Sunday, July 13, 2008

Short vacation

I took a long weekend starting last Thursday and went up to the Hoh Rainforest on the Olympic Peninsula with a big group of people. It was fun, but on the whole, I'd rate it at about a 5 in terms of its value as a vacation. Sure, I rested and took enough time off to where I'm excited to see my co-workers again, but the National Park system is just too unfriendly to dogs to make it worth a visit. I know most of you aren't dog owners so you can't visualize the challenge it is to do anything with dogs, but I'll sum it up for you:

1. It is cruel to go camping without one's dog. A dog is a loyal companion who spends most of his life in a house and deserves to tag along on any romping outdoors that the family does. It's only fair.
2. Romping means romping. Dogs like to get the occasional chance to stretch their limbs and go buck-wild, which they will never be able to do on a six foot leash.
3. Dogs must be kept on a six foot leash at all times within all campgrounds in the National Parks.
4. Dogs are not allowed on hiking trails in the National Parks. Or on most beaches. Or at hot springs. Or anywhere else that the ranger might catch you.
5. I have two dogs. Therefore, they come with me if I go camping.

I had to skip all the fun hiking trips that the group did and I got turned around by a park ranger on the beach when I hadn't realized I was beyond the dog-friendly invisible line. The rest of the party went on. Nathan and I had to go back to camp.

I have decided that I hate the National Park system and that it's time for a personal boycott. I don't like being treated like a second-class citizen because I have dogs(gasp!). These strict rules basically are the Park system's way of saying "no dogs allowed." The rules are ostensibly there to protect me, but I sometimes get sick of all the regulations and protections on society sometimes. People need to realize that, sure, sometimes dogs get in fights. Sometimes cougars attack. Things in life can be dangerous, especially when doing fun things outdoors. I think people need to get used to that idea and either go camping knowing that there are animals in this world, some of which are dogs, or not camp. The woods belong to the dogs too.

Other people like to excuse barring dogs from the park by saying that owners won't pick up after them. I have to say that I pick up my dog's poop almost all the time. Why almost and not always? Let me ask you...what are the hiker's recommendations for if a person has to poop? Should he scoop it up in a bag and carry it back home? You'll only find the craziest nutbag doing that. A common sense rule is to use a camping shovel to bury it. This is because it just so happens that...get ready now...animals poop in the woods. All of them, all over the place. Only a few of them bury it. Then people say, "but your dogs' poop carries diseases that people could catch!" Oh really? My annually vaccinated dogs are more of a threat to your health than the never vaccinated wild animals that live in the park? I don't think so. And anyone who catches a disease by rooting around in animal poop in the park probably deserved it.

So after all that ranting, I have to say that I still had fun. The Hoh Rainforest is beautiful - the part of it that I got to see anyway. And I had something to look forward to in coming back: I get my chickens tomorrow if all goes well. Oh, and I got to take a shower!

3 comments:

cvnvcbe said...

The only thing harder than traveling with a dog is traveling with a dog that exceeds nearly every hotel's weight restrictions. It's pretty much Motel 6 or nowhere. Have fun with Marla when she's older!

On the state park thing, I was happy to see that dogs weren't allowed in the grand canyon. I don't think any dog should be forced on that death march. I didn't realize it was all national parks though - that's ridiculous.

Anonymous said...

I am also annoyed at the restrictions that are placed on dogs. My most recent gripe is that I had to leave Rohan at home when I went to VA to visit my family. My aunt decided that it was not acceptable to bring him (last stop on my trip, one day out of a week) and because of that I had to travel without him. It was either that or not see my grandparents and my cousin's new baby. :(

At least they are building dog parks here in Rochester. I am happy that a couple pet-friendly organizations finally got together and set it up. I would be extremely mad if I couldn't go hiking with Rohan, especially if everyone else on the trip went on ahead without me. Stupid park. Animals are meant to be in the woods!

Mahesh Raj Mohan said...

That's stupid. We used to take my dog everywhere, too (but never camping), so I would've been similarly annoyed. I personally like seeing romping dogs.