What's Brewing, Barley?

This low boy reached some pretty high places recently. I did my first “real” hike! Before they got a dog, my parents loved to hike the mountains of New Hampshire and Vermont. While they hoped I would be a good hiking companion, my tiny legs proved to be an obstacle. I’m good at walking short distances in the city or at a leisurely pace on trails in the woods, I’m not good at long distances and challenging terrain.

So when my parents were looking for a good route for my first hike, they landed on the Artist’s Bluffs loop in Franconia Notch. It’s only 1.5 miles (compared to the 5-7 mile hikes they normally do) from start to finish, but the terrain offers some challenges and the views rival those from much higher peaks. It’s also a counter-clockwise loop rather than an out and back, so each stretch of the hike is new terrain (great for sniffs) and there’s less stopping for traffic going the opposite direction.

The trails are well marked, and you can expect moderate crowds on weekends thanks to the easy highway access, parking, and the reward vs. the effort needed to make the hike. That said, I wouldn’t call this an “easy” hike for small dogs (or even the uninitiated person). I needed to be carried through several segments which involved climbing upwards over big rocks. I would have tried, but my humans didn’t want to risk an injury. My parents chose to carry me in their arms, but a backpack carrier might have come in handy.

While it was a pretty warm day and we brought plenty of water and an adequate amount of snacks (I can always go for more), the entire hike is covered by tall trees and a thick canopy of leaves. So except for the exposed cliffs with the incredible views, you’ll have shade the entire way. That was key for my stamina.

After about 1/2 mile of hiking, you’ll reach the Artist’s Bluff lookout with its stunning views of Franconia Notch. Be careful up here, there are steep cliffs. We’ve been working on being off-leash, but the rules don’t allow it and my humans didn’t trust me not to “explore” a little too deep into the woods or close to the edge of a cliff.

After the Bluff, the hike continues uphill at a relatively steep pitch for a short distance before leveling out and eventually heading back downhill. There’s a spur off to the right which will take you to Bald Mountain and another great viewpoint, but I was way too tired at that point and we didn’t want to push it. So we kept going to the parking lot. Portable water bowls and bags of treats were essential, even on this relatively short hike.

In all, I did an outstanding job! I walked for probably about a mile of it and needed to be carried for probably 1/2 mile in total. If they would have let me, I would have walked the entire thing. As the hike went on, I was really enjoying myself chewing sticks, sniffing animal poop, climbing rocks, etc. But by the time we got to the parking lot, I was spent! We went back to our hotel in Littleton (Thayer’s Inn – a nice, old, pet friendly inn in the center of town) before relaxing by the river and calling it a night (and a late morning, I slept in!). I may not come when Mom calls, but when the mountains call, I answer!