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Travels with Tucker

I'm not John Steinbeck and Tucker is certainly no Charley. But after our first year together travelling over 14,000 miles, criss-crossing America, hitting 17 states, I thought it was about time we started documenting our adventures.

Let the Sun Shine In...

12/11/2016

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I usually spend my birthday on a hike. This year I spent it in the truck driving north toward Vancouver. Spending a night in Ashland, Oregon was something I always wanted to do, but in order to see the Oregon Shakespeare Festival not because I had to get up early in the morning to make it to the border.
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However, waking up Ashland is pretty beautiful even if you don’t get to see Shakespeare.
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​It felt a little like the Berkshire Hills… with fog. I have been missing Autumn the past few years, so it was nice to finally experience--even at rest stops.
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Because of the short notice of the job, we didn’t get to arrive early and get a sense of our surroundings. We arrived late Sunday night, and the next morning was work. I didn’t even get a chance to really look into daycares for Tucker.
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So Tucker took over my job.
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​And had to sit through terribly boring meetings where he exemplified what we all were feeling.
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​I did not see the sun the entire week. On our first Saturday, we did a tour of the local pet supply stores so Tucker and I could get out of the house. Granted, our house isn’t too shabby. The view alone is spectacular (that’s the Vancouver skyline in the distance.) 
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And the leaves changing color was inspiring. I finally got Autumn. Real Autumn. 

Sunday brought a brief amount of sunshine and I took the limited opportunity to get to the nearest mountain for a hike.
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Mount Seymour had a dog-friendly hike called, oddly, Dog Mountain. It seemed like a good beginning hike for us. However, it was closed. 
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​I attempted to find another trail, lost the trail, and ended up going in the wrong direction.
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​Finding another trail which was more populated, Tucker and I finally got on our way.
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Here’s the thing about dog-friendly Vancouver. It is dog-friendly—but in a very different way than other cities. Well-behaved, leashed dogs are not allowed on patios of restaurants. They are not allowed in stores or cafes or coffee houses. However, dog are free to be off-leash on many trails. And even if a leash is required, no one adheres to it.

Now, if you have full control over your dog, that’s great. Honestly, there were plenty of times I thought I might crack my head open as I stumbled over roots and slippery rocks while holding Tucker’s leash. It would be safer if he could be off leash. However, he’s not a fan of all dogs. He’s not great with un-neutered males, and he gets pretty worked up about any dog that is not being respectful of their owner. Tucker cannot be off leash. And that’s fine. I’ve accepted that. And probably 80% of the time, that’s totally cool. The moment that follows falls into the 20% "not cool" category.

Being my first hike in British Columbia, I didn’t realize there is a bit of difference in their ratings of trails. Now I know that “moderate” in Canadian terms is “impossible” to Americans. “Easy” will still involve some obstacles. A couple days ago I read a description of a “dog-friendly” hike that was “moderate” because there was only “a couple of ropes to climb that you will have to hoist your dog up.” What?!? Evidently us Americans are used to Candyland, and the Canadians are playing Chutes and Ladders. 

This particular hike at Mt Seymour was quite muddy (it had been raining), and Tucker and I hadn’t yet coordinated our hiking-in-mud policies so it was a bit stressful as I tried to remain upright. Mud and severe elevation changes, and roots and rocks and then bunches of people and their dogs. It wasn’t quite the peaceful and serene hiking experience I’m used to.

I had considered turning back but tried to keep going. Tucker never wants to give up, and I really didn’t want this to be a wasted venture. But then there it was: the dog coming up quickly behind us with no person attached. Tucker wouldn’t keep moving forward, but there was no person so I didn’t know what would happen when the dog arrived in front of us. The person finally came into view, saw Tucker and called her dog. No response. Called again. Still nothing. The dog continued toward us, and albeit not in a threatening manner, still was not under the control of his person (and it was a leashed trail, mind you), which alone is terrifying and there was nowhere for us to step off the trail to be out of the way. The trail itself is only a few feet wide. Dogs coming up the hill are meeting dogs coming down head-on. Not a good way to introduce one another.

Her dog gets up to Tucker just as she reaches her dog with a leash excusing him because “he’s friendly.” Tucker lunges at the dog ferociously, people with small dogs coming up are terrified, and the dog with no respect for his owner just carries on like nothing happened.

Meanwhile Tucker and I are in the treeline, bush limbs jabbing into my spine, and he’s thrashing about, upset at the dog that just passed and scaring the people with a dachshund off leash heading toward us.

And that’s when I felt we should call it quits.

We climbed back up the steep, muddy, narrow trail and out into the open. I took a breath, looked around, and off to the side I saw a trailhead everyone else was ignoring.
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Perfect.

