The Long Trail Day 18

Woke up to no rain!  I was very happy that we decided to hold up before climbing to the summit of Mount Abraham.  It was probably the toughest climb that Tennille and I have had thus far.  It was nearly a mile long slab and rock scramble that was above tree line.  We did have high winds, but at least the rocks were fairly dry, allowing us to climb.  For most of thus climb I had to allow Tennille off leash.  She is a faster climber than I am, takes different routes, and would always stop about every 59 feet to make sure that I was okay.  I am really happy were worked on off leash recall the past few weeks.  Once we got tot the top, we summited Mt. Lincoln and Mt. Ellen before starting a steep descent.  We had our first encounter with ladders.  With a 5 tiered section covering nearly 50 feet of close to vertical descent, I was forced to down climb, drop my pack, climb back up, grab Tennille's harness and carry her down each section.  Needless to say, the process was slow, but we made it down safely.  I met some day hikers who told me this is the roughest section of the entire Long Trail.  The pair were a very nice couple who, after hearing my story, wanted to take our picture, learn how to follow us on Facebook, and are planning to become Guide Dogs for the Blind donors.  I was very moved and grateful.  Speaking of Guide Dogs for the Blind and donating, there is still a small window of time to vote for Tennille to be a poster dog for the Guide Dogs for the Blind 2015 calendar.  Tennille would like to thank Taste of the Wild for her food, In Clover for her supplements, and Varsity Pets for her "drool fuel."  The combination is working really well.  Tomorrow we head to Highway 17 for a long resupply and heading over Camel's Hump, hopefully completing  the most difficult section of the Long Trail.  Thanks to everyone for your well wishes and all of your comments-- we really appreciate them.