When people without much experience in the backcountry think of nighttime in the woods, they envision the sounds of predators. I’ve been hiking since I was a child, and even with decades of experience I’m still struck by its silence.

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My PNT work party was cancelled. I found myself with an open weekend and decided to do some hiking. My initial plan was to hike from Rd 23 to Wind River Road – 49 miles – in three days. That section has more downhills than ups. I took Monday off, and it was my scheduled Friday off*, so I figured I could do it if I pushed myself.

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Last weekend, I hiked about forty miles of the PCT (Chinook Pass to Tacoma Pass). My original plan was to hike to Stampede Pass – another ten miles – but the shorter trip made for a better weekend.

I left work early Wednesday to get a jumpstart on the trail. I’m glad I did. Jim dropped me off at Chinook Pass about a quarter after seven. Truth be told, if I’d worked until five on Wednesday I probably wouldn’t have gotten to Chinook Pass until near-dark.

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Tomorrow evening, I’m heading to Chinook Pass. I’m hiking to Stampede Pass along the Pacific Crest Trail. I’m excited, but weirdly apprehensive.

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At this point, I’m planning to return to the Pacific Northwest Trail to complete the section hike I truncated last summer. I have two weeks off, and I’m planning to start where I left the trail last summer (the Ryan Cabin/Big Lick trail). That cuts about 18 miles and 3200′ of elevation gain from the route.

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I currently have a couple of goals. First, I am going back to hike the section of the Pacific Northwest Trail I bailed out on last summer. To make that hike easier, I’d planned to do several shorter hikes in the interim. I’m hiking the Pacific Crest Trail from Chinook Pass to Stampede Pass in late July, and I wanted to challenge myself with some long day hikes and one or two overnight hikes before then. Unfortunately, family obligations and other things – including my own sloth & indifference – have meant I’ve not gone on a single overnight hike, and I’ve had a hard time pushing myself to do much of anything.

I know I can do little things to improve my chances of success this year. Taking a few minutes a day to do some core strength work or stretching goes a long way to avoid fatigue and injury on the trail. Today, I’ve decided to start a “What Have I Done Today?” reflection at the end of my day: each night, I want to reflect on what I’ve done that will pay dividends come August. Physical fitness will paly a big role, but I also need to plan. I haven’t thought much about my menu for August’s hike. I haven’t played much with my gear. These things count, too.

“If you bail out each time a honeymoon period ends, you won’t ever follow through with any worthwhile challenge in your life.” Appalachian Trials, p 52-52, Zach Davis, 2012.

Hello, 2×4! I see you’ve just met my forehead.

Reading that threw me for a loop. I’m not planning to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail – or any trail, for that matter. But I’ve been reading this book because I know I have mental barriers that make me timid, and they’re probably what keeps me from making the decision to thru-hike anything. (In addition to the financial consequences of taking 4-5 months off and my discomfort with river crossings.)

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As I write this, I’m in the midst of a 5K training plan I’ve largely ignored. I don’t have a 5K race on my calendar, and that’s made it easy to ignore the reminders that pop up on my phone that I need to run today. And there’s the pup to worry about …

I may not be running much, but I’m doing a bang-up job of making excuses not to run.

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I did my own route. Trooper approves of my course selection!

About a month ago, I adopted a puppy. He’s a border collie – pit bull mix. He & his siblings were surrendered to The Pit Bull Pen, a local animal rescue. I was more interested in getting an adult dog so I wouldn’t have to deal with puppy issues, but a few things worked against that plan. First, any dog I adopt needed to be proven cat-friendly or young enough to train to respect cats. The Pit Bull Pen only had one adult dog that fit that description. Second, based upon my conversation with a person working for the rescue, she decided a puppy named Frogger was a better fit for my lifestyle and desire to have a running & hiking buddy.

Jim & I went to meet Frogger at his foster home. He was living with one of his littermates, Squid. They were both adorable, but I fell hard for Squid. He may have been the runt of the litter, and he had an issue with his eye that hadn’t fully resolved itself. And Squid chose me.

I brought him home a few days later. Jim thought Trooper a better name than Squid, as the pup is going to accompany me on hikes; thus, he’s my “little trooper.” I liked the name Squid better, but Jim didn’t want a dog, and despite that he’s being quite the trooper in helping me deal with dog duties; thus, it’s fair to let him name the pup.

The rescue guessed that Trooper’s adult weight will be 50-60 pounds. He’s currently gaining a couple pounds a week and he’s already 26 pounds (at fourteen weeks). His growth weight will slow down, but I suspect he’ll be every ounce of that 60 pounds. I’m picking him up every day or two so it’s not a total shock when he’s full-sized. (If he’s injured while we’re hiking or running, I’ll need to be able to carry him to safety. I’m definitely going to need to work on strength training to accomplish that goal.)

The issue with his eye is thought to be an injury he suffered before being surrendered that wasn’t treated. His left eye is cloudy & I cannot see a discernable iris in it. He can see with that eye, but my best guess is that he sees shadows & shapes. I’ve seen him trip over things when he suddenly shifts direction to his left; that’s why I think he doesn’t see well. Fortunately, it’s my habit for a leashed dog to walk on my right side. That will put his “good” eye facing out, and his not-so-good eye on the safe side.

While the goal is that Trooper will be my hiking & running buddy, we haven’t been able to leave the yard. Parvovirus is really bad here, and the rescue made me promise Trooper would not leave our yard until he was fully vaccinated against parvo. (He had his last inoculation last week, but the vet recommended we wait another ten days to give him full protection.) I haven’t done any running – or even walking – since we brought Trooper home. And because he’s a puppy, I’ll need to ease him in slowly. It’s recommended we avoid any strenuous running until he’s a year old, and even with the hiking it’s going to need to be at his pace.

The advantage of easing him in is it means I’m easing back into my fitness routine. My body can use that kind of gentle resumption of training instead of my usual “let’s train for a 50K!” mentality. And because he won’t be able to run at a training pace until next August, I intend to make 2021 all about hiking. Our first trip out of the yard will probably only be around the block – and it may take an hour! – but I’ve decided I can maximize these walks by wearing a weighted pack while I’m walking him.

I’ve been working with Trooper on walking on a leash. I bought an adjustable harness early on, knowing it’ll likely end up being too small. But I want the harness to feel “normal” to him.

So far, he’s only been in the truck on five occasions: the trip home from Petsmart the day I adopted him, a couple of errands (to get him accustomed to being in a vehicle), and two trips to the vet. It hasn’t gone well. When we got home from the vet last week, he refused to get out of the truck. He seemed genuinely fearful. I had to carry him into the house. Once we were in the house, he relaxed & jumped out of my arms. I know this is temporary, but I feel so sorry for him! I’ve read that some pups enter a fearful phase at four months, and that may be part of this. Also, being confined to our house & backyard hasn’t broadened his horizons much.

Last Saturday, I took him out to the front yard. It might as well have been another planet. He refused to walk on pavement. I carried him to the far side of the driveway & we slowly walked back. He was happier in the grass, but he was afraid to approach the street. It took about ten minutes to get from near the fence to near the sidewalk. We’d walk a few steps, he’d flop down, and once he was comfortable we walked a few more steps. It took lots of encouragement & several treats to get him out close to the sidewalk – close to, not on.