Here are a few maps of some taken and planned road-camping trips with Leben and Erde:
(Click on link and then click on maps to enlarge.)
Map 1 - Actual 2001 (brown line) and 2002 (purple line) trips.
Map 2 - DC-Labrador-Alaska-DC trip originally planned for 2003, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. but for one snag or another never went off or went off as originally planned.
Map 3 - Actual 2011 (black line) and 2012 (orange line) trips.
Map 4 - The original 2013 planned if we had gotten off July15th
Map 5- The minimal 2013 trip planned if we can get on the road by August 23rd or so.
Map 6- The actual roads covered during Leben and Erde's trips in 2001, 2002, 2011, and 2012. Except for the Denali Road and the road from Kitawanga (BC) to Whitehorse (YK), this trip would cover roads taken by them before.
This index is reachable by way of the right side bar link list.
July 30th - My decision on Erde's situation
I spent a few hours yesterday researching what might be
going on with Erde's gingival mass, especially since her regular vet either
missed seeing this during Erde's May physical, dismissed it as nothing serious,
or it was not there then and is growing fast.
Here is what I learned (courtesy of DentistVet.com and others).
Oral growths (tumors) in dogs are either benign or malignant.
Benign tumors do not usually metastasize or spread to
distant organs but some can invade into the surrounding local tissues and
contribute to secondary problems like swelling, pain, adjacent tooth
death, extension into the nose or eye, or even jaw
fractures.
Epulis refers to any tumor or growth of the gingiva (i.e.
gum tissue). An epulis can be a non-cancerous growth that occurs as a result of
chronic irritation. There are three main types in dogs: fibromatous,
ossifying, and acanthomatous.
Odontogenic tumors and cysts are oral growths that
develop from dental
tissues. They are not malignant and they do not usually
metastasize or spread to distant organs lung or brain.
Some of the
tumors can be very aggressive locally, and some like to
invade into bone and
surrounding teeth.
Cheek chewers granuloma is non-cancerous tissue swelling
caused by
self-inflicted trauma when chewing. Tissue should be biopsied to rule out other
tumors including eosinophilic granuloma, a great mimicker of cheek chewers
lesions.
Malignant tumors have the potential to metastasize or
spread to distant
organs. Some can also invade into the surrounding local
tissues and contribute to secondary problems like swelling, pain, adjacent
tooth death, extension into the nose or eye, or pathologic jaw fractures.
Malignant melanoma(MM) is the most common malignant oral
tumor seen in the
dog and often metastasizes to other parts of the body.
Aggressive surgery is indicated in addition to radiation therapy and
chemotherapy and perhaps a melanoma vaccine.
Squamous cell carcinoma(SCC) is the second most common
malignant oral tumor and can metastasize to other parts of the body. The
prognosis is
more favorable for tumors located toward the front of the
mouth. Metastasis
is more common when tumors are located toward the back of
the tongue or
tonsils. Early aggressive surgical excision and radiation
therapy are needed.
Fibrosarcoma(FSA) is the third most common malignant oral
tumor in the dog and can metastasize to other parts of the body. FSA can grow
large and
invade into the nasal cavity. Surgical removal of the
tumor is needed, but FSA is poorly responsive to
radiation therapy and chemotherapy.
------------
So, here are the nine possibilities of what it could be:
1- nothing to worry or do
anything about
2- benign fibromatous
epulis (EF).
3- benign ossifying
epulis (EO).
4- benign acanthomatous
epulis (EA).
5- benign odontogenic
tumor/cyst (OT).
6- benign cheek chewers
granuloma (CCG).
7- malignant melanoma(MM)
tumor.
8- malignant squamous
cell carcinoma(SCC) tumor.
9- malignant fibrosarcoma(FSA) tumor
This morning it occurred to me
that I have been misled in the past by the residents at the animal hospital where
I take my dogs, causing me to suffer undue stress and added expense, and in one
case, days of great misery for Leben in the past. I think they are all very
good, but they have no experience to make sound judgment calls of the type
needed by me now; they are going on classroom knowledge alone. I am sure they
will all make fine vets someday, but I need that someday to be now. Unfortunately,
the vet in Erde's case could not offer any experience to help me judge what the
prospects are for her and what I should do now. (To her credit, she had the good sense to check Erde's mouth when that had nothing to do with the reason I went to the vets, and I am very thankful for that.) So, on the basis of what I
read, there is a 66% chance that what Erde has is either nothing or a benign
tumor that can be left alone or wait 60 days before removing, and a 33% chance
that it is a malignant tumor. On the basis of this, I will go ahead Erde's biopsy on Thursday, and go ahead with the
trip as planned on Sunday or as soon thereafter, now that I have lost two whole days over Erde's situation. Then, if on the road I find
out that the growth is a malignant tumor requiring immediate treatment, I will
schedule the surgery and turn around and head home. If I continue the trip and the
benign growth grows or interferes with Erde's health, I will also return home
(or go to a nearby vet) to have it treated. I may, of course, change my mind about this after I speak with the vet on Thursday after Erde's biopsy.
July 29: my options
My plan was to leave Sunday, August 5th, although
I am running behind schedule because of Erde’s situation. If I can leave then, here are my options:
1. Wait until the biopsy report is back on August 8th
and then decide.
- If the result is malignant, the trip is cancelled.
- If the result is benign:
--- go ahead with the trip on Sunday August 12th and
have the mass removed when I return; or
--- have the mass removed immediately and leave for the trip Sunday
August 19th.
2. Leave for the trip now as planned.
- If the mass is malignant, abort the trip, return home and
have the mass removed.
- If the result is benign,
--- continue with the trip and have he
mass removed when I return; or
--- Return home and have the mass removed immediately and either
cancel the trip or leave for the trip no later than August 25th, which
would just give me enough time to get to Denali .
July 29: Answers to questions about Erde's situation....
These are the answers to the questions I asked the vet about Erde's situaiton (see below posting): I will list my otions in the next posting.
1- when will the results of biopsy be back?
Anwer: One week after the biopsy, i.e., August 8th.
2- is there any home or follow-up treatment needed after
the biopsy?
Answer: None.
3- based on your knowledge, are these things usually
malignant or benign?
Answer: It could be any one of several different things. And they
can be either, depending upon what it is. We do not even know what it is
now.
4- based on your knowledge, if benign, do these things
usually get bigger?
Answer: Yes. They do have a tendency to grow.
5- if benign, does this mass have to come off as is (and
when)? What if it gets much bigger (although I would want it to come off then)?
Answer: It can wait until after the trip, although it will
probably be bigger.
6- if benign, what is the nature of the operation to
remove (recovery)? In other words, if it has to come off, is this operation a
trip stopper?
Answer: If benign, it come come off with laser surgery. The
recovery period would be short.
7- If benign, can it turn malignant?
Answer: No.
Answer: The surgery would be serious and most be done soon.
There are not many options. Removal of part of the upper jaw;
radiation, etc. Clearly a show stopper.
July 29: If it is not one thing, it's another
There are actually four critical moving parts on all of my road trips, and problems (snags) with any one of them always have the potential to delay, cut short or even cancel the trip. Those parts are me, my two dogs, and my Defender.
The trip with Sonntag to Alaska in 2000 went off flawlessly, before, during and after. (Click here for map.) No snags of any sort. Of course, Sonntag was paralyzed, which was a snag in itself, but that's the reason I took the trip (one last ride in the car), so that doesn't count.
In 2001, I returned to Alaska, with Leben and Erde in tow this time, to scatter Sonntag's and Kessie's ashes over the tundra of the North Slope. (Click here for map.) Leben started limping in Inuvik, NorthWest Territories, 900 miles and five days away from the nearest vet. Had this happened before the trip, it would have been a show stopper. After talking with my vet by satellite phone, she diagnosed the problem correctly, united anconeus, and told me the operation could wait till we got home when Leben would be just six months old, the cutoff for the operation. We did wait and the operation was successful, the first time in recorded vet history that it was.
In 2002, there were no snags before the trip, but during a trip to Labrador (click here for map), Leben started to limp again in Nova Scotia. I continued the trip and when we got home, he was diagnosed with OCD (loose cartilage) and a fractured correnoid process, which surgery resolved.
