Lewis Travels to Tate Mountain and Beyond

Lewis on the Shaw Trail

Lewis and I decided to tackle some lesser known trails over in the Ossipee Mountains this weekend.  This adorable, approximately four year old Australian shepherd mix enjoyed meandering along the Shaw, Italian and Big Ball Mountain trails on Sunday, November 13, 2011.  Since this was my first hike over in the Ossipee range, I was a bit unsure of exactly where our journey would take us, but Lewis did not seem to mind a bit about our open agenda.

He was a perfect gentleman during the car ride to the trail head and walked very casually yet inquisitively along the trails en route to the summit of Tate Mountain 2,060 ft. (also known as Big Ball Mountain) and beyond to the lookout at Black Snout at 2,803 ft.

Lewis exchanged pats on the head for photos

Lewis loved the walking as much as he did the many stops along the way for photos where he would look up with his soulful brown eyes for a rewarding pat on the head.  Of course, I could not help but to oblige his many requests for attention.  In addition to our various photo stops, Lewis and I also chatted with a number of other hikers who were also enjoying a crisp walk in the fallen leaves.  Lewis proudly greeted fellow hikers as well as canine trekkers Moose, Chase and Seamus.

Lewis and I at Black Snout lookout

As we continued along on our approximately six mile out and back hike, we collected photos from our stops along Fields Brook as well as the top of Tate Mountain and the Black Snout Lookout which is a sub peak of Mt. Shaw.  While we enjoyed well marked trails throughout our journey, we were not always certain of the stops that we had made along the way.  Lewis and I attempted to confer with other hikers on the trails, but it quickly became evident that they were also new to the trails and that our own map of the area was the most comprehensive one which even a trail locator application seemed to contradict.  A full album of photos featuring Lewis' adventure in the Ossipee Mountain Range is available online.   Should any followers of Foster Dog Summit who have hiked this area wish to comment on our locations in the album, we would sincerely appreciate your clarifications.  Our comparisons with other trips reports we have found online indicate some conflicting references to locations such as Big Ball Mountain and Black Snout Lookout.

Taking a snooze at the Black Snout lookout

While Lewis would really love to be in a new home for the holidays, he understands that not everyone is in a position to adopt him right now.  However, Lewis realizes that you may be interested in helping him and his other foster friends currently living in temporary homes with volunteers for Canine Guardians for Life, Inc.  So, if you would like to support the rescue and adoption of homeless dogs this holiday season, Lewis would sincerely appreciate your charitable vote for him in the Virtual Dog Race.  Click here to cast your vote for Lewis by making a donation in his honor.

You can read more about the Virtual Dog Race and also see more recent happy endings in the latest newsletter from Canine Guardians for Life, Inc.  See you on the trails!