September 15, 2019

Mom took me on the longest hike we’ve done so far! I couldn’t believe how far we walked and it made me really tired, but Mom says I need to get used to hiking lots of miles if I’m going to make it on the Appalachian Trail. There were so many cool things about this hike to mention…where do I even start? When we first got there, we went to the wrong place. We pulled up near an empty house next to some really dense woods. Two big dogs came to check me out, but I was a little intimidated by them and told them to back off. Mom told me I had to be nice to them, but I was just trying to protect her. They seemed nice, but you never know who you can trust nowadays. We tried walking through the woods there but it was really hard and there were a lot of thorns. I even fell into a mud pit and got all my legs and belly covered in mud! Eventually Mom found out that we were at the wrong place so we turned around. I guess you could say it was a good warm-up for the real thing. We returned to the car sweaty, stuck full of thorns and burs, and muddy. After a quick turnaround we found the correct road that would lead us to the trail-head.

The road to the trail-head is long and gravely. I started smelling a new smell that I couldn’t quite make out…and then I saw it! The biggest dogs I’ve ever seen in my life – they were huge with big necks! They didn’t have any fur except for on their tails and necks. And they were so big that people could ride on them. Mom said this particular dog was named Horse. There were a lot of them and they were all named Horse. I was so fascinated by them that I couldn’t sit still. I wanted so bad to play with Horse. Eventually we got to the trail-head and they were no longer hanging around, but I was able to track their scent along the trail and even found a lot of delicious-smelling treats that they left behind. Mom wouldn’t let me eat the treats because she said I’m not allowed to have treats she calls manure. I wonder why I can have some treats and not others. Unfortunately I did not get to see Horse on the rest of the trail, but I did see another dog! This one was also a lot bigger, but had regular dog fur. I was a little jealous because he was a much better climber than me and climbed so fast up all the trees. Mom said his name was Bear. I don’t know how she knows all these dogs’ names; she’s really smart like that!

During this hike we got to cross the creek a lot of times. I love splashing in water so those were my favorite parts. About halfway through, the trail became a lot more dense and there were a lot of times when you really couldn’t see the trail at all. There were many times when the plants were taller than me or I had to jump high over fallen trees, but nothing would stop me. The trail was pretty difficult to follow. I would say it’s the hardest one we have done so far – not because of the elevation or rough terrain, but simply due to the fact that we tended to lose the trail in many places. Another problem we faced were the spiders. It felt like every step we took had us barreling into another spiderweb. Mom kept screaming behind me every time she hit one. Maybe they should change the name from Chigger Branch Cascades to Spider Branch! By the time we got to the end we had to scramble up and across quite a few boulders as we traveled upstream to get to the cascades’ head. Sadly the cascades were dried up so there wasn’t much to see besides the enormous canopy of greenery that surrounded us. My paw was sore and bothering me, so we took a long break there in the woods before mustering up the energy for the long trek back home. I’ve never felt so happy to climb back into the car, and you better believe I immediately fell asleep. This one really challenged us, but I am proud of myself every time I manage to make it further and further. All this practice for the AT is exhausting but fun, and I love the sense of accomplishment I feel. I can’t wait for the next challenge! 🐾⛰

September 8, 2019

We found another waterfall today in Erwin. The hike was fairly easy. The terrain was a lot of soil rather than those difficult rocks that cause you to stumble more than anything. It was an easy and pretty level hike with very few inclines. Towards the end, the trail came to a fork. We went straight at first before realizing that was the wrong way. So we doubled back and veered left at the fork. That trail traveled downhill to an open area surrounded by trees. It looked like a natural-made fort. Mom says we might come back and pitch a tent there to camp overnight – boy wouldn’t that be fun! Just beyond that little “fort” was a small trail that led through the trees. Once you came through those tress, the waterfall was right in front of us! It was pretty small but still pretty, and the water at its base was shallow enough to jump through, just the way I like it! I splashed around and went off hunting for sticks to play with. It may not have been a super big waterfall, but the location was gorgeous and the walk there was so easy that anyone could do it. 🐾⛰