In 2003, when we were in the final planning stages for a return trip to Labrador and then on to Alaska (click here for map), Erde's immune system collapsed and, among other things, she developed a serious case of pancreatic insufficiency. This turned out to be a trip stopper.
In 2004-2009, because of one snag or another ranging from the after-shocks from a sub-criminal psychopath in my condo who uses an alias (remember, I live in DC, the land of the undercover psychopaths), to other various and sundry reasons, no trips could be planned.
In early May 2010, I took the dogs on a trial camping trip to the Atlantic Ocean at Assateaque Island in preparation for our first road trip in eight years. Plans for the trip were just being formulated when, on May 26th, Leben was bitten by a large poisonous, exotic spider I discovered on my balcony several days earlier. (How that spider got there, on the 9th floor or a condominium in Washington DC in May is no mystery. (The perceptive among my readers who see a connection between this and the "loose psychopath" referred to above would be right.) Leben's leg swelled up twice its size and he could hardly walk. The emergency vet (a resident) made a poor judgment call by not aspirating his inflamed leg and sent us home to see Leben's orthopedic vet a week later. During the process of walking on that inflamed leg for that week, Leben hyperextended his carpus. The surgery this and some other front-end orthopedic issues was scheduled for mid-July and he was in a recovery harness for 10 weeks, which cancelled our trip for that year.
In 2011, we finally got on the road again, with plans to travel to Alaska via Labrador. But in the two weeks before the trip, I had to rush one or the other of the dogs to the vets or deal with an emergency six times. One emergency was when one of the dogs broke into my food container and selectively chose to eat all the chocolate bars I had intended to enjoy along the trip. Not knowing which dog did it, and not knowing how long before, I had to squirt hydrogen peroxide down both of their throats until they surrendered the stolen goods the hard way. As it turns out, Leben was the culprit; Erde had eaten none of it. Poor girl. To reward her for the inconvenience of her having to surrendered all she had eaten before, she was amply rewarded that night with a few Frosty Paws. Snags out of the way, the trip got underway On August 9th, only to be cut short because of my Defender sending false signals that it was overheating badly. Ten days after returning home, the trip got underway again. A slight accident in northern Quebec delayed us a few days in Mt Tremblant, bu we continued on our way with a dented Defender. But then, at Thunder Bay, Ontario, Leben developed a terrible skin infection that caused us to cancel the rest of the trip and return home to treat his infection. (Click here for trip map.) (Finally, this last week, his infection has been cured, after two years of constant treatment for it.)
In 2012, as we were planning our trip to Alaska in early July, I noticed Leben was having trouble running. An MRI a week later showed two serious disc ruptures. Instead of waiting till the end of the trip, or just waiting for nature to take its course on its own, I went ahead with the spinal surgery. After is healing period was over, although he was nothing like the dog he was when he walked into the operation on his own, in mid-September, we went ahead with an abbreviated trip as far north was we could get to Alaska before the cold weather set in. Three weeks into that trip, his recovery failed and the operation left him totally paralyzed. We headed for home a day later after stopping the trip at Thunder Bay, again. (Click here for trip map.)
Elsewhere on this blog I posted details about a number of snags potentially delaying or cancelling this trip. Since I believe there is a solution for every problem, I treated all of them like the pesky things they are and was able to solve all of them, one way or another. Unfortunately, today, a new problem developed with Erde. I noticed on Saturday that she was suddenly scratching her right ear. Fearing an ear infection, i took her to the vet this morning at 7:00 a.m. so i could get the issue resolved before I left on Sunday. She did not have this infection when i took her in for a physical in May. Sure enough, the vet discovered a yeast infection in her right ear. But she also discovered a bacterial infection in her left ear and, to make matters worse, a bacterial infection on her skin. No problem, just clean her ears daily, wash he three times a week, and administer the antibiotics for the three infections. No snags there. Unfortunately, the vet also discovered a tumor (gingival mass) the size of a marble on her upper left gum. Either the vet missed this in May or it has grown to that size since. I schedule a dental biopsy for her on Thursday, but will not know the results until I am on the road. Benign or malignant, this must come off. Of course, the treatment for a benign tumor is quite lame compared to a malignant one. If the tumor is malignant, it must be treated immediately, and unless the surgery and recovery period can be done in a week, which is doubtful, the trip will be off. if the tumor is benign, I still have a decision to make because I cannot be away for two months with this thing growing, potentially causing more damage to her upper jaw. Here are the questions I have for the vet.
Standby for answers to these questions. (Click here for the answers I subsequently receibed from the vet.) Needless to say, my dogs' health is my number one priority. But right now, if there is a 50 percent chance that the tumor is malignant and a 50 percent chance that the vet will advise going ahead with the surgery now if it is a benign tumor, that means that the chances of this trip going forward have no dropped. Of course, whatever the biopsy shows, I may decide to go ahead with this trip anyway, for the same reason I took Sonntag on his trip, his last ride in the car, and it was.
When I discovered Erde's ear problem on Saturday, I started treating it right away. This morning, just before I took her to the vet, I couldn't even tell which ear had had the problem, it had cleared up so much. I almost cancelled the appointment at the vet's, but decided to go ahead just to be sure. By overcoming that hesitancy in favor of being conservative, I might have killed the trip, but I might also have saved my dog's life.
The trip with Sonntag to Alaska in 2000 went off flawlessly, before, during and after. (Click here for map.) No snags of any sort. Of course, Sonntag was paralyzed, which was a snag in itself, but that's the reason I took the trip (one last ride in the car), so that doesn't count.
In 2001, I returned to Alaska, with Leben and Erde in tow this time, to scatter Sonntag's and Kessie's ashes over the tundra of the North Slope. (Click here for map.) Leben started limping in Inuvik, NorthWest Territories, 900 miles and five days away from the nearest vet. Had this happened before the trip, it would have been a show stopper. After talking with my vet by satellite phone, she diagnosed the problem correctly, united anconeus, and told me the operation could wait till we got home when Leben would be just six months old, the cutoff for the operation. We did wait and the operation was successful, the first time in recorded vet history that it was.
In 2002, there were no snags before the trip, but during a trip to Labrador (click here for map), Leben started to limp again in Nova Scotia. I continued the trip and when we got home, he was diagnosed with OCD (loose cartilage) and a fractured correnoid process, which surgery resolved.
In 2003, when we were in the final planning stages for a return trip to Labrador and then on to Alaska (click here for map), Erde's immune system collapsed and, among other things, she developed a serious case of pancreatic insufficiency. This turned out to be a trip stopper.
In 2004-2009, because of one snag or another ranging from the after-shocks from a sub-criminal psychopath in my condo who uses an alias (remember, I live in DC, the land of the undercover psychopaths), to other various and sundry reasons, no trips could be planned.
In early May 2010, I took the dogs on a trial camping trip to the Atlantic Ocean at Assateaque Island in preparation for our first road trip in eight years. Plans for the trip were just being formulated when, on May 26th, Leben was bitten by a large poisonous, exotic spider I discovered on my balcony several days earlier. (How that spider got there, on the 9th floor or a condominium in Washington DC in May is no mystery. (The perceptive among my readers who see a connection between this and the "loose psychopath" referred to above would be right.) Leben's leg swelled up twice its size and he could hardly walk. The emergency vet (a resident) made a poor judgment call by not aspirating his inflamed leg and sent us home to see Leben's orthopedic vet a week later. During the process of walking on that inflamed leg for that week, Leben hyperextended his carpus. The surgery this and some other front-end orthopedic issues was scheduled for mid-July and he was in a recovery harness for 10 weeks, which cancelled our trip for that year.
In 2011, we finally got on the road again, with plans to travel to Alaska via Labrador. But in the two weeks before the trip, I had to rush one or the other of the dogs to the vets or deal with an emergency six times. One emergency was when one of the dogs broke into my food container and selectively chose to eat all the chocolate bars I had intended to enjoy along the trip. Not knowing which dog did it, and not knowing how long before, I had to squirt hydrogen peroxide down both of their throats until they surrendered the stolen goods the hard way. As it turns out, Leben was the culprit; Erde had eaten none of it. Poor girl. To reward her for the inconvenience of her having to surrendered all she had eaten before, she was amply rewarded that night with a few Frosty Paws. Snags out of the way, the trip got underway On August 9th, only to be cut short because of my Defender sending false signals that it was overheating badly. Ten days after returning home, the trip got underway again. A slight accident in northern Quebec delayed us a few days in Mt Tremblant, bu we continued on our way with a dented Defender. But then, at Thunder Bay, Ontario, Leben developed a terrible skin infection that caused us to cancel the rest of the trip and return home to treat his infection. (Click here for trip map.) (Finally, this last week, his infection has been cured, after two years of constant treatment for it.)
