HAIKU by Hudson: CHICAGO

Recently Ginger & I + Fuzzybutts were in Indiana and Chicago on business and he couldn't help but pen another haiku.  Here it is:

Hello Chicago.

Oh No H20! Won't Go!

Hello Hotel Room.  

Those who know him well know he absolutely hates even the thought of his paws touching water and I think our walk at Montrose Beach on Lake Michigan scared the crap outta him.  And so he saw Chicago from the window of Red Roof Inn in Willowbrook.  

Team Chicago

We're hosting our first #PuppyUp walk in Chicago Proper and partnering with #PremierVeterinary in what we hope will be a successful collaborative platform for us to launch in other cities. Here's a video recap while on my drive back to Memphis.  I'll be posting more about #TeamChicago soon.  

Madison WI

Taken from The Puppy Up Foundation Blog by Erich Trapp

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On Sunday, May 7th over 1,300 people and 900 dogs attended the 4th Annual PuppyUp Madison Walk at McKee Farms in Fitchburg, WI. This is the largest PuppyUp Walk the Foundation holds each year, and each year the PuppyUp Madison Team surpasses their goals.

Their beginning goal in 2014 was $10,000 and 50 participants and they passed that goal by raising approximately $87,000 with over 750 participants. This year the goal was $135,000 and 1,000 participants; they again blew their goals out of the water by raising over $156,000, having 106 Teams and 52 Sponsors and vendors.

Success at this level is not gained over night. Many steps are planned with precision for months, progress is monitored daily and often by the minute. The dedication and passion of the Madison Committee (Beth Viney, Dr. Kai-Biu Shiu, Ann Lippincott, Lana Hesch, Mel Stodola Taylor, Mary Ann Francis, Katie Martz, Danielle Kay, Courtney Tyson, Jennifer Schleicher, Vicki Nussbaum, Lori Gibson and Dr. Linda Sullivan) inspires all who meet them. The hours they spend away from their dogs, family and friends in order to fight cancer in pets and people is much appreciated not just by me, Luke and our Board of Directors, but by all the people they encounter along the way. They have created a community in which others feel free to seek help, advice and even a shoulder to cry on. Many now feel that there is hope that one day we will have better cancer treatments for our two and four legged companions. And some day through the research that we are funding …. a cure, so that others do not lose loved ones to this horrible disease.

A special thanks to Beth Viney (co-founder of PuppyUp Madison) who works tirelessly in memory of Czar and is an inspiration to all who meet her; Ann Lippincott (2017 Chair) who dedicates her fight against cancer to Velma, (or Miss V as she is sometimes called); and Dr. Kai Shiu (co-founder of PuppyUp Madison, Veterinary Oncologist and Chair of the Puppy Up Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Committee) who fights cancer on all fronts in his office, and for the Foundation.

Through their efforts, they have raised $500,000 in the past 4 years allowing the Foundation to add funding to much needed research, awareness and education.

When asked to comment about the 2017 PuppyUp Madison Walk, Luke Robinson, the Founder of the Puppy Up Foundation stated “Trail Magic has taken The Puppy Up Foundation from just 2 dogs and a homeless dude to funding cutting edge, peer reviewed cancer research in exciting areas like immunotherapy at world class institutions, and it led us to Madison, WI. And where Kai and Beth and all of Team Madison have taken it from there is nothing short of awesomeness! My proudest achievement aside from getting the Fuzzybutts safely across 4,000 miles for this cause is how Puppy Up Nation has inspired the best and greatest in all of us.”

We’re looking forward to 2018 PuppyUp Madison.

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YBD's Notes - the photo above is of the Puppy Power Team led by Michael, a 9 year old lad I had the honor of meeting who became one of Madison's top fundraisers and at last count that was $5,800.  Congrats and cheers to a job well done!

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Of course, Hudson, the famous Fuzzybutt, had his own take on Madison.  As some of you know, he's become some what of a degenerate in his old age, humping indiscriminately.  Boy dog, girl dog it doesn't seem to matter one bit earning him the nickname Humpson we just chalk it up to the French in him. The Old Perv wrote a Haiku about his recent time up in Madison WI, home of the Badgers, and what's become the town where the Fuzzybutts ring in summertime.  

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Hudson Haiku

Madison blossoms.  

Where is dat lil badger at?

I hump it too!

The Lost Brother

While at dinner with my family in San Antonio last week Jon said grace and in his prayer he thanked God that 'Our lost brother has come home'.  

Today I leave Memphis to return to New England to tell this story.  As you know I've tried in the past and either the timing or platform or partners didn't pan out.  Events that have transpired in recent months have convinced me the time is now.  