August 21, 2019

Today we got to go to Grandpa and Grandma’s house and surprise Uncle Joe! I ran in and woke him up and begged him to come on our hike with us. It took a little persuasion but it’s hard to say no these eyes. Soon we were off, and went on another hike. This one was easy as far as terrain goes, but the majority of the hike is just straight up a hill. Talk about testing your fitness! I found a frog along the way that I almost caught. He jumped just out of my reach, and Mom said we should leave it alone. After we walked uphill for a mile, we came to an area that looked down to the waterfall. This is pretty similar to the hike we did at Laurel Falls, except instead of steep rocks, this descent was marked by soft, moist soil and lined with trees whose roots created easier stepping platforms. All of the trees were covered in moss, it felt like climbing down into a secret garden. At the base we were face to face with the waterfall. I have to admit, this was the most beautiful waterfall we have seen yet! The falls were surrounded by greenery, and tall trees that towered over the falls created a sort of canopy. Some large tree trunks had toppled over and were laying horizontally, creating a natural barrier between us and the falls. We climbed over the trunks to get a better view of the falls. In front of the falls were little shallow puddles that I had a lot of fun splashing around in. I even found a dead fish that I could play with, but Mom wouldn’t let me. She never lets me eat anything I find outside! The way back was really difficult as we tried to climb back up through the trees, but it was still easier than the upward climb we took at Laurel Falls. The way back was really easy and nice relief as we walked downhill. I tried to find that frog again at the same place I lost him, but he must have been hiding really well because I could only smell him but not see him. 🐾⛰

August 19, 2019

We took a break for a couple months. During the summer Mom spent a lot of time going to a pool. I’m not sure what that is, but she always came back wet just like when she stands in the big rectangle in our bathroom. I don’t know why she would have to leave to get wet, when she could do that here, but regardless it caused us to take a long hiatus from hiking for awhile. But we still managed to find another waterfall and get back started hiking! This hike was really hard! I guess it didn’t help that we had taken such a long break, but this sure was harder than any of the last ones we tried. There are two ways to hike to Laurel Falls. One is from the Hampton Blueline. The other is from Dennis Cove along the Appalachian Trail. Mom had done the trail starting on the Hampton Blueline before, so this time we decided to walk to the falls via the Appalachian Trail. I think we made a mistake. The way to the falls was really easy for the most part. There were some parts with tall steps. I had fun hopping up to each one, but Mom had to take a short break every time we made it to the top of them. At the end we came out much higher than the base of the falls. From there we had a long, steep descent to get to the waterfall. It was pretty hard. Every time I would make it a few steps down, I would have to stop to let Mom catch up. We slipped a couple times but eventually made it to the bottom. The waterfall has a swimming hole that was even bigger than the last one I had tried to swim in. We walked out pretty far. This time Mom had put a big coat on me. I don’t know what it did but it was kind of heavy. Mom told me that it would help me swim, but I wasn’t keen on testing that theory. I went out as far as I could while still being able to feel the bottom. Mom tried to get me out a little further. I compromised and let her hold me out in the deep end, but I decided not to try that swimming idea on my own just yet. After a few minutes of wading out in the water, we decided to head home. I think going home was the hardest part. That steep rock descent now became a rock ascent, and I had never jumped up so many rocks that high before. I don’t think Mom had either, because there were a couple times when she said to me, “We live on this mountain now.” After finally making it to the top we both flopped down onto the ground and laid there for a long time. It’s a good thing no one else came around; they probably would have thought we died. On the walk back I usually am pulling far ahead of Mom, but this time it took everything I had in me to keep up with her heels which were barely leaving the ground themselves. I have to say, this one really pushed our limits. I think we need a lot more practice so eventually hikes like this will be easy for us. 🐾⛰