In 2012, as we were planning our trip to Alaska in early July, I noticed Leben was having trouble running. An MRI a week later showed two serious disc ruptures. Instead of waiting till the end of the trip, or just waiting for nature to take its course on its own, I went ahead with the spinal surgery. After is healing period was over, although he was nothing like the dog he was when he walked into the operation on his own, in mid-September, we went ahead with an abbreviated trip as far north was we could get to Alaska before the cold weather set in. Three weeks into that trip, his recovery failed and the operation left him totally paralyzed. We headed for home a day later after stopping the trip at Thunder Bay, again. (Click here for trip map.)
Elsewhere on this blog I posted details about a number of snags potentially delaying or cancelling this trip. Since I believe there is a solution for every problem, I treated all of them like the pesky things they are and was able to solve all of them, one way or another. Unfortunately, today, a new problem developed with Erde. I noticed on Saturday that she was suddenly scratching her right ear. Fearing an ear infection, i took her to the vet this morning at 7:00 a.m. so i could get the issue resolved before I left on Sunday. She did not have this infection when i took her in for a physical in May. Sure enough, the vet discovered a yeast infection in her right ear. But she also discovered a bacterial infection in her left ear and, to make matters worse, a bacterial infection on her skin. No problem, just clean her ears daily, wash he three times a week, and administer the antibiotics for the three infections. No snags there. Unfortunately, the vet also discovered a tumor (gingival mass) the size of a marble on her upper left gum. Either the vet missed this in May or it has grown to that size since. I schedule a dental biopsy for her on Thursday, but will not know the results until I am on the road. Benign or malignant, this must come off. Of course, the treatment for a benign tumor is quite lame compared to a malignant one. If the tumor is malignant, it must be treated immediately, and unless the surgery and recovery period can be done in a week, which is doubtful, the trip will be off. if the tumor is benign, I still have a decision to make because I cannot be away for two months with this thing growing, potentially causing more damage to her upper jaw. Here are the questions I have for the vet.
1- when will the results of biopsy be back?
2- is there any home or follow-up
treatment needed after the biopsy?
3- based on your knowledge, are these
things usually malignant or benign?
4- based on your knowledge, if benign, do
these things usually get bigger?
5- if benign, does this mass have to come
off as is (and when)? What if it gets much bigger (although I would ant it to
come off then)?
6- if benign, what is the nature of the
operation to remove (recovery)? In other words, if it has to come off, is this
operation a trip stopper?
7- If benign, can it turn
malignant?
8- if malignant, what is the nature of the operation,
recovery, etc? I assume this would be a trip
stopper?
Standby for answers to these questions. (Click here for the answers I subsequently receibed from the vet.) Needless to say, my dogs' health is my number one priority. But right now, if there is a 50 percent chance that the tumor is malignant and a 50 percent chance that the vet will advise going ahead with the surgery now if it is a benign tumor, that means that the chances of this trip going forward have no dropped. Of course, whatever the biopsy shows, I may decide to go ahead with this trip anyway, for the same reason I took Sonntag on his trip, his last ride in the car, and it was.
When I discovered Erde's ear problem on Saturday, I started treating it right away. This morning, just before I took her to the vet, I couldn't even tell which ear had had the problem, it had cleared up so much. I almost cancelled the appointment at the vet's, but decided to go ahead just to be sure. By overcoming that hesitancy in favor of being conservative, I might have killed the trip, but I might also have saved my dog's life.
To take list (July 24)
I prepared a detailed To Take list for our first road trip (to Alaska in 2000) and have essentially used the same list ever since, give or take a few modifications each year, based on the previous year's experiences and special needs for the next trip. Despite the list's length, there is nothing that is superfluous or a luxury item on the list. If something on the list is not used daily or regularly, it is there for emergency purposes. I have had to use the latter items enough times to know that I cannot leave them behind.
Elsewhere on this blog I posted the detailed To Take list itself. Below is a screen shot of the entire list at 38%. Of all the good things I can say about this list, the three most important things I can say are that I have never forgotten to take a single thing on the trip, I have been prepared for every emergency we were hit with, and I did not have to waste valuable time on the road hunting for something I needed, except to replensih my 10-day food supply, of course, and then I do not go hunting, I go shopping. (The only hunters you will find on this trip are Leben and Erde, and their hunting is aimed exclusively at treats.)
Preparing for this tip is not like preparing to go on one of those $25,000 safari trips where you essentially show up with only the clothes on your back. (I read of one trip where they even provide camouflage tooth brushes and tooth paste.) The truth is, most of the benefit I get from these trips is the planning and preparation that I have to do for it. Knowing that the success of failure depends upon your own preparation and planning, including contingency planning, enhances the whole experience. Anyone who has done this themselves understands this.
Elsewhere on this blog I posted the detailed To Take list itself. Below is a screen shot of the entire list at 38%. Of all the good things I can say about this list, the three most important things I can say are that I have never forgotten to take a single thing on the trip, I have been prepared for every emergency we were hit with, and I did not have to waste valuable time on the road hunting for something I needed, except to replensih my 10-day food supply, of course, and then I do not go hunting, I go shopping. (The only hunters you will find on this trip are Leben and Erde, and their hunting is aimed exclusively at treats.)
Preparing for this tip is not like preparing to go on one of those $25,000 safari trips where you essentially show up with only the clothes on your back. (I read of one trip where they even provide camouflage tooth brushes and tooth paste.) The truth is, most of the benefit I get from these trips is the planning and preparation that I have to do for it. Knowing that the success of failure depends upon your own preparation and planning, including contingency planning, enhances the whole experience. Anyone who has done this themselves understands this.
Remaining ToDo list, July 23rd
My to do list is getting down to a manageable size. It is now a half page.
Today I put my health club membership on hold for an indefinite period starting August 1st and I ordered the satellite phone for delivery on July 29th, so that means I am optimistic about getting on the road next week.
Today I put my health club membership on hold for an indefinite period starting August 1st and I ordered the satellite phone for delivery on July 29th, so that means I am optimistic about getting on the road next week.
The below photo shows a screen shot at 25% of my ToDo list. The four pages in the top row show the items remaining
(left page) and those completed, postponed till I get back or dropped. The different
colors show items to buy (blue), things to do dealing with the Defender (green), things
to do at my desk or on the computer (orange) and things to do generally (pink).
The page in the bottom row shows my check out items I do before I walk out the door (top, shaded) and the bttom part shows the 17 or so different containers etc. I have to pack (white) starting three days before. So, when the remaining ToDo items are done, I have three days left, four, really, since once I am packed, instead of running out the door, I intend to rest up for one day and spend the day planning the first five days of the trip, making reservations at campsites along the route.
The page in the bottom row shows my check out items I do before I walk out the door (top, shaded) and the bttom part shows the 17 or so different containers etc. I have to pack (white) starting three days before. So, when the remaining ToDo items are done, I have three days left, four, really, since once I am packed, instead of running out the door, I intend to rest up for one day and spend the day planning the first five days of the trip, making reservations at campsites along the route.
The Journey begins to take shape
Journey begins to take shape (Unedited)
Note: this entry replaces several other related previous postings related to this one.
Note: this entry replaces several other related previous postings related to this one.
With our estimated date of departure now set for around July
29th, this year’s journey is beginning to take shape. The one current
snag that could throw a spanner into the journey is my back. For the third time in seven months, I threw
it out again two weeks ago. (Usually, I would throw it out once every five
years or so, but managing Leben seems to have accelerated that schedule,
although it is not his fault.) I am loading up on visits to my chiropractor,
acupuncturist, and massage therapist to help accelerate my back’s recovery so I
can get on the road. My hope is that if it occurs again in three months, I will
be safely home by that time. The last thing in the world I need is to be 6000
miles away from home with two German shepherds, one paralyzed, with 600 pounds
of camping gear I have to lug around, and have my back go out on me again, when
I can hardly walk let alone manage Leben or set up and break camp. Fortunately,
it is easer to manage Leben on the road than at home, so if I can only get on
the road I hope I think I will be home free.
