During December we are going to take a brief break from posting trail reviews and will resume in January. However, to wrap up this year’s adventures, we’d like to present our 2nd Annual Golden Tail Wags Awards. Oh sure you’d expect this to be about the best of the best. It’s not. Our awards are in honor of the weird and wonderful things we have seen while visiting Dog Friendly Places in 2017. Rest assured these awards are not your average superlatives and definitely nothing to shake a stick at!
Strangest Sign: We’ve seen a lot of signs on our hikes. This one wins as the strangest. While hiking at the Salmon Falls Preserve, in Lebanon, ME, we came across this handwritten sign “How the hell am I supposed to tell people my hot cakes are selling well?” I thought for sure it must be a movie quote, but Google searches came up empty. However, since no hot cakes were found on the trail that day, or people for that matter, I’m going to assume this person packed up their hot cakes and headed to a more populated area to spread the good news about their sales.
Penciled in, someone added the endorsement, “This is awesome.”
Most Poetic Sign: Apparently Asa isn’t the only one with a flair for poetry. This sign at the Ghost Trail in Salisbury, MA, made us all smile. Oh and even if your name isn’t Spot, always pickup the poo and take it with you!
Who knew poop bags could inspire poetry?
Bloom Where You Are Planted: The winner of the Bloom Where You Are Planted Award goes to the beach roses growing along the rugged cliffs of the Giant’s Stairs in Harpswell, ME. Nestled in a crevice in the inhospitable rocks, these beautiful flowers were blooming with the waves crashing all around them.
This photo does not do justice to these beautiful beach roses and the thundering surf.
Novelty Size Finds: We have a tie in the Golden Tail Wags Awards Novelty Size Finds category. A first in the two year history of our awards! Probably because it is the first time we’ve done this category. Anyways, the award goes to the huge mushroom we saw growing along the Ann Stokes Loop Trail at Madame Sherri Forest, in Chesterfield, NH. As well as to the ginormous clam shell we found at Pine Point Beach in Scarborough, ME.
Sorry no real scale here. Picture the circumference of a large pumpkin!
I know this goes against our take only photos philosophy, but who can resist a novelty size clam shell?
Bird of a Different Feather Award: We at Living with a Golden have seen all sorts of birds at the beach, from Seagulls to Pipping Plovers, to Cormorants. However, it was at Cape Neddick Beach in York, ME that for the first time we saw Canadian Geese enjoying a day of sun and surf.
We’ve met many human Canadians along Maine Beaches, but it was a surprise to meet feathered Canadians at this beach.
Toughest Building Ordinance: Asa and I are always alert for the presence of Fairies on our hikes, ever since that unfortunate incident where Asa accidentally destroyed a Fairy House. However, a rousing round of applause for the Cliff Trail in Harpswell, ME for having the most stringent Fairy House Building Codes, so dogs know for certain where a stick is more than a stick. The “Fairy Code Enforcement Officer” certainly has his work cutout for himself here monitoring the contractors for these mysterious winged creatures.
Better bring a ruler…”Maximum footprint 1 sq. ft. Maximum size 1 cubic ft.”
Most Ironic Plaque: Labeled on all the trail maps and kiosks at Ravenswood Park in Gloucester, MA is the location of the bronze plaque dedicated to Mason Walton, the “Hermit of Gloucester.” I’m not sure the hermit would want everyone knowing the location of where his cabin once stood in the 1800s, but at least the Gloucester Women’s Club waited until he had passed away to erect the plaque.
The hermit certainly had good taste choosing these woods for his home.
Most Dogs Seen on an Adventure: Now one would assume we’d see the most dogs in one place during one of our beach reviews on a warm spring day. Nope. This prestigious Golden Tail Wags Award goes to the summit of Mt Kearsarge in Warner, NH, where after a moderate hike we were greeted on the summit by over 30 dogs! Sorry I don’t have a photo of all the dogs at the summit. But here is Otto who we met along the trail.
I don’t think Otis believed me when I told him how many dogs were waiting for him at the summit.
Friendliest Place on Earth: Now most people think this award is for Disney World. Once again you are wrong. We present the Friendliest Place on Earth Award to Satan’s Kingdom in Northfield, MA. Not long after we arrived at this remote hiking trail, we were greeted by a young man who’s grandfather owns the abutting property that grants hikers the right of way to Satan’s Kingdom. He first assumed we were lost, probably with good reason, since we were in the middle of nowhere with Maine license plates. So he politely asked if we needed help. But when he heard we were there to hike, he happily told us all about the recreational uses of the trail, as well as the history of the area including the logging operation his grandfather started there sometime around the 1930s.
The Colonists may have feared Satan’s Kingdom, but we sure liked it!
Golden Paradise: Finally, our last presentation for the Golden Tail Wags Awards 2017 goes to Dog Mountain for being a Golden Paradise! Ok, so we were there during the 3rd Annual New England Golden Jubilee, which is why there were so many Golden Retrievers partying in one place that day. However, with it’s no leash law, endless fields to run, ponds to swim in, and trails to hike, Dog Mountain in St. Johnsbury, VT truly is a Golden Paradise!
Can you find Asa and me in this photo?
Thus concludes the 2nd annual Golden Tail Wags Awards! If you would like to congratulate any of our winners in person, you can find the locations mentioned on our Dog Friendly Places page. We’ll be reviewing new trails, beaches, and scenic walks in 2018! However, now it it’s time for the after party!!!!
Asa, how many times do I have to tell you? STOP using the Golden Tail Wags Trophy as a water bowl! No one will take us serious! Now sit still and pose for the official photo!
