Ferris has always been a great traveler. But he hasn’t always been a great hiker. For a Boston Terrier, his back legs are a bit too long. Walking downhill and then stopping quickly to smell something usually results in a hilarious barrel role. As with all dogs though, perseverance is the key to success–both for training and for clumsiness.

The difference for this dog though is that is wasn’t him that needed to be trained. It was us. We used to panic every time he tumbled forward or thrashed violently as he panicked and tried to get his feet under him again. On this 5-and-a-half mile hike, Ferris gradually trained us to simply laugh at him, and eventually ignore him. He ignored the fact that he was wallowing in the dirt far too often too.

I’m not sure how we’ve been hiking in this area for three decades and had never climbed to the top of Donner Peak- or Mt. Judah for that matter. (We’ve skied there, but taking a ski lift to the top isn’t quite the same.)

Our hike in the northern Sierras maxed out 8200 feet elevation and was pretty technical at the beginning and end with a lot of deep sharp granite rocks. Ferris had set a record distance hike for him, so in the backpack he went for the last half mile. He has trained us well.