This is will our third attempt at Alaska in three years. In 2012, we set out
to Alaska by way of the end-of-the-road in Labrador,
but made it only to Thunder Bay ,
Ontario
In the 1990s, I visited Alaska five times, flying there each time,
without my dogs, Sonntag and Kessie. In 1992, I took the ferry from Seattle to
Juneau, took a bus and camped along the ALCAN (Alaska-Canada Highway) to
Fairbanks, backpacked in Denali for three days just a few miles from where
Chris McCandless (the Into-the-Wild guy) was spending his last few days, visited
Brooks Camp and the Valley of 10,000 Smokes (VTTS) in Katmai National Park, flew
to McNeil River to watch the brown bears fishing for salmon, rented a car and drove
to Homer, Seward and Valdez, and then flew home. Bitten by the Alaskan bug (not
to mention mosquitoes and, almost once, a bear), I returned in 1993-1996 to visit
McNeil River again and to hike solo the entire VTTS three more times and then
went on a month-long expedition with Outward Bound to the magnificent Gates of
the Arctic National Park. It was in researching the latter that I first learned
of the Dalton Highway ,
the 500-mile dirt and gravel road that goes up the North Slope from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay ,
and promised myself that someday I would drive that road.
In 2000, before I was to take a position in Russia with, I
decided to take Sonntag (Kessie, sadly, had died in 1999) on one last road trip,
Sonntag’s favorite treat. I looked at a map and saw that the longest drive from
DC in North America was to Prudhoe Bay along
the Dalton Highway ,
so off went. An editor from the National Geographic, which had just opened up a
story on dogs, approached me and Sonntag on the street one day before the trip
and asked if he could accompany us in Alaska
for some photos, and I agreed. That trip was 45 days, 12,500 miles. On that
trip, during one glorious night 150 miles south of Prudhoe Bay, in an
absolutely magnificent setting, as I sat with Sonntag on a prominence that
jutted out onto the tundra of the North Slope, I promised him that someday I
would return to that glorious spot to scatter his and his sister’s ashes. That
site, the next night, was captured for posterity in one of the several photos
of our trip included in the January 2002 National Geographic. Click here for a YouTube of that story.
Sonntag died in April 2001, and after Leben and Erde arrived
on the scene a few weeks later, I decided that I had better get on the road
again that summer before it was too late, and so off we went. That trip was 50 days
and 14,500 miles. In addition to going to Prudhoe Bay again, and scattered
Sonntag’s and Kessie’s ashes where I had promised, we took a side trip of a few
thousand miles to Inuvik, Northwest Territories, and then another of a few thousand
more miles to San Francisco on the way home. I had to bivouac in Indianapolis for a few
days on the way home because I dared not drive into DC on September 12th
with my Defender looking the way it did.
Each of the above two trips had a specific purpose, the
first to meet up with the National Geographic and the second the scatter my
dogs’ ashes where I promised, which purposes served as magnates to keep us
headed toward our destination.
In 2002, I took a break from Alaska and drove with Leben and
Erde to the end of the road in the northeast in a little community called North
West River, Labrador, by way of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland on the way up and
Prince Edwards Island on the way back, 60 days and 10,000 miles. We were making
plans to set out again in 2003, but Erde’s immune system took a hit that year
for some reason and the trip was cancelled. Any trips I might have planned for
2004-2010 get set aside for one reason or another.
In 2011, we set out again for Alaska
by way of Labrador, but I had to delay the trip by two weeks and then cut the
trip short after reaching Labrador in Thunder
Bay , Ontario Alaska , when
it was discovered that Leben’s difficulty running was due to two disc ruptures.
Hoping to avoid his becoming paralyzed like Sonntag, when I believed the
chances of surgery arresting any further decline were good, I went ahead with
the surgery on July 17th. Unfortunately, Leben, who was able to walk
OK the day of his surgery, never recovered fully from the surgery. After his
healing period ended, we got on the road for an abbreviated trip starting in mid-September,
headed for at most Banff
in the Canadian Rockies. Unfortunately, Leben’s recovery failed and then, with
just normal activity, he became completely paralyzed three weeks into the trip
at Pukawaska Park
on Ontario ’s Lake Superior .
Knowing how to manage a paralyzed dog, we finished our tip the next day at Thunder Bay again, and then
set out for home, 4000 miles and 21 days after we started, where my number one
goal was to learn how to manage him and get him acclimated to his new life. (In
retrospect, it was mistake on my part putting that magnificent dog through that
surgery. He was not a good candidate for it. I should have waited for nature to
take its course and then put him into a wheelchair if he indeed did become paralyzed
at all that way.)
So, the purpose of this trip is to pick up where we left off
last year at Thunder Bay , and head to Alaska again. While that
may be enough to give us a purpose for this trip, I wanted sometime a little
more tangible to plan for, a magnate that would pull us the 5880 miles to get
to Prudhoe Bay. Remembering my
backpacking trip into Denali in 1992, and remembering Sonntag’s excited reaction
to our brief excision into the park to Teklanika Camp (milepost 30 along the
91-mile dirt and gravel Denali Park
Road to Wonder
Lake
On September 15th, I waited anxiously by my computer
at 9:00 a.m. for word about whether I won or lost the lottery. (I knew my odds
were low, 1/7 to be exact, as 11,000 people had applied. When word never came,
I finally figured out that my on-line application, although submitted, was not
accepted because I had not signed into the National Park Service website, but
they never told me that. So much for good websites. (Blame it on the sequester,
I guess.) That’s the bad news. The good news is that I immediately put up an ad
on Anchorage ’s Craigslist
and was able to get a permit. The details of that I will keep to myself. Suffice it
is to say here that persistence and reason pay off. So, we now have a magnate, something
that will pull us to Alaska ,
with a date certain. Now that I know we must be in Denali
starting on September 12th, I can plan the rest of the trip around
that date. But once thing that will factor heavily in my planning is that we do
not arrive in Alaska
until after August 21st. The reason for that is that the weather has
been warmer than usual this year, which means that Alaska is suffering through one of its worst
mosquito seasons in years. It is hoped that after August 21st or so,
the cooler night air will have decimated the mosquito population, if not eliminated
it. I do not recall that we were bothered by mosquitoes too much in 2000 and
2001 when we arrived near that time.
Later, I will post a new map showing our new tentative plans.
I say tentative because every mile of this trip is optional because anything
can happen to change those plans, as I have learned on all of our last four
attempts. Our number one goal of any trip we take is to make it home safely,
and that dominates the entire trip.
So, Leben and Erde, who first visited Alaska as four-month old pups, will return
(it is hoped) as 12-year old dogs. I am extremely fortunate that they are still
with me and in good health. Now, if I can only get my back to work again.
Tuesday, July 16th...The Good News, The Bad News, and The Worst News
First, the good news. Yesterday, immediately after I figured out that I did not win the Denali Road Lottery because my online application failed without my being told that it did, I placed ads that I had already prepared on Craigslist both in Anchorage and Fairbanks. Sure enough, starting at about noon (8:00 Alaska time), Craigslist in both places started to light up like and blue and white Christmas tree with ads, split evenly between winners trying to trade the dates they had been assigned for other dates and losers trying to buy a permit from a winner. Technically, my ad did not fall under the losers since I never really entered the lobby, but as far as I was concerned I was a loser and felt like that for the next four hours. Then, at 5:30, a gentleman contacted me over Craigslist and offered to sell me a spare permit he won for Sunday, and after a series of e-mails, I purchased it at 11:00 p.m. So, the good news is that I now have a permit and the trip now has a focus, a goal, other than to drive to Alaska.
The bad news is that now I have to drive almost 6,000 miles to get there.
The worst news is that once I am there, I have to drive 6,000 miles to get back home.
The bad news is that now I have to drive almost 6,000 miles to get there.
The worst news is that once I am there, I have to drive 6,000 miles to get back home.
