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This is Ellie - who I lost a few years ago to a tumour on her spine. She was a fantastic dog!
We are in Snowdonia - I forget where this time....but from this photo I really think I ought to start wearing make-up out hiking...!
Sunday, 14 March 2010
Ellie Dog!
This is Ellie - who I lost a few years ago to a tumour on her spine. She was a fantastic dog!
We are in Snowdonia - I forget where this time....but from this photo I really think I ought to start wearing make-up out hiking...!
Thoughts on the JOGLE - and with a dog...
This is rather a late reflection on the hike - apologies for that.
Where do I start....I'll try not to make this too long a post as I ramble on!
My original reason for doing the hike (briefly), was the need to do something different (I get bored easily and need a new challenge), a break from the rut you can too easily slip in in day to day life, and 3 months just me and my dog - which I thought would be bliss!
I've always loved hiking, always hiked with my dog's, and enjoyed backpacking for a few years now too, so I thought I was pretty well prepared. Big mistake. I ended up replacing virtually all my old backpacking kit with newer lighter versions of everything...which ended up being pretty expensive!
I love being on a mission - planning the route, sorting the kit - all that sort of stuff is so much fun. The moment John left me at John O'Groats and it was just Patch and I walking alone it did briefly go through my head "Oh my god, what have I done!". It was very strange to know I had a month before I would see John again, and the usual luxury of picking up the phone to talk to people whenever I fancied was on hold to conserve the phone's battery life. It was a strangely lonely feeling - but at the same time I felt wonderfully free.
For me the hike became very difficult mentally as Patch's noise phobia's kicked in towards the end of day two when an RAF jet screamed over. She went into a panic - and she didn't enjoy the hike again until we were on the West Highland Way around 3 weeks later. After that she worried every time a jet went over, or there was traffic noise, or the noise of industry in the distance, or passenger jets entering / leaving the airport at Glasgow in the distance - or we heard people out shooting rabbits.
On the radio recently I heard a comment from a mother saying how a mum is only as happy as her unhappiest child - it was a debate about a mother who helped her daughter who was surffering from ME to die. The comment I feel is very true also to dog owners. If your dog is miserable you will feel the same. This was my problem on the hike - Patch lost all confidence and constantly listened to the skies for aircraft or other noises, she was constantly looking for somewhere to hide and at times it was hard work just getting her out of the safety of the tent in the mornings so I could get packed up to go - then she walk walk along miserably with her head and tail down. I'd made a big mistake - I thought the hike would help her with her phobia's but that wasn't the case at all. Eventually she went home when I met John for the second time after 620 miles so she did well, but she'd had enough.
The thing is, we live in a "Low Flying Area", so Monday to Friday the RAF jet's zoom over and Patch spends all week hiding in her bed - so really she was no worse off on the hike, but I had to make the decision that she was better off coping with it in her own way by hiding in bed.
So with Patch worried and miserable it was impossible for me to enjoy the hike. It's not possible to feel happy while you watch your dog suffer. Once Patch went home I felt miserable that I was without her so I increased the mileage, changed my route and got back as soon as I could.
So overall, the hike was an amazing experience - although I spent a large part of it miserable for doggy reasons, I'm still glad I did it and have many fond memories. I met some great people along the way and made some new friends, I learned more about Scotland and England, and I learned a whole lot about lightening my backpacking load thanks to comments left on this blog! I think about the hike all the time - it will always be a part of me. I remeber one evening somewhere in Englad when I had walked 26 miles and found no campsite or B&B...I'd walked 30 miles the day before and was looking to just stop and get my tent up - I was soaked and my boots felt twice as heavy as they had been sodden for about 14 days. I was still miserable as I hadn't long left Patch behind. I decided to stick my tent up in a muddy corner of a crop field - there was just no-where else. About half an hour later I heard a tractor enter the field, and he drove straight past me to get to the next field - and back again later. He never stopped and told me to move - he just carried on. I was so grateful!
I think long distance walking with dogs is a great think to do - but you have to know your dog. Patch loves hiking - but needs our other dog around to give her a confidence boost. A few years ago (soon after patch came along) I lost my collie, Ellie to a tumour on her spine. Ellie would have gone anywhere and done anything with me. Although she was also a rescue dog I was lucky enough to have had her from a pretty young age and she had a wonderfully laid back character with no nervous issues. We would hike for miles - she would have covered a lejog / jogle with no problems.
