Following Atticus: Forty-Eight High Peaks, One Little Dog, and an Extraordinary Friendship by Tom Ryan is published by William Morrow. It tells the story of my adventures with Atticus M. Finch, a little dog of some distinction. You can also find our column in the NorthCountry News.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Who Cares What the Calendar Says...It's Spring!

This is a sure sign spring is here. Atticus refuses to drink on winter hikes. He always has. Instead he eats snow. So let yesterday's brief stop at a mountain stream along the Boulder Loop Trail signal the official change of seasons. (For those not wanting to trust Atticus, the "official" start of spring is on Sunday.)

2 comments:

Ellen Snyder said...

Hi Tom -- Kodi seems to share some genes with Atticus. He too doesn't drink on hikes in the winter. We put a water bowl in front of Kodi after a 7 hour hike and he wants no part of it. As soon as the streams and pond edges open up in the spring, Kodi is in -- lapping up the water and cooling off. So Spring arrived for Kodi too this week!

Thomas F. Ryan said...

It's definitely and oddity. But at least we don't have to worry about their pet water bottles freezing during winter hikes.

I've noticed Atticus does eat his fair share of snow for fluid replacement. And when we get home he drinks a lot as well.

Since he seems to know what he's doing and he's been doing it since the beginning I don't question it.