Results of the Denali Lottery
I applied for the Denali road lottery on May 21st by way of the same simple online process I used last year. Each vehicle can only submit one application. I was notified just after 9:00 a.m. last July 15th that I did not win, and so I was expecting the same kind of prompt feedback this year. Hour after hour went by this morning, and no e-mail came in reporting the good news that I won (unlikely) or the bad news (more likely) that I lost. I then checked online at the lottery's web site and it indicated that the winners and losers had already been notified. Since I did not get either email, I dug further. Well, as it turns out, my entry online never went through even though I know I completed it. My mistake was in not checking for a receipt in my email (I did just now, and found none) because I was not about to sit there and wait for one to come in, especially since none was promised. Once again, our government fails the test of competence.
I am not disappointed because it was my own mistake for not following up on this or for not applying through multiple people. I just assumed that these online programs work as they are supposed to. As it turns out, 11,000 people applied this year, 10 percent more than last year, so my odds of winning were 1 out of 7, not very good. Having traveled that road once before in 1992 by camper bus, I am not too sure it would have been a pleasant experience traveling that road after all with 399 other vehicles out for their annual stroll in the park. I'll enjoy my time more sitting back at the Teklanika campground those five days resting for my long trip home. I will, however, put up an ad an Craig list in Anchorage and Fairbanks to see what kind of luck I have. I have only a window of about 24 hours to bring closure to this. If I cannot find someone willing to sell their permit, this will force me to pull back and reevaluate my plans, but I was already expecting to have to do that anyway.
I am not disappointed because it was my own mistake for not following up on this or for not applying through multiple people. I just assumed that these online programs work as they are supposed to. As it turns out, 11,000 people applied this year, 10 percent more than last year, so my odds of winning were 1 out of 7, not very good. Having traveled that road once before in 1992 by camper bus, I am not too sure it would have been a pleasant experience traveling that road after all with 399 other vehicles out for their annual stroll in the park. I'll enjoy my time more sitting back at the Teklanika campground those five days resting for my long trip home. I will, however, put up an ad an Craig list in Anchorage and Fairbanks to see what kind of luck I have. I have only a window of about 24 hours to bring closure to this. If I cannot find someone willing to sell their permit, this will force me to pull back and reevaluate my plans, but I was already expecting to have to do that anyway.
Leben at Dean and Deluca
On Sunday mornings, I usually head down to Dean and Deluca with my dogs for a few hours. I used to go there to read the Times and Post, but it seems that I get very little reading done these days there as my time is spent in conversation with friends or passers-by interested in the dogs. That does not matter much any more as my real pupose these days is to let Leben sit there very alert the whole time just looking around, as his sister (seen in the background to the left and in an earlier photo) sleeps. Soon, the routine will change dramatically for them as we get on the road, I hope for the better.
Saturday, July 13, 11:30 a.m. : Comparisons with "Travels with Charley"
Saturday, July 13, 11:30 a.m.
When I tell people about my planned drive to Alaska, they often remark, "Ah, a Travels-with-Charley trip, " referring, of course, to John Steinbeck's 1960 10,000-mile, three-month, 40-state road journey with his little black poodle dog, Charley, documented in his 1962 book of that name. As memorable and wonderful as that book was, let me set the record straight right away and say that this is no Travels-with-Charley trip for at least seven reasons.
First, my trip will be almost 16,000 miles, 20,000 when you include part I, our travels to the end-of-the-road in Labrador, the real starting point of the trip.
Second, Steinbeck traveled in relative luxury compared to what we will be traveling in. For his trip, Steinbeck bought a new GMC pickup, which he fitted with a custom-made camper. Even if the two books that came out recently questioning whether Steinbeck actually slept in his camper (who actually cares?), his camper was luxurious enough compared to what we sleep in. 0n my luxury scale, with 10.0 being the fanciest luxury hotel in the world, Steinbeck's camper was a 9.1; my three tents, as nice as they are, come in at 1.2, 1.3, and 1.4. With no disrespect meant to Steinbeck, who all but admitted this himself, a tenting road trip is almost as low as you can go.
Third, Steinbeck's supposed theme of his trip was in Search of America. Heck, I'm trying to escape America. If you want to find America, just surf your TV any evening during prime time. Like it or not, that's America, because we are what we watch on TV. Beyond that, the road from DC to Prudhoe Bay is 5100 miles, depending upon what route one takes. All but 1100 miles of that is through Canada, so I can tell you right now that you are not going to fine America on the way. Moreover, when you get to Alaska, on the 700 miles you will cross there, you'll come to only one settlement, Fairbanks, of more than a handful of people. And finally, most Alaskans proudly and purposefully try to distinguish themselves from being considered plain-vanilla Americans. That's why they live there. Just look at the most famous Alaskan ever, Sarah Palin, if you do not believe me.
Fourth, by concealing from his readers that he actually traveled most of his trip with a human companion, his concerned wife, Steinbeck was admitting that traveling solo on such a long trip is really a big deal, and not because you have no one with whom to share the multitudinous and arduous chores of the journey. The real reason is that you have no one's thoughts but your own to hear for 92 percent of the day, or to keep your own thoughts from going over the edge, and even the remaining time is spent with strangers with whom you share such profound thoughts as the weather, the price of gas, where you might buy some fresh groceries, and, for better or for worse these days, how far it is to the closest Walmart. (The answer to the latter these days always seems to be less than 90 miles.). If I had time on these trips to sit down with people and ponder the state of America, I could justly be accused of having too much time on my hands. For Christ's sake, I don't even have time to ponder the state of my Defender or tent most days.
Fifth, Steinbeck and, as we have learned recently, his wife, had the comfort of their little black poodle, Charley, as a companion. What a joy that must have been. But, look, I never met Charley, and I'm sure he was a wonderful dog (if, indeed, he actually existed, that is), but Charley is no Leben and Erde, my two sibling, 12-year old German Shepherd dogs, 110 and 80 pounds, respectively, the former of whom is paralyzed. Enough said.
Sixth, the year Steinbeck published his still-famous book, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, in part because of the commercial success of that book. Let me be frank. I have no intention of seeking, nor will I accept, any Nobel prize for Literature, Peace, or anything as the result of what I may write after this trip. Heck, I didn't even have time to finish unpacking from last year's trip let along write a book. And as far as taking notes on the trip is concerned, there is hardly time to plan the day.
Seventh, I am 16 percent older than Steinbeck was when he made his trip. That speaks for itself.
To summarize, let's say that each of the above factors causes my trip to be twice has difficult as Steinbeck's journey, underestimates, really. That means this trip will be at least two to the seventh power more difficult than his, or 128 times. I hope I do not remember this two days from now as I rethink the trip after I hear about the Denali lottery.
Photo below is of Erde sleeping today at Dean and Deluca in G'town, my weekend office.
(mobile
When I tell people about my planned drive to Alaska, they often remark, "Ah, a Travels-with-Charley trip, " referring, of course, to John Steinbeck's 1960 10,000-mile, three-month, 40-state road journey with his little black poodle dog, Charley, documented in his 1962 book of that name. As memorable and wonderful as that book was, let me set the record straight right away and say that this is no Travels-with-Charley trip for at least seven reasons.
First, my trip will be almost 16,000 miles, 20,000 when you include part I, our travels to the end-of-the-road in Labrador, the real starting point of the trip.
Second, Steinbeck traveled in relative luxury compared to what we will be traveling in. For his trip, Steinbeck bought a new GMC pickup, which he fitted with a custom-made camper. Even if the two books that came out recently questioning whether Steinbeck actually slept in his camper (who actually cares?), his camper was luxurious enough compared to what we sleep in. 0n my luxury scale, with 10.0 being the fanciest luxury hotel in the world, Steinbeck's camper was a 9.1; my three tents, as nice as they are, come in at 1.2, 1.3, and 1.4. With no disrespect meant to Steinbeck, who all but admitted this himself, a tenting road trip is almost as low as you can go.