When long distance hiking with dogs it is so important to know your dog inside out so you will notice a minor problem before it develops into a major one. I found myself watching Patch more than the surroundings - constantly looking for signs of discomfort. Every night I checked her feet - not just the pads but in between the pads for signs of soreness or stones. If a dog is unhappy he is unable to tell you so you have to think of everything and be aware to pick up on problems. Also the dog will be needing a fair amount of extra food when covering miles - his usual tea will not be enough. Some evenings Patch eat 2 tins of dog food (she's only a jack russell!). I always carried plenty of dry food for her (I put beef jerky in it to encourage her to eat more) but when on campsites with shops I gave her some nice tinned dog food. It goes without saying that they will need plenty of water stops to keep hydrated also.
One other thing to think about when doing this sort of hike is the security of the dog when you need to go into shops to re-supply. I may be paranoid but I didn't want to take any chances on Patch disappearing when I nipped to a shop so I bought a locking lead by Petloc. It locks around her kneck to make a collar as well as locking the other end to whatever she would be tethered to. It also had steel wires going through the length to prevent it being cut or chewed. This did weigh more to carry but it was worth the security of knowing she was ok.
I've waffled on enough and gone completely off track!
Patch and I are booked onto a 3 day course at the end of this month - it's called a "Dog Borstal Experience" and is run by Richard Clark and Mic Martin from the TV show "Dog Borstal". We are going to concentrate on Patch's noise phobia's. Our plans after that will depend on how we get on. We will definitely do our usual summer of backpacking in Snowdonia and elsewhere (so many places I want to go back to after the jogle) with John and our other dog "Snowy".....but if the course goes well and Patch's phobia's improve there could be a lejog on the cards at some point in the future - I missed so much good walking in my hurry to get back....for all my whinging at the time - I now want to do it again!
Where do I start....I'll try not to make this too long a post as I ramble on!
My original reason for doing the hike (briefly), was the need to do something different (I get bored easily and need a new challenge), a break from the rut you can too easily slip in in day to day life, and 3 months just me and my dog - which I thought would be bliss!
I've always loved hiking, always hiked with my dog's, and enjoyed backpacking for a few years now too, so I thought I was pretty well prepared. Big mistake. I ended up replacing virtually all my old backpacking kit with newer lighter versions of everything...which ended up being pretty expensive!
I love being on a mission - planning the route, sorting the kit - all that sort of stuff is so much fun. The moment John left me at John O'Groats and it was just Patch and I walking alone it did briefly go through my head "Oh my god, what have I done!". It was very strange to know I had a month before I would see John again, and the usual luxury of picking up the phone to talk to people whenever I fancied was on hold to conserve the phone's battery life. It was a strangely lonely feeling - but at the same time I felt wonderfully free.
For me the hike became very difficult mentally as Patch's noise phobia's kicked in towards the end of day two when an RAF jet screamed over. She went into a panic - and she didn't enjoy the hike again until we were on the West Highland Way around 3 weeks later. After that she worried every time a jet went over, or there was traffic noise, or the noise of industry in the distance, or passenger jets entering / leaving the airport at Glasgow in the distance - or we heard people out shooting rabbits.
On the radio recently I heard a comment from a mother saying how a mum is only as happy as her unhappiest child - it was a debate about a mother who helped her daughter who was surffering from ME to die. The comment I feel is very true also to dog owners. If your dog is miserable you will feel the same. This was my problem on the hike - Patch lost all confidence and constantly listened to the skies for aircraft or other noises, she was constantly looking for somewhere to hide and at times it was hard work just getting her out of the safety of the tent in the mornings so I could get packed up to go - then she walk walk along miserably with her head and tail down. I'd made a big mistake - I thought the hike would help her with her phobia's but that wasn't the case at all. Eventually she went home when I met John for the second time after 620 miles so she did well, but she'd had enough.
The thing is, we live in a "Low Flying Area", so Monday to Friday the RAF jet's zoom over and Patch spends all week hiding in her bed - so really she was no worse off on the hike, but I had to make the decision that she was better off coping with it in her own way by hiding in bed.
So with Patch worried and miserable it was impossible for me to enjoy the hike. It's not possible to feel happy while you watch your dog suffer. Once Patch went home I felt miserable that I was without her so I increased the mileage, changed my route and got back as soon as I could.
So overall, the hike was an amazing experience - although I spent a large part of it miserable for doggy reasons, I'm still glad I did it and have many fond memories. I met some great people along the way and made some new friends, I learned more about Scotland and England, and I learned a whole lot about lightening my backpacking load thanks to comments left on this blog! I think about the hike all the time - it will always be a part of me. I remeber one evening somewhere in Englad when I had walked 26 miles and found no campsite or B&B...I'd walked 30 miles the day before and was looking to just stop and get my tent up - I was soaked and my boots felt twice as heavy as they had been sodden for about 14 days. I was still miserable as I hadn't long left Patch behind. I decided to stick my tent up in a muddy corner of a crop field - there was just no-where else. About half an hour later I heard a tractor enter the field, and he drove straight past me to get to the next field - and back again later. He never stopped and told me to move - he just carried on. I was so grateful!