Admittedly the problem has primarily been me or more specifically the standards I set for it.  Just as with the two walks I wanted to do something no one else has before and relegating the story to the Christian book market or a PBS special was unacceptable.  Even a film festival documentary didn't seem sufficient.  

The epidemic of cancer in our companions demands and deserves the widest audience possible and I've always pushed and pushed to that end.  But one lesson I've learned repeatedly is you cannot depend on anyone else to realize your vision and like life on the road it's you and you alone.  

I now know how to tell this story and the manner in which to tell it so once again I set off into uncharted waters. 

Brother, I am lost no longer.  

YBD 2.27.17

In Bestia

The boys and I are back from a brief jaunt down to Texas to support the Puppy Up walk in the Woodlands and for a short visit with my family.  Quite happy to be back as I have missed my friend.  Crap, I still haven't named him.  Um let's go with...

I know some of you are saying, he's talking about himself again - why does he do that?  And where's the cancer blog? Like any capable contestant, I'll take the second part first.  Trying to reduce, distill and refine all that I have learned over a decade of  travels in a few mere blogs is not only dreadfully difficult, it's daunting, too, and on this I want to get it right.  Or mostly right which is more kin to my nature.  

In the past, there have been blogs I've powered through in just a few minutes with a fire and forget mentality.  Others haven taken days and even weeks for a paragraph or less.  And that's not to mention that for every blog I publish, there are at least ten I don't.  

But if it's a sneak peak you want then I'll give you a little taste of part 1:  Cancer is You.  You are Cancer.  From just the title alone perhaps you can estimate the enormity of the undertaking now.

Next, I used to get irritated by people - and there have been many - who want me to remove myself entirely from this story and stick to topic whatever that means.  Not only is that an odd request since it was me - ex animo - who created all of this - but I rather think I matter.  And I'm far from being done.  But as The Dude would say, that's, like, only my opinion, man (Heads up for the F Bomb).  

Besides as I hinted at in the previous two blogs, all of these 'distracting little posts' about me are going somewhere and I suggest now would be the time to start paying attention if'n you want to begin this stretch of the journey alongside me.    

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Renwick 

That's what I'll call my friend!  Sounds a little pretentious and overly caricatured, too, but I'll stick with it. Anyway back to the beginning - it's good to see him again and we have continued our work together and this is what I wanted to share with you.  It's important to note that I'm merely a student at this point but it's pretty powerful stuff.  Especially altered states which I intend on speaking separately about.  

Whilst down at my folks house I came across an old photo album - actually I sought it out.  In part to retrace the tracks of my life and for another reason that will soon become evident.  And in it I discovered the above photo of a half naked me facing a bull cross fence at Big Momma's house (that's what we called my 80 lb grandmother cause man could she wield a skillet like a battle axe).  What struck me, other than how large my bollocks must've been but also how at peace I seem.  Maybe it was two beasts regarding each other and that's why I was unafraid and perhaps even comforted by his presence.

I never have taken a liking to the term 'beast' or what I sense is its social nuance.  Its implication is negative and connotations derogatory.  To me it means true to ones nature; it is base, fundamental and instinctive.  From my research the etymology of the word remains unclear however, the root of 'animal' is Latin meaning breath or spirit. I suppose the distinction between the two words 'beast' and 'animal' is essence versus being but I'll leave that one up to the scholarly sorts who have a ton of disposable time.  

To me and for now, they are synonymous.  I am reminded of a story I once read of a boy who, all alone and lost in the woods, becomes a beast to protect himself from the perils of the night and fight his way to safety.  But upon emerging from the forest unscathed the boy learns that he cannot unbecome.

So what's the point of all of this?  What's the purpose?  Somewhere along my journey I stopped asking the fundamental questions that preoccupied my youth.  Like tears in rain they became lost in life's torrent of distractions, inanities and wasteful activities.

Renwick has helped me find who I am again and to truly know it for the first time.  I am a beast of a man.

What's next - it's damn time I learn how to train it.

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YBD's Notes:  Interestingly in writing this blog I came across a Latin phrase of unknown origin -  cum vir se bestiam facit, relinquit dolorem humanitatis which means, 'When a man makes himself a beast, he leaves behind the pain of humanity'.  Perhaps true.  Perhaps humanity is the problem. 

Midnight with Murphy

I should've been fasting these past 10 days out in the hinterlands of Tennessee.  All alone in my trusty tent starving myself of sustenance in order to achieve some greater clarity, understanding and context that occasionally is lost to me.  Heck I was packed up and ready to head out and then something stopped me.  Can't say what for sure - but the cascade of events set in motion since have been nothing short of metamorphic.   

