Bullet Takes Aim at Bald Knob and Finds a Home

Beautiful Bullet posing for a photo en route to the summit

It has been two weeks since my last hike, and I have not yet posted about my adventure with Bullet - a wonderfully handsome and extremely kind Labrador retriever mix who recently accompanied me to the summit of Bald Knob in the Ossipee mountain range.


Bullet enjoying the ride

Before we began our hike, however, Bullet and I had an appointment to meet with a potential adopter at her home in central New Hampshire.  As we drove along to our destination, Bullet rode quietly stretched out in the backseat.  He was equally respectful when we arrived at our destination and met with the woman who was interested in adopting him.  She had considered several online profiles of dogs at Petfinder.com via Almost Home Rescue, and Bullet seemed best suited for this person's active lifestyle and love of the outdoors.  She is also a personal acquaintance who lives nearby and knew that I spent time hiking with foster dogs.  I was more than happy to schedule Bullet for a pre-hike visit to her home in the hopes that they would be a perfect match!



Bullet checks out the fenced in area of the backyard

Following a walk around the neighborhood that included a meeting with one of the other dogs who lives on the street, Bullet had the opportunity to check out the house and yard.  He seemed to greatly approve, and he was a perfect gentleman both inside the home and while exploring the fenced in area outside.

Having concluded our visit and hopeful that a perfect match had been made, it was time for Bullet to head back to his foster home.  Along the way, we stopped for a quick hike to the top of Bald Knob.  While a straight hike up the Bald Knob Trail is arguably more interesting and challenging, I opted for the Shannon Brook/Bald Knob Cutoff route in an effort to avoid hunters who may be on the property closest to the road.  As Bullet and I encountered two hunters on their way out via the Shannon Brook Trail, our choice of routes was confirmed. 

Sitting for the camera

Bullet has impressive leash manners and obviously enjoys taking in all the sights and sounds that the woods have to offer.  And while my amateur camera skills are always challenged by the task of photographing black dogs, Bullet's stunning good looks and warm expressions are so plentiful that even I could capture them. 

Looking in the direction of his new home!

While I typically end my posts with a link to a Petfinder profile where you can learn more about my hiking companion of the day, Bullet has officially been adopted by the person who met with him before our hike and will be moving into his new home at the start of the New Year!  I do invite you to view the album of photos from his hike that are available online here and to watch a You Tube video showing how far Bullet has come since being rescued.  Link to Bullet's video is available here if your browser does not display it below.



Happy Holidays!  See you on the trails!

Carley Hikes Turtleback and Gets Adopted

Carley on the way to Bald Knob

When I learned from Almost Home Rescue of Maine that their next hiker on the list was a 10-month old Labrador/Terrier mix, I was fully prepared for an encounter with high energy excitement and beginner level leash skills.  Imagine my surprise when instead I met up with sweet and adorable Carley who walked so well beside me the entire hike that it hardly seemed as though she was even attached to the end of the leash! 

Carley on the summit of Turtleback Mountain

Carley thoroughly enjoyed our journey to start the New Year in the land surrounding the Castle in the Clouds in Moultonborough, New Hampshire.  We wound our way through the trails leading to the summit of Turtleback Mountain via Shannon Brook Trail to the Bald Knob Cutoff to the Bald Knob Trail.  Our walk along the Bald Knob Trail was spectacular with stunning views of Lake Winnipesaukee easily seen through the leafless trees.  We spent only a short time on the very breezy and chilly Bald Knob (1,801 ft) before continuing on the summit of Turtleback Mountain (2,203 ft.) and then taking a meandering descent via the Turtleback Mountain, Faraway Mountain, Lower Bridle Path, Brook Walk and Shannon Brook Trails.  The windy finish with many wonderful views of the waterfalls along Shannon Brook was well worth it.

The ice proved interesting for this transplant from Arkansas

These beautiful trails through the Ossipee Mountains are an ideal location for day hikes with the foster dogs who are residing just over the border in neighboring Maine.  I am extremely grateful to the foster families who often drive the hikers to a destination closer to the trail head.  With a little less driving required for our adventures, the dogs and I are able to spend additional time in the mountains.

Now that winter has arrived and the days are shorter, we like to finish up while there is still daylight available to snap photos of our descent.  Of course, we are prepared with headlamp, flashlight and various other gear should we encounter a delay or unexpected weather that would cause us to be hiking later than planned.

Carley modeling her "Adopt Me" bandana

If my gear was at all lacking prior to the the holidays, you can rest assured that there were plenty of hiking goodies under the Foster Dog Summit tree this year.  My recent increase in hiking adventures combined with the fact that I am married to an Eagle Scout, meant that my holiday had an overall theme of "Be Prepared".  Of course, the dogs also got a bit of marketing gear for their upcoming adventures.  I would like to thank Almost Home Rescue for their gift of the "Adopt Me" bandanas.  Carley is proudly wearing one in this photo taken at the summit of Turtleback Mountain.

We only encountered a couple other hikers on our weekday/holiday trek.  The initial forecast for high winds probably kept a lot of people from venturing out this day.  However, we were fortunate in that the winds did not really start to pick up until we were nearing the end of our descent.   

Carley is heading home along with her sister Juney!

After we had already planned for Carley to go on a hike to Turtleback Mountain at the end of last week, a couple of hikers from Maine came along on the internet and made an application to adopt both Carley and her sister Juney.  I kept my fingers crossed for Carley and Juney during our entire hike knowing that their application was under review that day.  By the time we finished our hike, her new family had already been approved, and Carley and Juney will be heading to a new home with a hiking family later this month.  I am so excited for this sister pair, and I hope to encounter them both out on the trails in the near future!  A photo album of Carley's journey is available online.

Carley on the Brook Walk Trail

While Carley and Juney have found their forever homes, there are still Foster Dog Summit hikers awaiting similar good fortune.  Please consider learning and sharing more about Tyson, Tipper, Sage and Marvin in the year in review blog post here. 

See you on the trails!