Through a small meadow, Tucker and I alone crossed a bridge and headed up to a peak.
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​There was just one couple there, dogless. Tucker and I took the time to sit and enjoy the peace. This is what hiking is for us. Not a tourist attraction, not a social event. It is our church; our peace. 
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Tucker and I sat in peace and relaxation until Tucker and I felt we should head back before the rains came in again.
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​Not the best first hiking experience, but we learned a lot. Regardless of “leash” or “off-leash” signs, every dog will be off leash. So we just need to go to places off the beaten path, less crowded, more remote, where Tucker can be at peace and not worried about rouge dogs coming up behind us.
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We’ll find our place. It’s just isn’t on this trail. And that's okay. There's plenty more to try out.
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    2016.01.03 Home For The Holidays
    2016.01.04 A Hike On Another Planet
    2016.03.25 Equality Is For Everyone
    2016.03.27 Our Easter Weekend Services
    2016.04.15 Just Des(s)erts
    2016.05.29 Max Patch
    2016.05.29 Rising To The Peak
    2016.05.29 Spring Adventures
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    2016.07.05 A Salute To Asheville From Chimney Rock
    2016.08.15 Up
    2016.10.01 Since You've Been Gone
    2016.12.09 How We Spent Our Summer Vacation
    2016.12.10 Let The Sun Shine In
    2016.12.11 Eyes To The Skies
    2016.12.11 Where The Rainy Day Takes You
    2016.12.18 Waiting For Whistler
    2016.12.31 Only In Canada
    2017.01.10 Christmas On The Coast
    2017.01.11 Christmas On The Coast
    2017.04.22 Out Of The Desert And Into The Land Of Enchantment
    2017.05.05 Someplace To Be; Not Somewhere To Go
    2017.05.20 New Canada
    2017.05.28 Rise To The Challenge
    2017.06.18 Exploring The 'Hood
    2017.06.24 Bishop's Lodge: Anything But Heavenly
    2017.07.01 Finding Your Church
    2017.07.08 Mother Nature's Springs
    2017.07.22 Beside Every Great Woman
    2017.10.15 Finding (Water)Fall(s)
    2017.10.28 This Is 40... Part I
    2017.10.29 This Is 40... Part II
    2017.11.18 Battle Amidst Beauty
    2017.11.25 To The Looking Glass
    2018.02.25 Where The Dog Takes You
    2018.03.31 After The Rains
    2018.04.14 Truly Home Again
    2018.06.02 Just A Walk On The Beach
    2018.07.21 Ready? On Set!
    2018.08.04 Return To The Redwoods
    2018.08.11 Return To The Redwoods
    2018.10.27 The Forty-First
    2018.12.15 The End Of The Tour
    2018.12.30 Santa Cruz
    2019.01.05 Chasing Mavericks
    2019.01.20 Finding Your Soulspace
    2019.02.09 Muir Magic
    2019.02.23 The Point Of Point Reyes
    2019.02.25 From Muir To Mori
    2019.03.02 Our Own Monterey
    2019.03.09 An Irish Escape
    2019.03.16 Hidden Vistas
    2019.04.06 Our Life: The Carnival
    2019.04.20 One Man's Trash Is Another Dog's Art
    2019.05.04 Black Rock And Blue Skies
    2019.06.08 Water
    2019.06.15 In Conversation... With Nature
    2019.06.29 Go Tell It On The Mountain
    2019.07.06 Not So Yosemite
    2019.07.07 Magic Chimneys
    2019.07.20 The Long Way Around
    2019.11.23 All Trails Lead Here
    2019.11.30 Seeking Solitude In All Directions
    2019.12.14 Forest Friends And Soul-Places
    2019.12.21 The San Franciscan Canine
    2019.12.26 An Unexpected Christmas
    2020.01.11 Kicking Off The New Year On The Coast: Part I
    2020.01.12 Kicking Off The New Year On The Coast: Part II
    2020.01.12 Kicking Off The New Year On The Coast: Part III
    2020.01.19 From The Beach To The Bay... Almost
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    2021.11.14 To The End Of The Road... Or Island
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    2021.11.28 Giving Thanks To Mother Nature
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    2021.12.18 Right Here
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    And Away
    But Not Far Away
    Comes The (Water)Fall
    Everywhere
    Maximum Wind Speed
    Nose To The Wind
    Not Out There
    Not The Map
    Part I
    Part II
    Santa Clause
    Santa Paws
    The Look Of Discrimination
    The South's Answer To The Southwest
    Tucker Wescott: Interior Designer
    Up
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