Recently, I met a man who showed me another way and for the past two weeks I've been doing some serious transcendental shit; acupuncture, chanting, Reiki and sensory deprivation (not like Altered States - I'm already a beast of a man but more internal, intrinsic).    If I didn't know better I'd think I'd been smoking some serious Humboldt county style Boo-Ya.  Yes, yes I got a PhD in weed on the west coast.  

Sure, I've acknowledged the possibility and potential of and even dabbled in these Eastern type practices but never personally, truly, and profoundly have I explored them.  And now I'm down in it.  

So where is it going to take me?  What's the endpoint of it all?  To this, I am as yet uncertain.  But here's what I have learned thus far on this new path.

The Fallacy of 'What Should Happen Should Happen'

I was never any good at Logic - not the concept or application of it - but in the scholastic sense and  as a subset of philosophy.  So in attempting to make sense of the sequence of events that led me here to this time and place - I made up this fallacy which is basically the basis of flawed logic. 

People often ask me why did you walk those thousands of miles.  Oh sure, I've got a pocket full of reasons.  The fun, flippant one - everything is bigger in Texas and when we lose a dog to cancer down there we don't walk around a park, we walk cross country.  Then I've got the media sound bite version - sharing Malcolm and Murphy's story from town to town to raise awareness of the epidemic of canine cancer. I've got many more but you get the point.  

Perhaps they are all truths or variations of the same one but for me it's because I believed walking from Austin to Boston would help heal my loss of Malcolm, to soothe my savage heart. And then within weeks of the final mile, Murphy was diagnosed and, well, most of you know the rest of that story.   

And so I walked another 1,700 miles doubling down on the belief that THAT would heal me.   

You see the fallacy in this logic?  That because I believed it should, it should've.  But it didn't.  

Luke 4:23

You know, it's commonly thought that the origin of my name is 'light giving' and the best known example of it is the apostle Paul's traveling companion and doctor.  This proverb - I had to look that up since, um, well I usually skipped Bible study in search of less pious pursuits shall we say - in Latin reads cura te ipsum  - 'Physician heal thyself' something that's been a bit of an impossibility for me it seems.  

I suppose my post-facto rationalization has always been - I never spare myself any emotion for Malcolm and Murphy no matter how painful.  I can endure it.  Just like so many nights on the road and asea, I can weather this storm.  But I have suffered so.  

Self-imposed or not.  

Disconnection

Back to this newfound friend of mine, whom I barely even know. He showed me that pain can be a way to separate yourself from others.  To disconnect from them.  Furthermore, he said that people like me unknowingly use tragedy to spare themselves from the need and necessity of love and letting others in.  

I'm not sure if I believe all of his bullshit yet - but hey, I'm listening.    You see, it's one thing to turn tragedy into action - oh, I've done that and then some.  It's quite another thing to allow that experience to truly transform you.  And it's here I find myself at this intersection.   

Life Off Road

Not to put too fine a point on it but I've become a bit of an expert on backpacking the byways, highways, back roads and farm roads of this incredible land of ours.  But take me off and away from it and I tend to fall apart.  Perhaps it's because I'm always in pursuit of an idea, a belief, a cause - our cause - that remains elusive to me.  Or maybe it's as simple as finding sedentary existence unsettling and like Carthamus I'm damned to a life of wandering and wondering.   

And while I have been pretty good at chronicling and sharing my journeys on the road with you, I've been decidedly deficit in talking about it off, especially post west coast.  From now on, that will change.  I won't let fear, doubt, uncertainty, darkness or utter despair disconnect me from you again.  

In part because some of you have said to me you find the latter much more inspiring and relatable if not essential than the former.  And in part because my new friend tells me to.  

That and I need a simpler formula for existence.  I live.  I learn.  I write.  Something like that... just less cheesy and Julia Roberts sounding.  

Postscripts

Two blogs in draft right now (1) On Turning 36 - My travels and adventurin' have taken their toll on Yer Big Dog so I lick my wounds and tell tales about it; (2) The Theory of Cancer - lately my thinking has gotten so abstract and theoretical about the evolution of cancer. Where is it going and how can that affect our thinking about the future of therapeutics? On societal and civil re-engineering?  Reflections on my conversations with thought leaders and a whole host of other ideas - this will definitely be a multi-part project. 

There are more... lots more but I'm attempting to do a better job of prioritizing my crazy.

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YBD's Notes 1: The name of this blog has a special meaning to me.  Back when I was a businessman in Texas I would often take Malcolm up to my office in the evenings and that inspired a series of writings I entitled Midnight with Malcolm.  Dunno what the change denotes quite yet...

YBD's Notes 2: I stuff hyperlinks in my blogs if'n anyone wants to learn more about things that fascinate me but be forewarned - logic will make yer eyes water.  

