ADK Question

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una_dogger

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The Hinterlands of North Central MA
I have a friend who is planning on hiking Big Slide via the Brothers with her dog.

It's been quite a few years since I've done that hike, and I don't recall any issues.

Can anyone confirm that?


TIA
 
No problem. Dog must be on leash, Eastern High Peaks.

I wondered about that. I saw many unleashed dogs on Algonquin a few weeks ago and I thought there was a leash law. I guess NY and NH aren't all that different when it comes to not knowing and/or ignoring the rules.
 
I've actually only followed that rule from Loj, not the Garden :)...however friend in question works for DEC as a field biologist in the Southern Daks and her dog goes to work with her, so I'm certain she will follow the rules as they apply :)
 
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One of the ledges to the Brothers you have to use your hands. Right below summit of Big Slide is another stretch where you need to use your hands. Dogs should be able to work out a route on either side, but it's enough to consider. I've seen peop[le have trouble in those spots.
 
Rangers give out warnings and tickets in the E High Peaks. I believe hiking with leashed dogs isn't fun for man nor beast on the peaks which is why I only 'whack in the EHP or go elsewhere. With the huge increase in ADK and Catskill hikers over the last couple of years, a lot less patience by rangers for folks hiking with unleashed dogs in the regulation area.
 
Hiking in Vermont, I never really put much thought into the whole dog thing. We've had our dog for about 2 years and done quite a bit of hiking with him. Thankfully we have a nice trail near us that is a "no leash required" park with 7 or so miles of trails.

I've always followed the whole "leash your dog at the summit" rule to keep them off the alpine vegetation and out of fellow hikers' lunches. Pick up your dog's poop. Don't hike with your dog if s/he is aggressive. Every piece of literature I've ever read from the trusty GMC had this advice. Never had an issue--seems like a pretty common sense rule to me. Until we got to the LOJ for a hike up Phelps this winter and saw the sign. Total bummer for me. I'm usually a pretty steadfast rule follower and hated that I had to decide whether or not to follow a rule that seemed pretty stupid to me.

To top it off, there aren't feasible trail options for Sawteeth, Dial/Nippletop/ Colvin/Blake that doesn't go through AMR property. Guess Ollie is staying home for those. He's summited Macomb, Phelps and Big Slide- all of which with some leash time.

Not much to add to the issue. It's just kind of disappointing.
 
I've found that hikers tend to have very well behaved and awesome dogs. I'd say 90% of the dogs I've encountered on trails were unleashed and I've never had a problem, all the dogs were great.
 
First of all, I love dogs. But...

Society has a LOT of rules for the OTHER 10% of many things in life.

If only 10% of dogs were ill-behaved, they would still cause problems these ways

trample vegetation
chase/harass/maim/kill wild animals
get quilled by porcies
harass/fight/bite other dogs
scare/bite people
steal their lunch
get lost / attacked by wild animals
die

I've seen most of these first hand.

The high peaks have a huge hiker presence. The law makes sense when you consider the 10%.
 
I would be so bummed if I made it to the top of a large steep mountain after many miles and someone's dog stole my lunch. I think I would cook up their dog!! Lol
 
That happened to our hiking partner when an unleashed dog arrived at the summit, and wolfed down a sandwich in 1 bite!
 
As it turned out, it was another friend's dog! Her lame 'scolding' probably did nothing to deter him from doing it again.

The owner is usually to blame in these situations, not the dog....
 
I agree with skiguy, we should probably get rid of most laws (e.g. murder, theft, arson, etc...) because honestly, those infractions aren't committed by 90% of the population. :rolleyes:
I hope you are being sarcastic because otherwise you are misinterpreting what I was trying to infer. All I was inferring was that as much as a lot of us have had some not so nice experiences with dogs on the trail there are awesome dogs out there. I agree there should be plenty of rules for canines. I also think it is important to understand that these rules are not the same everywhere. Unfortunately this has always been a heated topic of debate here and probably always will be. Personally I try to keep an open mind and understand that the rules are different depending upon where you hike. I also try to keep an open mind and be positive about the situation when I encounter canines on the trail.
 
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I hope you are being sarcastic because otherwise you are misinterpreting what I was trying to infer. All I was inferring was that as much as a lot of us have had some not so nice experiences with dogs on the trail there are awesome dogs out there. I agree there should be plenty of rules for canines. I also think it is important to understand that these rules are not the same everywhere. Unfortunately this has always been a heated topic of debate here and probably always will be. Personally I try to keep an open mind and understand that the rules are different depending upon where you hike. I also try to keep an open mind and be positive about the situation when I encounter canines on the trail.

Sorry for the snark, I clearly misinterpreted.

I'm in the same camp, dogs are awesome, the owners are usually the issue :)
 
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