I think long distance walking with dogs is a great think to do - but you have to know your dog. Patch loves hiking - but needs our other dog around to give her a confidence boost. A few years ago (soon after patch came along) I lost my collie, Ellie to a tumour on her spine. Ellie would have gone anywhere and done anything with me. Although she was also a rescue dog I was lucky enough to have had her from a pretty young age and she had a wonderfully laid back character with no nervous issues. We would hike for miles - she would have covered a lejog / jogle with no problems.
When long distance hiking with dogs it is so important to know your dog inside out so you will notice a minor problem before it develops into a major one. I found myself watching Patch more than the surroundings - constantly looking for signs of discomfort. Every night I checked her feet - not just the pads but in between the pads for signs of soreness or stones. If a dog is unhappy he is unable to tell you so you have to think of everything and be aware to pick up on problems. Also the dog will be needing a fair amount of extra food when covering miles - his usual tea will not be enough. Some evenings Patch eat 2 tins of dog food (she's only a jack russell!). I always carried plenty of dry food for her (I put beef jerky in it to encourage her to eat more) but when on campsites with shops I gave her some nice tinned dog food. It goes without saying that they will need plenty of water stops to keep hydrated also.
One other thing to think about when doing this sort of hike is the security of the dog when you need to go into shops to re-supply. I may be paranoid but I didn't want to take any chances on Patch disappearing when I nipped to a shop so I bought a locking lead by Petloc. It locks around her kneck to make a collar as well as locking the other end to whatever she would be tethered to. It also had steel wires going through the length to prevent it being cut or chewed. This did weigh more to carry but it was worth the security of knowing she was ok.
I've waffled on enough and gone completely off track!
Patch and I are booked onto a 3 day course at the end of this month - it's called a "Dog Borstal Experience" and is run by Richard Clark and Mic Martin from the TV show "Dog Borstal". We are going to concentrate on Patch's noise phobia's. Our plans after that will depend on how we get on. We will definitely do our usual summer of backpacking in Snowdonia and elsewhere (so many places I want to go back to after the jogle) with John and our other dog "Snowy".....but if the course goes well and Patch's phobia's improve there could be a lejog on the cards at some point in the future - I missed so much good walking in my hurry to get back....for all my whinging at the time - I now want to do it again!
Tuesday, 9 March 2010
After the hike....
Well I've been back some time now...apologies for the rather late update - but there's just nothing quite as exciting to write about now I'm home!
Before leaving for the jogle I was interested in whether or not the hike would change me at all. Don't get me wrong - I wasn't looking to "find myself" or anything dramatic like that, but I was interested in what I would learn about myself and how it may change me. Well the answer has been a while coming.....
As soon as I got home I yearned to get "back to basics" more...after the best part of 3 months in a tent or tarp and being closer to nature I didn't want to get lost in our modern world again. I found myself cooking outside on the barbeque as much as possible, and I put up my tarp to hang some washing under rather use the tumble dryer when it rained (which happens a lot here in Wales). I thought in time I would soon convert back to modern day living but in fact quite the opposite has happened. The more time goes on the more I want to get back to nature. By winter time I peruaded John that it would be a good idea to get rid of the central heating and install a wood stove instead...ok, it's been a bit nippy some mornings, but overall we love it.
The draw to live closer to nature and independent from the big power companies has now got to the point where we are planning to eventually retire to an "Off Grid" house. I hate the way we are dictated to by the government - how we should live our lives, what we can do, what we can't do, how we get taxed like crazy....how the big energy companies are often greedy and overcharge us knowing that we are totally reliant on them....well not for much longer! There are some things we can't avoid (taxes etc) but what we can change, we will.
I've been looking into rainwater harvesting, solar panels, wind tubines, mini hydro turbines...even composting toilets! Poor John!
Who would have thought.....!
Before leaving for the jogle I was interested in whether or not the hike would change me at all. Don't get me wrong - I wasn't looking to "find myself" or anything dramatic like that, but I was interested in what I would learn about myself and how it may change me. Well the answer has been a while coming.....
As soon as I got home I yearned to get "back to basics" more...after the best part of 3 months in a tent or tarp and being closer to nature I didn't want to get lost in our modern world again. I found myself cooking outside on the barbeque as much as possible, and I put up my tarp to hang some washing under rather use the tumble dryer when it rained (which happens a lot here in Wales). I thought in time I would soon convert back to modern day living but in fact quite the opposite has happened. The more time goes on the more I want to get back to nature. By winter time I peruaded John that it would be a good idea to get rid of the central heating and install a wood stove instead...ok, it's been a bit nippy some mornings, but overall we love it.