YBD's Notes 3: Upon further reflection 'What Should Happen Should Happen' SHOULD be a fallacy. Oh boy.

YBD's Notes 4: Coincidentally, whilst recently consolidating all of my scant worldly possessions from around the country, I found this photo of me taken at the blessing of my childhood home.  I've seen too much of this world in this life to believe in coincidences.  Thanks to my sister-in-law Linda for preserving it.  Nice bowl cut, Mom

YBD's Notes 5:  I should choose a name for my new friend - he's not imaginary.  I Promise.  At least in my mind.  In this room.  That's white.  And padded.  

YBD's Notes 6: Perhaps it's still too early for me to write - no, I'm always doing that - to publish about these transcendental, metaphysical experiences and experiments.  But hey, at least I'm rounding again.  

The 19th

For whatever cosmic reasons beyond my complete comprehension the Week of the 19th of June is what the Japanese call, "Mono no aware" - both beauty and pain, celebration and sadness...

It's always the week of Father's Day, the anniversary of the Final Mile in Boston, the passing of my boy Murphy, and the birth of Indiana Jones. It's also the week of the summer solstice whose Latin translation roughly means the day the sun stands still.  When there is the least darkness. 

Every year it's a week I'd just like to fast forward through and move on because it can be too much for even me to shoulder.  And I've carried a ton of weight for some time.  But no one gets that option when you allow yourself to love absolutely.  

Five years ago today I gave Murphy rest and five years later I still weep inconsolably when I write about him.  His final days we spent together listening to Garth Brook's song The Dance and he loved it before I even realized the significance of the lyrics.  Paraphrasing them, 'I'm glad I didn't know the way it all would end.  But even if I did, I wouldn't have missed the dance.'  

Just like every light begins with darkness the Week of the 19th is about the lessons from life's inflections.  For me it's been both a beginning and an ending and the promise and the pain of love as well.    

And what a beautiful dance it's been.  Happy 19th!

Puppy Up Golf

We all know the famous line from Apocalypse Now, "Charlie don't surf", but there's a lesser known one from my travels, "Pet parents don't golf".  

Never understood why really since alot of public courses let you take your companion with you. That's actually how Malcolm, my first great Pyrenees, and I became eternal mates.  Golf.  

That's him with Murphy's mum at the Alsatian golf club. He rode shotgun in the cart, never barked in my backswing, and gave me, ahem, a mulligan here and there.  What more could you ask of a mate?  

Well, he did have a bit of difficulty with yardages.  And squirrels. 

I've always wanted to promote golf as another way to spend more time with your companion and coming up in August, we're hosting the first annual 'Puppy Up and Putt it In' golf tournament in San Antonio, TX.  

It's hosted at the beautiful JW Marriott TPC Canyons Course and the proceeds from the event go to funding comparative oncology research and education and awareness about cancer in dogs.  

Come out and play 18 with us for the cause and to learn more about how you can participate as an individual golfer or sponsor, download the PDF or please contact lorraine.rose@marriott.com 

And yes'm we keep the tradition alive.  That's Indiana Jones at a golf course in Atlanta GA.  The question I get most about this pic - was he putting for par?  

That and is Hudsy giving him a read on the break?  

Puppy Up and Putt It In.

Cancer Can't Keep a Good Dog Down 2016

Hard to believe it's 8 years in the making since we started the 'Cancer Can't Keep a Good Dog Down' calendar in honor and memory of our canine heroes touched by cancer.  

Damn I remember our first one when I had to carry my 10 pound clunky Dell laptop for miles in my backpack on the C&O trail to upload the photos for the contest cause Erich was still on a 128k modem. Good times...

Unlike cheerleading tryouts in Texas, it's not really a contest - all are beauties and featured in the calender.  Nearby is the link to the blog about how you can participate http://www.2milliondogs.org/our-8th-annual-cancer-cant-keep-a-good-dog-down-canine-cancer-calendar-contest-has-begun/

Thanks Erich for being the Keeper of the Calendar.  

Hudson

"With every damn dog I love, I learn something I didn't know."

Since I've been off the road from the West Coast Walk and perhaps what I witnessed while on it, I've been wondering why Hudson has had 3 mast cell tumors in less than 2 years despite favorable path reports and negative genetic indicators.  

Even though we've had two allergy tests on him for some odd reason I never thought to consult an allergist.  Until Tuesday.  We met with Dr. Shanley at Hope Vet Specialists in Malvern PA on our way to the Puppy Up Walk in Madison WI and our conversation confirmed that I'm not alone in my suspicions that there may be a correlation between allergy prone dogs and mast cell tumors.  