Third, Steinbeck's supposed theme of his trip was in Search of America. Heck, I'm trying to escape America. If you want to find America, just surf your TV any evening during prime time. Like it or not, that's America, because we are what we watch on TV. Beyond that, the road from DC to Prudhoe Bay is 5100 miles, depending upon what route one takes. All but 1100 miles of that is through Canada, so I can tell you right now that you are not going to fine America on the way. Moreover, when you get to Alaska, on the 700 miles you will cross there, you'll come to only one settlement, Fairbanks, of more than a handful of people. And finally, most Alaskans proudly and purposefully try to distinguish themselves from being considered plain-vanilla Americans. That's why they live there. Just look at the most famous Alaskan ever, Sarah Palin, if you do not believe me.
Fourth, by concealing from his readers that he actually traveled most of his trip with a human companion, his concerned wife, Steinbeck was admitting that traveling solo on such a long trip is really a big deal, and not because you have no one with whom to share the multitudinous and arduous chores of the journey. The real reason is that you have no one's thoughts but your own to hear for 92 percent of the day, or to keep your own thoughts from going over the edge, and even the remaining time is spent with strangers with whom you share such profound thoughts as the weather, the price of gas, where you might buy some fresh groceries, and, for better or for worse these days, how far it is to the closest Walmart. (The answer to the latter these days always seems to be less than 90 miles.). If I had time on these trips to sit down with people and ponder the state of America, I could justly be accused of having too much time on my hands. For Christ's sake, I don't even have time to ponder the state of my Defender or tent most days.
Fifth, Steinbeck and, as we have learned recently, his wife, had the comfort of their little black poodle, Charley, as a companion. What a joy that must have been. But, look, I never met Charley, and I'm sure he was a wonderful dog (if, indeed, he actually existed, that is), but Charley is no Leben and Erde, my two sibling, 12-year old German Shepherd dogs, 110 and 80 pounds, respectively, the former of whom is paralyzed. Enough said.
Sixth, the year Steinbeck published his still-famous book, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, in part because of the commercial success of that book. Let me be frank. I have no intention of seeking, nor will I accept, any Nobel prize for Literature, Peace, or anything as the result of what I may write after this trip. Heck, I didn't even have time to finish unpacking from last year's trip let along write a book. And as far as taking notes on the trip is concerned, there is hardly time to plan the day.
Seventh, I am 16 percent older than Steinbeck was when he made his trip. That speaks for itself.
To summarize, let's say that each of the above factors causes my trip to be twice has difficult as Steinbeck's journey, underestimates, really. That means this trip will be at least two to the seventh power more difficult than his, or 128 times. I hope I do not remember this two days from now as I rethink the trip after I hear about the Denali lottery.
Photo below is of Erde sleeping today at Dean and Deluca in G'town, my weekend office.
(mobile
"Was there a fight in your condo last evening?" my neighbor asked.
I share the 9th floor of my condo with one other person, a guy named John. This low population density allows me the luxury of talking to myself from time to time with impunity. I often wondered whether John could hear my occasional outbursts over one irritating thing or another, but he never told me so I assumed not. On Wednesday, however, as I was leaving to take Leben swimming in Middleburg, John caught me in the hall and asked, 'Was there a fight in your condo last evening at about 10:30?" Since there was none I answered, No, and then asked, Why did you ask that? He then said that he had heard some loud yelling and cursing for a few minutes. Then I remembered. As it turns out, after I finished giving Leben his evening therapy on the floor, as I attempted to get up, my back gave out on me and pinched a nerve. I couldn't move without exacerbating the pain. It took me minutes of struggling, accompanied by a few choice words of frustration, to finally get up and then carry Leben to his bed. Eventually, the pain diminished to bearable, where is still is now.
I have suffered from chronic back pain in one degree or another since I was 17. Usually, though exercise, I can get the pain to go away within hours or, in some cases days. A few times the pain was so great I could not get out of bed or walk without intensifying it. My guess is that this happens once every three or so years. It happened once when I was in Banff with Sonntag on our way to Alaska in 2000, but fortunately, after a series of exercises, accompanied by a generous dose of cursing, the pain diminished and we were on our way. Managing Sonntag, also a paralyzed German shepherd, was a cakewalk compared to managing Leben. Leben is 110 (Sonntag was 90), his rear leg disability is greater than Sonntag's and he has cartilage issues with his elbows. Moreover, I am with Leben about 100 percent of the time (with Sonntag, I was working) and I am 15 years older than I was when Sonntag became paralyzed.
Since I started to manage Leben as a paralyzed dog last October, this is the third time my back has given out on me, once in January, once in April and now this month. The once-very-three-years rule does not apply anymore. The xrays show that it is compressed dics pinching a nerve. Fortunately, visits to a chiropractor seem to help. (Cursing also seems to helps, but the right kind of cursing.)
All of this is by way of saying that I need to do something to deal with this before I leave for our trip. I cannot take a 16,000 trip (if that's what it turns out to be), alone with my two dogs, and have my back go out on me with all the work I need to do on the trip. In addition to managing Leben on the road, there are the numerous chores associated with setting up and breaking camp every day, including my lifting 50 pound containers to and from the roof rack several times a day. And the last thing in the world I need is to have my back go out on me when I am climbing the ladder to or from the roof rack.
To solve this potential showstopper before I go, I have three appointments with my chiropractor set up before I go. Also, I scheduled a visit with my masseuse to deal with a serious muscle problem in my right shoulder I got from the way I have to lift Leben. And just to make sure I covered all angles, I have scheduled several visits with my acupuncturist to get my system in balance after what I have been through these last six months. And this is on top of the final visits to a physical therapist following my arthroscopic surgery in March after I tore both menisci in my left knee in January getting Leben into my Defender, and three visits to my orthopedic surgeon for cortisone and U-Flexa shots in my left knee to eliminate the residual pain there.
I have suffered from chronic back pain in one degree or another since I was 17. Usually, though exercise, I can get the pain to go away within hours or, in some cases days. A few times the pain was so great I could not get out of bed or walk without intensifying it. My guess is that this happens once every three or so years. It happened once when I was in Banff with Sonntag on our way to Alaska in 2000, but fortunately, after a series of exercises, accompanied by a generous dose of cursing, the pain diminished and we were on our way. Managing Sonntag, also a paralyzed German shepherd, was a cakewalk compared to managing Leben. Leben is 110 (Sonntag was 90), his rear leg disability is greater than Sonntag's and he has cartilage issues with his elbows. Moreover, I am with Leben about 100 percent of the time (with Sonntag, I was working) and I am 15 years older than I was when Sonntag became paralyzed.
Since I started to manage Leben as a paralyzed dog last October, this is the third time my back has given out on me, once in January, once in April and now this month. The once-very-three-years rule does not apply anymore. The xrays show that it is compressed dics pinching a nerve. Fortunately, visits to a chiropractor seem to help. (Cursing also seems to helps, but the right kind of cursing.)
All of this is by way of saying that I need to do something to deal with this before I leave for our trip. I cannot take a 16,000 trip (if that's what it turns out to be), alone with my two dogs, and have my back go out on me with all the work I need to do on the trip. In addition to managing Leben on the road, there are the numerous chores associated with setting up and breaking camp every day, including my lifting 50 pound containers to and from the roof rack several times a day. And the last thing in the world I need is to have my back go out on me when I am climbing the ladder to or from the roof rack.
To solve this potential showstopper before I go, I have three appointments with my chiropractor set up before I go. Also, I scheduled a visit with my masseuse to deal with a serious muscle problem in my right shoulder I got from the way I have to lift Leben. And just to make sure I covered all angles, I have scheduled several visits with my acupuncturist to get my system in balance after what I have been through these last six months. And this is on top of the final visits to a physical therapist following my arthroscopic surgery in March after I tore both menisci in my left knee in January getting Leben into my Defender, and three visits to my orthopedic surgeon for cortisone and U-Flexa shots in my left knee to eliminate the residual pain there.
A little snag
It seems that starting two weeks before I take these trips, little snags begin to pop up all over the place, some with the potential to delay or even cancel the trips. Right one schedule, they are starting this year. I took the Defender into the Land Rover dealer today for its final servicing and came away with the bad news that my transfer box, which houses the gears, was almost empty of its oil because of a leak. I have to take in back in next Monday to get it repaired, which means being without it for two days. If I discovered this on the trip, I would have simply loaded up on cans of oil and filed it every now and then, but I cannot start out knowing what the situation is. Every time I discovered a leak in the past I got it repaired right away and so I will do that now. This trip is already fraught with enough potential problems as it is, and I do not need to worry about another one I now is there, or have to take the time ater a long day's drive to check something else.
