Heads It’s The Osceolas, Tails It’s The Bald Faces. Heads Wins

[Ed'n Lauky]

All week I had been planning on doing the Bald Face loop. Everything was planned. Then yesterday I started to have some second thoughts. Maybe I should go and do the Osceolas. The weather report was not clear. The Baldface loop is just too great a hike to do in anything but near perfect weather.

Even this morning, looking up at the sky I still wasn’t sure. I went in the house, sat down and wrote “The Baldfaces” on a piece of paper that I would leave for my wife. Then I crossed it out and wrote the Osceolas. The decision was made and I left. The way the weather turned out I think it was a good decision. With the wind today, on the Baldfaces I probably could have tied a string to Duffy and flown him like a kite.

There is not much to say about the trails except that they were in good shape. East Osceola is an interesting climb. The first mile and a half is almost flat. The next three quarters of a mile meanders up then all of a sudden it goes straight up. The slide, however, is a whole lot easier in the summer than in the winter. Once above the slide the worst is over and before long you reach the top of East Osceola.

After descending East Osceola the only real difficulty going up Mt. Osceola is the chimney which can be bypassed. We got to the chimney just as some folks reached the top. One person yelled down to me telling me that I would have to take the bypass with the dog. Well, Duffy either didn’t understand him or he’s just stubborn, because he went straight up the chimney. As they say in the Master Card commercials “The look on the guy’s face was—priceless.”

The top of Mt. Osceola was fairly crowded with folks coming in from both sides. It was also quite chilly and for that reason we didn’t stay too long at the top. We ate lunch and headed back. Two hours later we were back at the car.

I think it was dog day today. I’ve never seen as many dogs out on the trail. One small dog got lost from his owners. They apparently stopped at East Osceola and then headed back. The dog continued on down to the base of Mt. Osceola. The pup was having fun with the other dogs on the trail until he suddenly realized he was lost. He passed us on the slide going down like a bullet crying as he went. As we descended I asked everyone we met coming up about the dog. Finally I was told that he had caught up with a couple which had earlier been described to me as his owners. It’s beyond me how they could have left him up there. I’d have had a heart attack if I couldn’t find Duffy and I sure wouldn’t have left without him.

On a brighter side, I did meet several VFTT people today. One was Timnus, who had driven down from Montreal to work on her 115. We talked for a bit then she went jogging off. No time to waste, after doing the Osceolas, she was going to drive up the Kanc and do the Handcocks. Who knows what she is going to do tomorrow.

As a postscript, Duffy said to thank Unadogger for the tip on the K9 Restart. I was afraid when I got the stuff that he might not want to drink it, but he loved it. He would drink it even when he didn’t want any more plain water. So much the better! I tried once to give him Gatorade when I had run out of water. He took one sip and spit it out. I can’t tell you from just looking at him how much good it does him but it seems like a good idea.

 

[sapblatt]

Nice report - I guess I am not the only one that has canceled the Baldfaces - I keep waiting for the perfect day. I have seen more than one dog go up that chimney - it seems to be pretty easy for them!

 

[Tom & Atticus]

Nice report - I have seen more than one dog go up that chimney - it seems to be pretty easy for them!

I would agree. Especially in our case. The little guy climbs it like a monkey, doing much better than I do. In the winter we go around and he has no trouble there either. I wish I could say the same. Last year we also saw a huge bull mastiff go right up the chimney.

 

[Ed'n Lauky]

I would agree. Especially in our case. The little guy climbs it like a monkey, doing much better than I do. In the winter we go around and he has no trouble there either. I wish I could say the same. Last year we also saw a huge bull mastiff go right up the chimney.

It has a lot to do with both experience and self-confidence. It also brings out another point. Dogs shouldn't be typed any more than people. Experience, conditioning, and many other factors determine what a dog can or can't do. Jeff King, who runs the famous racing kennel in Denali, would be quite amused to hear that dogs are only capable of hiking eight miles at a time. He would also be amused to hear that anyone’s pooch could run the Iditarod. Just as many of us are not capable of running the Pemi-loop with Sherpa John; many overweight under exercised and tender-footed dogs should not start out climbing Mt. Washington. At the same time because some dogs shouldn't be there, doesn't mean that they all shouldn't. Tom's account of Atticus doing the Pemi—traverse this past winter is a good example. Atticus had been trained for that hike. He was with experienced hikers and he was ready and capable of doing it. That Atticus shouldn't get his certificate for his winter climbing because some dogs shouldn't be out there doing that is as absurd as refusing to give the winter certificate to people who do it because some people shouldn't be out there.