That Hudson is my third son with cancer, I always feel I'm so far behind no matter how far I walk.  

  

No More

It was no choice
That set this course

Astep, astride
The road abides

And through its length
I cried,

'Oh beauty burns
Your trail etern.

The silence of your roar
That swept me neath

No more. No more.'

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YBD's Notes1:  The west coast walk was long and hard, harder than any stretch of the road we've been on before.  But the much bigger lesson here is we're in this together if we have a ghost of a chance to eradicate cancer in us and our companions in our lifetime, puppy up damnit

YBD's Notes2:  Happy XMAS

Half-time

Just like the Super Bowl half time is all about the sponsors so I wanted to take a few to thank all of ours who have help make this journey possible.

TAGG the GPS Pet Tracker

TAGG has saved our fuzzybutts on more than one occasion.  The best example of this was when I walked highway 20 from Corvallis to Newport OR solo.  I took one of the trackers in case of an emergency and on the very first day I ran into a bit of a crisis. We had made water drops along the 50 mile stretch and my supply was down to less than half a liter.  As I neared the first drop I saw a man in a John Deere mower cutting the grass on the highway shoulder.

I sprinted up to him and asked if he found 2 jugs of water in the area he recently cut and he said he had and that one of them may have escaped the blade of the mower.  It didn't.  The temp in wilamette valley was already soaring up to the 90s and the next drop was down the road another 10 miles so i was in a bit of a pickle.

Ginger was able to tag me and then find a nearby store using Yelp.  TAGG - not only great for your dog but Yer Big Dog too!  I've gotten to know the trackers intimately and the folks behind them and I can't say enough about them. The fuzzybutts will be wearing them even after this walk.  

 When you purchase the trackers at their website and sign up for the service, enter the promo code 2Dogs they're generously offering a 10% discount and donate $25 to the Puppy Up Foundation. Also you can track Indy and me as we walk the west coast at www.2dogsagainstcancer.com It's been a little confusing because we're staying with more host families and sometimes we're tagged after we've been picked up and off the road.

We'd also like to thank our other walk sponsors: Hollywood Feed for providing the dog food for the walk.   P2 Collars and Toki Poki for the awesome corded collars and leashes.  Everlasting Memories for the beautiful infinity ring that holds Murphy's ashes. Orijen for providing the 6 Fish food for Hudson.

One Photo to Save Them All - Cancer Can't Keep a Good Dog Down

Cancer doesn't have a conscience. It takes precious things from you and leaves a dark aftermath. I figured that out when Malcolm exited this world. For months I stood in a deep pit of sadness with so many unanswered questions. It didn't take long for me to look around and see others sitting in that dirt right beside me.

To honor the great undaunted spirits of our friends taken by cancer, I started a calendar back in 2009. It was a simple and beautiful way to make some sense of these dark experiences, and the goodness just keeps growing. People write to my foundation (Puppy Up) with their stories and pictures every year. Puppy Up publishes the calendar and uses the proceeds to help fund major comparative oncology studies. It's an overlooked but critical area of cancer research that can give us endless information. 

My own Murphy appeared on one cover. If you want to tell us your story and join the fight against cancer in people and companion animals, I've posted the rules below.

Every single story helps, and we appreciate anything you can do.











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Welcome to the 2015 Cancer Can't Keep a Good Dog Down Calendar Contest!This contest gives you a way to honor your canine cancer hero while helping the Puppy Up Foundation raise funds for cancer research to benefit pets and humans.
How Does It Work? 
Register your dog. Simply upload your dog’s story and photo. For best results, use the best high-resolution digital photo you have. Please also be prepared to submit a high resolution digital photo of the same image (minimum of 500kb) upon request for reproduction in the calendar. Then provide a brief summary of your dog's story. The more you show your dog's personality, the more votes you will receive!

Who Can Enter? Anyone with a dog who currently has or has had cancer (living or passed) can enter, including dogs who have entered in previous 2 Million Dogs/Puppy Up calendar contests.

Get started right now. Or for more info, keep reading.

Voting Begins As Soon As You Enter
Your $10 registration becomes the first 10 votes for your dog.

To add more votes, share your dog's page on your favorite social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, and encourage everyone to vote for your dog. (The first vote is $5. All subsequent votes are $1 each.)

The 13 pets with the highest number of votes will win a Dog of the Month slot on the calendar. ALL photo entries will be included in our 2015 Calendar Photo Gallery. 

Your participation helps fund vital cancer research for dogs and humans. 

Begin here and follow the directions. Be sure to write down and remember your user name and password! 

For questions about the contest, please contact Erich Trapp at erich@puppyup.org.

 FAQ

Where Do My Voting Dollars Go? 

