's him enjoying himself when there was no thunder or lightning in sight!

And sometimes you just gotta cool off.

Also, I've decided that a small sewing repair kit is a very useful addition to a long hike gear set. I've already repaired the pup's pack twice, and then when my pillow developed a leak I cut the cover off, duck taped the hole, and then stitched the cover back on. I only had to stare at it in confusion for about 15 minutes before I remembered how to sew a locking stitch... Susie Homemaker I am not.

Until next time!