What does six months of dog food look like?

Paradise to miss Gracie Ann, who would like to let everyone know that it's a crab wonton a day, thank you very much. The only question seems to be whether to start at the bottom of the stack...

or the top...










I'm officially in overwhelm mode, and may well stay there until October. Gracie, on the other hand, is totally bored with all the prep work and ready to go take a hike!

Gracie's fortune for the day

A wonton a day keeps the doctor away.

Gracie's comment: why stop at one?

Gracie's fortune for the day

Live, think, and act for today. Tomorrow may be too late.

How fitting for a dog's fortune.

Gracie's fortune for the day

Had a gluten free Pei Wei dinner last night, to go, and when the server said he'd left out the fortune cookie because they had gluten, I said, "Thanks, but can I have one anyway, my dog likes them." He gave me extra because he likes dogs. So, here's Gracie's fortune for the day:

Everyone feels lucky for having you as a friend.

No doubt!

training hike!

Gracie had her first training hike with her new, smaller, backpack today. Since I have yet to make a final decision on a pack, she got to carry everything. For this outing, she carried a bag of lentils and a can of corn in each side of the pack, car keys, a couple of poop sacks, and a small bottle of water on one side to evenly distribute the weight. I'd been a little concerned that she was out of practice for carrying, but she totally rocked it. Even though I was unencumbered, it was still a challenge to keep her from pulling ahead of me. That's my dawg!

We went for an afternoon hike at St. Edwards park, one of my favorite short hike spots in Austin. We crossed the creek, climbed up to the top of the hill that skirts the Balcones Canyonland Preserve, then headed back down. When we crossed the creek again, I took off Gracie's pack so she could go for a brief swim, then I carried her pack the rest of the way to the car. This pack is gonna suit her just fine, and I'm less concerned about her fitness for hiking. Upcoming training will include a hike to the Hill of Life and back from Loop 360.

A potential backpack arrives this week for testing, the camera is on order, and things are starting to come together. It's a little hard to believe this thing is really going to happen. I'm thrilled and nervous both. And incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support from friends and family. I absolutely could not be doing this without them. Exciting times.

tweaking of the gear

So far, Gracie seems to have more of her gear in order than I do. I am confident that everything will come together at the right time. The sleeping bag decision will happen this week, and the backpack. Probably both by Wednesday, if not sooner. In the meantime, I ordered the next smaller size doggie backpack for Miss Gracie Ann. She is on the small end of the sizing scale for the medium, and it seemed to overwhelm her without being fully loaded. The small holds about 4-6 liters less volume, so I may have to lug more of her food/gear than I intended. As much as I like to joke about loading her up like the dog from How the Grinch Stole Christmas, carrying a pack has to be manageable for her for this to happen, if that means I carry a bit more weight, so be it. She's worth it!

Gracie's Gear

So excited to receive Gracie's new backpack in the mail today. It probably weighs as much or more than the one I will carry. It's got ample room for a week's supply of food, booties (in case the terrain is hard on her feet, or it's especially cold) a food/water bowl, treats, and possibly a tennis ball or other toy. Plus it has two water bladders. We can use these to help balance the load, and carry spare water. It's much bigger than the day pack I've used on her before, and it will take some training/practice for her to get used to carrying a full load. Here are some cute pics of her with the pack loaded down with 14 cups of food, enough for seven days.

It's really hard to get an action shot of her with the pack, but here's an attempt. The training plan is to take her out on local trails with an empty pack and gradually work up to a full load over the next few weeks. One really nice feature of this pack is the separate harness/saddlebag setup. I can remove the saddlebags and carry her load to give her a break, without removing the harness. Here's a photo of her with just the harness on.

I have the best dog in the world!

another step closer

Today I sold the motorcycle and I feel both sadness and excitement. Sad to see my first "real" bike go, but excited because it is helping fund my Appalachian Trail hike. Getting on that bike for a ride never failed to lift my mood, bring me fully present to the now (for there is no other way to ride, in my book), and bring me happiness. I had once promised a partner that I would never get a bike. When that relationship ended, I decided it was time to explore my authentic interest in motorcycling, so I saved for the cost of the motorcycle safety course as a birthday gift to myself. My Christmas gift was this machine, bought from a trusted friend.

In just over two years, I put a thoroughly enjoyable 4400 miles on it, along with a few comfort and convenience accessories. I made a couple of my own repairs, learned how to jumpstart a bike, had a few scary moments on the roads, but always felt it was one of the best things I ever did for myself. I've known for awhile that hiking the AT would mean selling the savage, because I needed the proceeds to help fund the trip, and it would be wholly impractical and not good for the bike for it to sit for up to six months. Possessions pass into and out of our lives, and are easily replaced. Without a doubt, as long as I am physically able, I know I will be a motorcycle rider. I'm keeping the riding gear, because I'm sure one of these days, at least one of my long distance trips will be by motorcycle. Riding a motorcycle is the closest thing to flying without leaving the ground, and I know I want to get another one when I return from my hike. Until then, it was money and time well spent.

I am grateful to have honored the inner voice that said I was born to ride, and grateful that this interest is enabling me to pursue other ventures. Some people really do have some internal thing going on that says "I must ride a motorcycle." You can tell it because they're the ones that always notice other motorcycles on the road, that can't help but look in the direction of the approaching exhaust rumble or engine whine, drawn by some unknowable force to the call of two-wheeled transportation. I will always be glad I answered the call. And I'm already thinking about my next bike.