African Queen
Starting two weeks before each trip, I enter a dark period: no TV except the Russian satellite service I get, only one daily newspaper (vs. the four I read daily), cancel Netflix, no phone calls except those related to the trip, no more entertainment or socializing, etc. To all intents and purposes, the trip starts now. On Thursday, I will pull out of storage the hundreds of items I will take on the trip and then, next Monday or so, set up about 14 stations around my home and start packing, one item at a time. Anticipating this, last night I allowed myself one last TV movie (the only thing I watch on TV) and, as luck would have it, The African Queen was playing. How ironic, I thought, because that kind of is like what these road trips are all about (without the romance, unless you want to call my relationship with my dogs a romance of sorts, which it is). Watch the movie and you will get some sense of life on one of these trips. Maybe I'll christen (or whatever a more secular word is) the Defender "The Alaskan King" for this trip.
Trial Run
Took a 250-mile drive into West Virgina in the wicked heat yesterday to see how the Defender, the dogs, and I held up in the heat. The Defender and the dogs did fine, but I can see where this upcoming trip is not going to be like the ones to Alaska in 2000, with Sonntag in his wheelchair, or in 2001, with Leben and Erde as 4-month old pups. To avoid the oppressive heat, at least until we get far enough north to leave it behind, my hope is to get as much done in the evening as possible so I can get underway by 900 each morning and get into a camp by 1500 at the latest, doing no more than 200-250 miles a day. It may take us 24 days to reach Prudhoe Bay, instead of the 15 it took us in 2000, but at least we'll make it.
New Tent for the road
Over the last 21 years, I probably bought 8 or 9 new tents. On these trips, I always take along at least two of them, sometimes three, just in case. Things happen to tents on these trips that may make them useless. For instance, in Alaska in 1992, a bear destroyed my tent as he (or she) went ambling thought my campsite. Fortunately, I was in a cookhouse about 30 feet away when this happened.
Last year I bought a new four-person (or one person, two-big-dog), three-season that worked out extremely well except in high winds (impossible to put up) or in the real cold weather like we had in northern Ontario in October. I also brought along my two-person, extreme North Face expedition tent, which worked well during the several times we had extreme weather, although things were a bit snug in there with Leben and Erde (they would say "with Ed.") Because of Leben's situation this year, and because of the chances of more extreme weather this year, I just bought a new North Face VE25 three-person, four-season tent to take along this year. (See photos and diagram below.) We'll have a little more room than in the two-person tent, but will have to sacrifice ease of setting it up for that extra comfort. I will not be able to stand up in it as I can the 4-person tent, but who wants to stand up for long in a tent anyway? Likewise, we will not be able to use our big, 8" thick air mattress in it, but I will probably not take that along anyway because it will be too difficult for Leben to maneuver around on. Instead, I got two extra-wide 3" thick self-inflating air mattresses that will fit just perfectly inside the three-person tent, and will allow me to leave a gap between the two so that the dogs fall into the 3" crevasse as they attempt to expropriate my mattress from me. We'll see.
Last year I bought a new four-person (or one person, two-big-dog), three-season that worked out extremely well except in high winds (impossible to put up) or in the real cold weather like we had in northern Ontario in October. I also brought along my two-person, extreme North Face expedition tent, which worked well during the several times we had extreme weather, although things were a bit snug in there with Leben and Erde (they would say "with Ed.") Because of Leben's situation this year, and because of the chances of more extreme weather this year, I just bought a new North Face VE25 three-person, four-season tent to take along this year. (See photos and diagram below.) We'll have a little more room than in the two-person tent, but will have to sacrifice ease of setting it up for that extra comfort. I will not be able to stand up in it as I can the 4-person tent, but who wants to stand up for long in a tent anyway? Likewise, we will not be able to use our big, 8" thick air mattress in it, but I will probably not take that along anyway because it will be too difficult for Leben to maneuver around on. Instead, I got two extra-wide 3" thick self-inflating air mattresses that will fit just perfectly inside the three-person tent, and will allow me to leave a gap between the two so that the dogs fall into the 3" crevasse as they attempt to expropriate my mattress from me. We'll see.
New Estimated Date of Departure
Although I have been planning for months to set out on July 15, I have just moved that until July 22 for several reasons, not to mention that my to-do list seems to get longer and the non-trip but essential time-consumers seem to be popping up a little more than usual.
The first reason is that I will not learn whether I won the lottery to drive the 80-mile road into Denali national park until July 15th. Whether or not I win it means that I have to prepare for different trips. If I win it, I could very well end up in some pretty severe winter -like weather during the weekend of he drive-in on September 12th or so.
The second reason is that I need to finish some physical therapy on my knee following the arthroscopic surgery in March after I tore both menisci in my left knee getting Leben into the back of my Defender in January. I also need to get a third shot of that U-Flexa fluid pumped into my knee to reduce the pain that seems to persist following the surgery. The last thing in the world that I need on this trip is to have bolts of pain shoot out from my knee as I climb that stainless steel ladder on the back of my Defender at least four times a day.
The third reason is that I need to wait and see how the new course of antibiotics Leben's dermatologist prescribed for him is working. Two years ago, we had to abort our trip at Thunder Bay (ON) because of a terrible skin allergy or infection that afflicted Leben. It came back again last year, although we cut that trip short because of his paralysis. I think, finally, we got the right prescription as his problem has all but disappeared in just four days. But in case it flares up again on the trip, I bought and will take along a Big Kahuna portable shower (see below photo) to bathe him twice a week. Because space is a premium in the Defender on these trips, I still need to figure out what I will have to jettison in order to take this along. My guess is that I will use it for the dog's first-aid and grooming kit. I have already given Leben several baths using this (it connects either to the Defender's cigarette lighter or to my portable battery charger) and it works beautifully. It holds 4.7 gallons of water, and to wash one big German shepherd it takes about 4 gallons. What a relief it was to find this. Especially since in the campsites they do not allow washing pets at the water spigots.
The first reason is that I will not learn whether I won the lottery to drive the 80-mile road into Denali national park until July 15th. Whether or not I win it means that I have to prepare for different trips. If I win it, I could very well end up in some pretty severe winter -like weather during the weekend of he drive-in on September 12th or so.
The second reason is that I need to finish some physical therapy on my knee following the arthroscopic surgery in March after I tore both menisci in my left knee getting Leben into the back of my Defender in January. I also need to get a third shot of that U-Flexa fluid pumped into my knee to reduce the pain that seems to persist following the surgery. The last thing in the world that I need on this trip is to have bolts of pain shoot out from my knee as I climb that stainless steel ladder on the back of my Defender at least four times a day.
The third reason is that I need to wait and see how the new course of antibiotics Leben's dermatologist prescribed for him is working. Two years ago, we had to abort our trip at Thunder Bay (ON) because of a terrible skin allergy or infection that afflicted Leben. It came back again last year, although we cut that trip short because of his paralysis. I think, finally, we got the right prescription as his problem has all but disappeared in just four days. But in case it flares up again on the trip, I bought and will take along a Big Kahuna portable shower (see below photo) to bathe him twice a week. Because space is a premium in the Defender on these trips, I still need to figure out what I will have to jettison in order to take this along. My guess is that I will use it for the dog's first-aid and grooming kit. I have already given Leben several baths using this (it connects either to the Defender's cigarette lighter or to my portable battery charger) and it works beautifully. It holds 4.7 gallons of water, and to wash one big German shepherd it takes about 4 gallons. What a relief it was to find this. Especially since in the campsites they do not allow washing pets at the water spigots.
To Take 2013
Washington, D.C., July 4th, 2013. In a few days, my home will start to be populated with about 14 different stations, each one to contain the contents of one of the 14 or so containers, boxes, storage units, etc. that will accompany us on our trip. Here is our to-take list for this year, which is simply last year's minus the items from last year, plus the new items for this year, of which there are few. The most difficult thing about packing for a trip like this is deciding which heavy-duty winter clothes to take when the temperature outside is 95 degrees. My guess is that 98% of the items on this list will eventually go with us, as I gladly toss things aside when I am in the process of packing. The factors I use to determine whether I toss something aside are the probability of needing it; whether it would be needed for an emergecny and whether I will be able to buy it somewhere en route. If the answers are "Low, No, Yes", the item usually gets tossed .
