Quina Hikes with the Big Dogs on Mt. Kearsarge

Quina on the summit of Mt. Kearsarge

On Sunday, May 27, 2012, Quina and I enjoyed a spectacular day traveling to the summit of Mt. Kearsarge (2,937 ft.) located in Wilmot, New Hampshire.  The 2.8 mile round trip was ideally suited for this young terrier mix who recently arrived from an overcrowded shelter in Arkansas thanks to the life saving, volunteer efforts of Almost Home Rescue of Maine.

Quina may be only six months old, but she has proven that she can hike with the big dogs.  Quina has spent approximately five weeks in her current foster home where she has quickly become well socialized with the 7-year old child and four dogs who share her temporary living quarters.  

Meet and greet with Bailey and her family

Her foster family indicated that Quina has not had much experience with walking on a leash or riding in a car, so I was extremely impressed with her leash manners and with how quickly she settled in for the ride to Winslow State Park.  Having previously hiked Mt. Kearsarge with former foster dog hiker Bertie, I elected to take a reverse route to the summit by traveling up the longer Barlow Trail and descending via the shorter, steeper Winslow Trail.  The holiday weekend brought many human and canine hikers to the trails, so Quina and I had plenty of opportunities for meeting and greeting.  She was consistently friendly and occasionally yet understandably a bit cautious with the people she encountered.

Climbing high on the Barlow Trail

Quina happily accepted a number of welcoming compliments from fellow hikers such as, "Oh - look what a cute dog!"  She was equally excited about pats on the head from people of all ages.  Two young girls, ages 4 and 6, spent several minutes talking to and petting Quina at the summit as we took a break from photos and enjoyed the views.  The young girls' father was amazed at how calmly Quina accepted the attention by sitting patiently while the sisters took turns patting her head and talking excitedly about their hopes of having a dog of their own in the future.

Hiking with the big dogs - literally!

If you or someone you know is looking to add a canine member to your family, sweet Quina would be a wonderful addition.  You can view a full album of photos from Quina's hike.  Additional information and an application for adoption are available on her profile at Petfinder.com