Your voting dollars go to fund cutting-edge research in comparative oncology, that branch of research that benefits both companion animals and humans in our fight against cancer.

What Makes a Puppy Up Calendar so Special?

Puppy Up Foundation uses our annual calendar as an educational tool about a critical and often overlooked area of cancer research called comparative oncology. There are important clues in the connections between human and canine cancers, especially since the resulting treatments benefit both species. One of the best ways to call attention to the need for this research is by telling your stories and showing your photos. It also helps transform our losses into information that helps fight the world's deadliest disease.

Why Do I Need This Calendar (when it's published)?

First, every dog entered appears in the calendar. No one gets left behind. We have a whole section of gallery photos dedicated to all of the dogs entered into the contest in addition to our winners who are featured as each month's "model."  We also include regular ‘people’ holidays and special dog holidays like National Puppy Day, Pet Theft Awareness Day, Take Your Dog to Work Day, World Animal Remembrance Month, Pet Cancer Awareness Month, etc.

Each calendar is a one-of-a-kind keepsakes.

Start right here today: look for the Register Here button on the left of the page. Click it and follow the directions.

Have fun and good luck!

Scenes from the roadside 3

Of course there's a zombie foot on our travels.  This was on the sidewalk in Florence OR

Curious moss covered listing ship in rogue river bay

Ummm did someone contact the marketing dept before putting a spout on the company van grill?  

The head shed?  Ok

One Week Til V Day

A week from today our good friend Valerie from CT is flying to CA to join us on the road for a week.  In her words she wants to experience what our life is like out here and not just walking a mile or a day.  Yep pack, tent, she'll be carrying her on weight.  I've invited her to guest blog here so we can discuss last minute preparations and she can share her side of the adventure.

V - 

I shed my base layers, tops and bottoms in Brookings & I've regretted it since.  Temps in Northern California, or at least this stretch of it ave low 60s in the day and 50s at night.  Sweltering heat from the rogue valley pulls high afternoon winds and fog banks and unless I'm in my tent snuggled up with the boys I'm chilled by the damp air.  

But as I've found along the coastline from Newport OR to here there are different microclimates distinct to each of the areas.

The redwood forests are right around the bend and I can't speak to the climate there yet.  My suggestion is pack lightweight base layers - silk, which I prefer, or wicking synthetic.  Fleece just adds more pack weight & don't think you'll need the heavier fabric.

Shoes - hope you have that worked out by now. Don't know why the vasques cause toe cramping - I love mine - but each foot has different demands.  But that has to be resolved ASAP.  Like fletcher wrote - footwear is the foundation - get that wrong and you won't make it a week.

Don't worry about packing first aid sundries - I keep sufficient supply.  Also I pack a multi tool, extra carabiners, zip ties etc.  

I'm worldly enough to know NOT to tell a woman what grooming/cosmetics to pack but since you'll be carrying your own food and water the pounds add up.  I have nail clippers (since I have to keep toes ultra short) razor & cream (travel size) and axe spray for when I'm in public and haven't had a chance to shower or do laundry.

You'll probably want to bring soap since most campgrounds have showers but I wouldn't expect that luxury more than once during the week.  

Other essentials in your pack - a cpl of ziplock bags to keep your electronics dry, poncho (even though I've only used mine twice in the 3 months on the road), a chamois or microfiber towel, sunblock (I don't carry any), a pkg of wipes or rinse free hand soap, bug spray (though I haven't had much of a problem thus far and I recommend skin so soft rather than a deet based product).  

Pillow - if your body contour requires it but I don't afford the space for one and instead use my clothes sack plus my pack for a head rest but it's not terribly comfortable but comfort is a notion you'll have to divorce yourself of quickly.  

Once you arrive next Saturday and pick us up from the road we'll have the balance of the day to do a gear check and purchase any last minute provisions.  But these are mostly small coastal communities out here - no walmarts, best buys or REIs.

Hope your training is going well but don't push yourself after Thursday. Stick to stretching exercises.  As cell service is questionable up in the forests, post your questions or last minute concerns here....

Orygun

It's never the moving forward that's the hardest thing on a long journey.  It's the leaving behind. 

Tuesday August 5th at 12:30 The fearless fuzzybutts and their kilted mate crossed the stateline into California alongside a dozen or so lovely companions.  The folks of Brookings OR really rallied together and gave us the perfect send off (or they were anxious to kick our fuzzybutts into the next state).

We were greeted by this sign at the Blue Coast Hotel and Zoe, the concierge was most gracious to us during our stay.  The warm welcome and generosity of the folks from Brookings couldn't have exemplified our Oregon experience better.  