May 30, 2019

Mom told me we were going on a hike today. I was so excited because she bought me my very own backpack. She also got me a cool new leash that wraps around her waist, so now I don’t feel so bad about pulling too hard and ripping her arm off like I had mentioned before. When we drove out to our hike, it turned out to not really be a hike at all. It was more like a short walk. We could actually see the waterfall from the trail-head. Even though we didn’t get to do much hiking, we still got to check another waterfall off our list. And the cool thing about this waterfall is that it had a swimming hole at it! I’ve never done any real swimming before and I was really scared that I couldn’t do it. Mom really tried to teach me how to swim. I was actually really good at it, but I only swam from the middle to the edge to get out. I think Mom would have been happier if I would have stayed in with her. I like the water, and I kept leaning into it from the edge whenever Mom went in, but there is something so scary about not being able to feel the bottom that I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. Maybe next time I will try again. It was still pretty cool to try something new, and the waterfall was pretty. I love exploring all these new places like this. I wonder where we’ll go next! 🐾⛰

May 16, 2019

You guessed it! We went on another hike today. Mom says this is going to be a regular thing now. This hike was a lot easier than our first one. Mom still had trouble keeping up with me, sometimes I get scared I might rip her arm off. I really try to be gentle but once we get out in the mountains I just want to see the waterfall so badly that I can’t help but try to run, and she moves so slow. I don’t know why she doesn’t just run the whole thing with me. Maybe one day. We made Uncle Joe come on this one with us too. I like it when he comes with us because he can actually keep up with me. I think Mom likes it because he’s what she calls “a hiking expert” and it makes her feel better since she doesn’t do a lot of hiking. But Uncle Joe is teaching her a lot about hiking, so maybe one day we’ll be so good that we won’t need him to come anymore (hopefully he still will though). The waterfall at the end was super pretty and one of Mom’s friends played water fetch with me for a long time. Needless to say, it was a very successful hike, and I’m already looking forward to the next one! 🐾⛰

April 18, 2019

Mom took me on my first hike today. I think she wanted to see if I would like it, and she was not wrong! The hike is considered moderate, but for a beginner it feels a bit more like difficult. I kept having to stop because I was going too fast for Mom to keep up – she’s not as good of a hiker as me. The path itself is fairly easy to walk along until you get to the end. Here you’ll come across a steep incline where you’ll find yourself maneuvering up and over large rock formations. I had to do a lot of jumping, but you would be surprised how high I can jump with my short legs. I bounded over the rocks fairly easily, but Mom struggled with them. She greeted the end of the trail by collapsing onto a nearby rock to catch her breath. The waterfall itself was absolutely stunning and there was fairly deep water to play in. I like to stay where I can still touch the bottom, but lots of other dogs there swam all the way to the falls. There were plenty of sticks to play with and I made Mom throw them out to the water for me to catch. Playing fetch in the water is a lot more fun – I highly recommend it if you haven’t tried it yet! There were also a lot of other dog friends to play with, but they all acted like they were scared of me. Mom says I need to be less aggressive because I shout too loud when I ask to play, but I just get so excited that I can’t help it. My Uncle Joe went with us on this hike, and he took me even higher up the side of the falls to see some pretty cool caves! I think Mom was too scared to go that high, but I made sure to tell her all about it after I came careening down the side of the falls. Sometimes I think she really doesn’t know what I’m saying because my barks sound a lot different from her barks. But she did nod and gave me lots of pets and at least pretended like she knew what I was saying. After we made it home I got a big high five, a tasty hot dog, and a long nap. This might have been the funnest day of my life, I sure hope we get to do a lot more of these! 🐾⛰

My name is Monroe! I’m a twenty-pound Corgi Mix with a smile that will melt your heart. And my favorite thing in the world is hiking! My mom says she never did any hiking before I came along, but now she takes me all the time. We have seen some beautiful waterfalls and trails over the past six months, but that’s only the beginning of our story. In March 2022, me and my mom are going to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail! Now, I know you’re thinking that’s a long ways away, but we still have plenty of adventures for me to talk about until then. After all, we have a lot of preparing and practicing to go through if we’re going to survive six straight months of hiking. I’m really excited to blog about all of our adventures on the Appalachian Trail, but until then, I thought it would be cool for you all to see my other adventures in the meantime. Mom says she has a big list of practice hikes for us to do for the next two years, so don’t worry, I’ll have plenty of stories to share with you! Let the countdown begin!