The draw to live closer to nature and independent from the big power companies has now got to the point where we are planning to eventually retire to an "Off Grid" house. I hate the way we are dictated to by the government - how we should live our lives, what we can do, what we can't do, how we get taxed like crazy....how the big energy companies are often greedy and overcharge us knowing that we are totally reliant on them....well not for much longer! There are some things we can't avoid (taxes etc) but what we can change, we will.
I've been looking into rainwater harvesting, solar panels, wind tubines, mini hydro turbines...even composting toilets! Poor John!
Who would have thought.....!
Monday, 28 September 2009
Thursday, 20 August 2009
Walking the coastal path
Well this is my first day off after completing the JOGLE so what did we do today....go out walking!
We did about 9 miles of the coastal path north of Lands End today. It was so nice to be walking with Patch again - and John and Snowy (our other Jack Russell) of course! The walking was fabulous, lovely scenery, good weather and interesting walking.
Patch loved it and is currently flat out asleep. We're going to have a meal in the campsite bar now and decide where we're going tomorrow...life's good!
We did about 9 miles of the coastal path north of Lands End today. It was so nice to be walking with Patch again - and John and Snowy (our other Jack Russell) of course! The walking was fabulous, lovely scenery, good weather and interesting walking.
Patch loved it and is currently flat out asleep. We're going to have a meal in the campsite bar now and decide where we're going tomorrow...life's good!
Wednesday, 19 August 2009
Made it to Lands End woohoo!
Well I finally arrived at Lands End today - very exciting!
It's a strange place...a bit like entering Disneyland but it's full of gift shops and cafe's. I savoured the moment and had a wander around before getting the final stamp on my "Transit verification form" and leaving a message in the book.
I thoroughly enjoyed a latte and a piece of carrot cake while awaiting the arrival of John and the dogs. Patch was over the moon to be out of the car and was ready for walkies - we didn't go far, just down to get our photo taked at the famous signpost, but it was good to be out together again. It was of course good to see John again too!
I've now had a shower and am in clean clothes - always good. I have a cup of tea on the go and am looking forward to a meal in the campsite bar later. I must say, I'm feeling rather pleased with myself!
Thanks to everyone for following and your supportive comments, I read them all and it really helped. When I get back I'll start reviewing the kit I used and the campsites I stayed in for anyone that's interested. I'll also keep blogging about new adventures with Patch, but I'm sure they won't be as big as this one!
Thanks again!
It's a strange place...a bit like entering Disneyland but it's full of gift shops and cafe's. I savoured the moment and had a wander around before getting the final stamp on my "Transit verification form" and leaving a message in the book.
I thoroughly enjoyed a latte and a piece of carrot cake while awaiting the arrival of John and the dogs. Patch was over the moon to be out of the car and was ready for walkies - we didn't go far, just down to get our photo taked at the famous signpost, but it was good to be out together again. It was of course good to see John again too!
I've now had a shower and am in clean clothes - always good. I have a cup of tea on the go and am looking forward to a meal in the campsite bar later. I must say, I'm feeling rather pleased with myself!
Thanks to everyone for following and your supportive comments, I read them all and it really helped. When I get back I'll start reviewing the kit I used and the campsites I stayed in for anyone that's interested. I'll also keep blogging about new adventures with Patch, but I'm sure they won't be as big as this one!
Thanks again!
Tuesday, 18 August 2009
Just Outside Penzance!
I'm currently about 2 miles east of Penzance...I thought I was going to be in trouble as my planned campsite was apparently full so I had to plod on with no known campsite for another 8 miles or so. Thankfully as I walked along the seafront I noticed a field with a rough board that said "Camping - pitch your tent and the farmer will be around later". Excellent.
So here I am in a field with one other tent and a caravan. There are 2 portable toilet cubicles and a tap for drinking water - all that I need! Oh, and it's just 4 pounds.
I've been sitting by the sea admiring the view for an hour or so before wandering off and having some fish and chips - again, by the sea. I do love the sea...
Tomorrow I have a final plod to Lands End, it's only about 13 miles away so I'm going to have a lay in first. Then it's 3 nights in a comfy caravan before going home to an even comfier bed. Very strange!
So here I am in a field with one other tent and a caravan. There are 2 portable toilet cubicles and a tap for drinking water - all that I need! Oh, and it's just 4 pounds.
I've been sitting by the sea admiring the view for an hour or so before wandering off and having some fish and chips - again, by the sea. I do love the sea...
Tomorrow I have a final plod to Lands End, it's only about 13 miles away so I'm going to have a lay in first. Then it's 3 nights in a comfy caravan before going home to an even comfier bed. Very strange!
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