From L to R: jan (dog less), Tracey & Greg (with canyon, willy & red) Marlene, & carol with Oso.  Not present in the photo are Donna, the mastermind behind team Brookings, Arliss the chamber of commerce head who helped out a ton, and Suzy Q. Can't thank team Brookings enough for making our last stretch in Oregon so special.  

We found this garden of Eden, smallish white flowered meadow just large enough to accommodate our tent above the cape Sebastian beach.  One of the most magical places we've tented out here and it's significant in that it's the closest we've camped to the water for a few reasons.  High water mark isn't easy to discern and even if I could the tides are semi-diurnal meaning 2 high and low tides per day.  Plus with the mountains most of the coast has been either too far down or outland.

There's a saying that's taken me awhile to learn, 'Don't turn your back on the pacific.'  

Mountain mists and fog banks are a daily occurrence here. High temps from the valley east of the coastal mountains pull cooling air off the Pacific Ocean.  Though they consume the coastline and make visibility limited on the coastal highway, they keep the mornings and late afternoons cool. 

Previous three photos were taken at cape Sebastian beach.  We've seen so much native beauty in Oregon but this place will always hold a special place in our hearts.

Indiana provides quite the comic relief.  His quirky sometimes quixotic character cracks me up.  

Port Orford - the battle rock.  What a stunning vista in one of the smallest coastal towns we've been in.  

So many more photos and videos from the Oregon coast but one common problem had plagued us throughout - cell phone service.  It's so bad I had to get a verizon go phone in case of emergencies.  I hear it's better in northern CA but around the bend is miles and miles or redwood forest and we take it one mile at a time.

But before we move on I want to thank the people who made Oregon so memorable and historic (in no specific order other than on the top of YBD's head):  Cathy the Pyrenees queen, Cathy from Portland who took us to the rose garden; Maria & Chris who helped me rescue the damn dove; Rob & Cindy - never got to use your card rob even tho I hoped to pull it out & say something cool like, 'call this man'; sandy & Anna - thnx for the spacious fenced in lot for us to plop at night and your kind and generous spirits, Vince & Diane - the little green man hopes to see you again on our trek; Candy & the grandkids from the 'Boo'; Kim, Red & Carlie from Florence; heather from the Florence animal shelter, Laura from FOCCAS in coos bay, the animal shelter in gold beach; Maryanne & Greg who looked after Hudson in gold beach;  Jenny who took us to breakfast at a Toyota dealership - that was strange but good; & grandma carol who cried when she had to return Hudson to the road.  

Though the list not complete and for that I apologize our lives are richer and fuller having crossed paths with you in Oregon.  And though we must move on, you'll always be in our thoughts. 

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YBDs notes: orygun (sic)

Oregon Ho

A Gathering of Pyrs Is?

We call a group of geese a gaggle.  Of turkeys a rafter.  Quite appropriately enough, vultures are a committee.  And beavers are a lodge.  These things I thought of during Walk 1.  

So when Hudson Indy and I were met on border crossing day by a gathering of Pyrenees from the local club, I wondered what to call them.* 

Thanks to the Columbia Cascade club for coming out last Saturday and cheering us across into our second state.  

The 'Interstate' or I-5 bridge into Portland looked intimidating at first since it's a vertical lift draw bridge and the two that were impassable on our first walk were of similar construct.  The steel grating of those in Baltimore and Philadelphia scared the hell outta the boys but this footbridge was all concrete so we crossed over the Columbia River into Oregon and it was a good day.  

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The Garden of 10,000 Roses

The following day one of our supporters in the area took us to one of the most stunning and spectacular places I've ever been.  Portland's International Rose Test Garden.  

It's a testing ground for new varieties and part of the much larger more expansive Washington Park that spans over 400 acres.  What's noteworthy here, aside from the sheer beauty of this place and that it should be a destination point for all, is that my father has had a lifelong passion for roses and on Father's Day I would find myself here.  

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Washington in The Rearview

Our first full day of walking in Oregon, from the Delta East Park to south of the Ross Island Bridge, we had two complete strangers came up to us and asked what we were walking for and if the dogs needed any food or water.  And that was two more than the entire state of Washington.  

I must admit I'm bumfuzzled at that reality especially since, well, that's never happened to the fuzzybutts in any state ever.  Granted, the Evergreen State has countless homeless and our best guess is that, unfortunately, we were just being bunched up in the fungible forsaken even though I carried a banner that said, '#PuppyUp'.  

In an area that's home to such tech giants as Microsoft and Amazon, the sign would be clear that it's a cause. So in Tacoma we decided to amend the sign nearby.  But the folks got the dimensions wrong and I had to use my sports tape to make it fit in my backpack.**

Surprisingly, still bupkis.