Hose
(maybe) and double connection
AC
hose and funnel
Battery jumper + light +
charger+ instructions (in console)
COMMUNICATIONS BOX (+ Instructions)
iPad
, keyboard; mike, etc;
Cell
phone etc.; Satellite phone etc.;
Multi-Charger
in Defender;
Cameras;
charger; etc; memory chips and battery
Beet
headphones, other headphones
CLOTHES
BAG –
Green Bag:
T
shirts (7); shorts (7); socks (; bandanas (7),
Blue Bag:
Polo
shirts (1); T-neck long sleeve shirts (1);
brown
and gray hooded sweat shirts
black
& green LS shirts
jogging
suit; (maybe)
LS
shirts (2) (black; officer);
Blue Bag purple tape:
suspenders,
Jeans; 511 pants/shorts; hiking pants; black jogging pants; Blackhawk belt; shorts; swim trunks
Camouflage bag:
Boots;
Merritt’s; sneakers;
Blue bag:
North face shell; black rain pants; rain hat;
rubbers
Maroon Bag:
Black Patagonia coat; red wind breaker
Large Purple bag purple
tape
Green REI winter jacket with liner, pants;
wool hat; heavy gloves
Small Purple bag
(2
watch caps; rain gloves; hats (2);
Thermal
underwear wear: tops (2); bottoms (2);
(blue TENT bag:
thermal
blue and black top and bottom; socks; watch hat; wool socks)
BACKPACK:
foot powder; Towel; toilet kit; laundry bag,
blue tent bag
TOILET
KIT:
Pill
box; scissors; shave cream; razor; blades; skeptic stick; lip salve; deodorants;
after shave; lotion; toot brush; paste; floss; rubber tip; night guard;
cleanser; nail clippers and brush; soap; wash cloth; brush; comb; VJX kit; OFF
+ Cortisone, tweezers, handy-wipes, TP
MEDICINE
CHEST (weekly pills in pill boxes)
My: Prav; Hydro; Aleve; D13; Multi; CoQ10;
Aspirin; SS; Ambien, Derm med; cold
pills; V
Dogs: Dasuquin; Previcox;
Gab; Trem; L’s antibiotic Ear drops; 2 topical antibios; Erde’s Ointment; Enzymes
Ear
Cleaner + gauze pads; syringe for HPO, Frontline, Heartworm
FIRST
AID KIT: Usual
stuff: band aids; etc.,
Burn items; cal lotion; Neosporin; fleet,
cortisone, HPO,
First aid books
DOGS’
stuff loose
Elizabethan collar
3 Bowls (2 LARGE , ONE SMALL)
red beds in D
step stool on rear platform step;
Wheelchair plus kit
canine coach + repair kit
Daily food box: Dry food; spoon; Viokase; pill
box
Portable shower (Kahuna) with shampoo, Zymox,
mousse
DOG
FOOD BOX:
42 pounds + 4 boxed treats
DOGS STUFF
BOX
Leben’s coat
Brush
Leashes:
1 long; 2 regular; 2 metal; short leashes;
collars;
Chain Collars; tags
Blue
dog; blue harness; sling
2
white blankets; 2 red blankets
4
towels; wash cloths
Muzzle
Paw
boots
2
sets Bandana repellant bandanas
Fly
off; Cloud nine + dispenser
Nail
clippers; tick kit: tweezers + cotton + HPO (in frst aid kit)
Nylon
bones (large); rawhide bones
Dog
bags
Red
lights (4)
L&E
Papers (in Office), Lost dog posters (in office)
Cloth
Underpads 2 large; 2 small
LEBEN’s WHEEL CHAIR
AND STROLLER
Wheelchair
+ accessories
Stroller
accessories and flat tire repair
ED’S
STUFF BOX
Thermometer (on D)
Handicap pass (on visor)
Glasses: Distance; Reading (2); sunglasses
Magnifying
glass
Compass
Binoculars
Duct
tape, glue, ties
DEET
etc., DEET candle, mosquito nets (2)
Multi-tool,
hunting knife, pen kmife
Screen
+ Velcro
Batteries
D; AA; AAA, etc.
Lights:
Tent; flashlights: black, yellow; headlights
Pipe,
tobacco, lighters, cleaners
Mosquito
nets
IN
DEFENDER CABIN
Dash tray
Dash Board
Console: flares; flashlight;
battery jumper; Def Op manual; chargers;
SDB
Elsewhere Emergency contacts
(under seat)
MAP
ROOM
Woodall’s; Milepost; ANNR; KOA; AAA Maps
LIBRARY: Tesson; Books?
OFFICE
Clip board
Pens
Bix
journal;
notebooks
Check
list; rules of road; contact list; papers; etc.
Lost
dog posters
Planning
Book for trip (contacts, PWs, etc.)
SDB
Dogs’
papers;
Passport
Extra
car keys; house keys
Extra
cash; checks
Extra
credit card;
Cards:
KOA; ANNR; national Parks ; Fed ID; Navy ID
Copies
of driver’s license; insurance card; passport; etc.
LINEN
CLOSET
Towels (4+2) + pillow cases; small towels (3)
wash clothes (3)
Red
blankets; white blankets
EQUIPMENT
Sleeping
bags (2)
2
mats + pillow
4
man tent:; floor; footprint/tarp; stakes; extra poles
Tent:
North face + footprint; extra poles
Extra
Stakes + rope
Green
floors (2) (in Defender)
Red
Emergency blankets (in Defender or linen bag)
Tarps
(3)
2
Set(s) of 2 poles + rope/stakes
Nylon
Rope (in Garage or Recovery Bag or Stuff Box)
Stake bag: stakes, rope, mallet,
D clips
DEFENDER
Winch
+ control cord; air compressor hose
Air
pressure gauge (in dash tray)
Off
road recovery rope, hitch; winch bag; tire iron; rope
Workshop
manual + parts manual (CD; iPad; hard copy in GARAGE)
Electric
cord + grey cord for battery charger
Chains
2
spare tires (wrench for rack if there)
Shovel;
pull pal; Hi-jack (+plate)
5
gallon spare water tank and spout
5
gallon Gas can and spout
Stool
for top of recovery platform
Screen
for radiator; wire mesh for headlights
Flares
(in console); warning triangles
Fire
extinguisher (in Console)
Chair
Strap
bags (2): bungee cords, container straps
Trash
can + platic bags
Dog’s
insulated floor board
GARAGE
Extra parts; key/ignition, distributor, belts,
hoses
Oil 5/30 synthetic (2); antifreeze;
gurry/brake oil; window fluid
Oil filters
Workshop manual and parts manual
Flat tire repair kit
Rearview mirror repair kit
TOOL BOX
wrenches;
pliers; screw drivers; mallet
JB
weld (2 kinds); Extra fuses; lights; headlight
Bolt
cutters; wire cutters; hack saw; hatchet
UTILITY
ROOM
Brush
Lysol
cleaner liquid
Lysol
cloths
Shop
(Paper towels)
Air
spray
Green
trash bags
Doggie
wipes ; dog powder
KITCHEN
DEET candle
Table cloth; napkins
Trash bags
2 green cups, brown cup, wine glass
Utensils:
Spoons, can opener
Coffee
pot
Bowls;
plates; COOKING POT
Stove
fuel (6); matches/lighters (fireplace)
Pipe,
tobacco, tamper
Soap;
pot scrubber
Kitchen
towels; hot mat; Shop towels
Everyday Food Bag
(EFB) in kitchen (red)
coffee,
tea, lemon juice; banana chips, peanut butter, dog treats;
Extra
food bag (XFB)
FOOD
BOX Daily
meal boxes)
Juice, Oatmeal (2),Raisins,
Soymilk; fruit cup; coffee(silk)
Energy bars, Trail
mix,,, PB crackers; coffee (silk)
V8
juice,(Soups/ fish., veggies, rice), Wine, Choc/Cook/Yorks
Green Cooler
Thermos
Container for dog treats in car
Dogs’ food: Dry; treats
SUPPLY BOX
Extra fuel
Extra Food
Extra dog food
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