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We Walk On 

Washington is a state of inestimable beauty and memorable but in our short time in Oregon we've made so many new friends and thus far it's been a great experience.  

At present, we've made it to Salem and about 37 miles from Corvallis at which point, we'll pickup Highway 20 and head over the Coast Mountains to the PCH for the remaining 4.5 months of the walk.  

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*YBD's Notes:  A Gathering of Pyrenees should be called a Preponderance I think.  

**YBD's Notes:  This was no small feat but we've since had the sign cut down and re-grommetted (is that even a word?).  Going forward, this is OUR sign.  

Men In Skirts

The second most asked question aside from what's under the kilt is why the skirt?

Only a few shall know the answer to that but before we started walking, I made a west coast wish list that includes a tee time at Pebble Beach and a tattoo of Murphy in LA and also on that list was a UtiliKilt  since they're both in Seattle and the gold standard of kilts.

Our dear friend and fellow pupper Valerie sent them an email and without hesitation, they donated a kilt to the cause. And not just any kilt.  It's the Survivor model and it's their top of the line replete with pockets and pockets within pockets to satisfy the needs of any wayfaring adventurer.

Thanks to Stephan (that's him in the pic to the right) and Darius, and while it's a great honor to wear a UtiliKilt, the week since I was outfitted, the only downside is I don't want to get it dirty which is kinda ironic. And unscotsman of me...

Reflections on Week 1

Friday we made it to Edison WA wrapping up week 1 of 25 of our journey. By my estimates we logged about 55-60 and given the week we had, I'm pleased with our progress.  

The Launch

Our sendoff Saturday the 10th at the Peace Arch Park was great. Folks from five states were there including two of our PUPS (Chris & Hope & Lori & thanks to Valerie for helping plan and coordinate), Erick with TAGG, and Sarah Charney the veterinarian oncologist from Boundary Bay Specialty Hospital in Vancouver.  

Iliopsoas 

Unless you're an extreme backpacker you're prob unfamiliar with this anatomical reference. It puts the G in grind and the work in twerk.  It's a subset of pelvic muscles that are quite possibly impossibly capable of being trained.  But after a few days with a fifty plus pound pack they hurt.  

But for me, the term is also a metaphor for what the onset of a massive undertaking is like. There are things that just can't be planned for or anticipated. Like Hudson throwing up in our tent.

Yep, just two nights into it, I had drifted off into the good sleep only to be abruptly awakened to the sound of retching.  Hudson had vomited earlier that Mother's Day morning and I didn't give it much thought since he occasionally has a heave and a hurl and seemed fine from then on.  But after five more times in the tent Sunday night, I made the decision to pull him from the road for a few days rest.  

Google v Reality

Planning our route from Memphis is a whole lot different than getting up here and scouting out the terrain.  I had planned on a more direct path but road conditions sometimes dictate otherwise.  

To be sure, the options are kinda limited since I-5 is the only direct highway from border to border so I anticipated zigging and zagging until we got to Southern Oregon at which point we'll pick up 1/101 the rest of the way.  But I've made the decision to stick the shoreline as much as possible because they be mountains up here.  Speaking of....

Chuckanut

Only in my world would our first great technical challenge be a mountain named Chuckanut.  

And though it did try to toss us a few times, its native name means long beach and even on the occasionally treacherous stretches, we bore witness to some of the most stunning bay side vistas.  As well, the mountainside is lined with cascading waterfalls pictured nearby.  

It's also home to Larrabee State Park, a destination point for anyone travelling in this area.  We took a days rest there and the beach on Sammish Bay was so totally alluring.

The whole area, including our time in Bellingham WA, now known to me as the City of Backpacks, reminded me of the Sirens of Shenandoah in the shadow of the Blue Ridge mountain back on our first walk.  I didn't want to leave.

The people I met here are all so beautiful eclipsed only by the presence of their surroundings.  From the Bellwether Hotel to Boulevard Park to the Interurban Trail we picked up for a bit, this is a special place in the universe and I'm surprised I've been tempted so early on in the walk.  Indeed, Erick my walking companion for a few days remarked many times that this is a place he'd like to relocate to.  But the journey must continue...

Testing the Mettle

The first week is always unkinking - adjusting weight load, routes, and all sorts of last minute adjustments physically and spiritually.  It's a curious truism one which I can only suspect because god's just making sure you're serious.

We were picked up Friday and transported to Seattle for the Petapalooza and it was great to spend time with Buddy and Ja-Cee, our PUPS up here in the area and their kiddos - Fonto & Sabrina.

In a few hours, we'll be back on the road.... Until next time here are a couple of other pics to tide you over...