What we’re about
FOLKS: DO NOT DONATE TO OUR MEETUP FOR DOG-TREKKER'S. We are solvent! haha.
Dear Fellow Dog Trekkers (Be sure to click READ MORE for full info):
1. THE TAKE-AWAY: Dogs are pack animals. Humans too! We love to hang with members of our own and nothing's better then a Sunday morning trek (I prefer "trek" to "walk") with both - dogs & humans. It's healthy, low impact, eco-friendly and your dog will truly love you for it. And hopefully s/he will sleep all night. Maybe you too! Our treks are approximately two hours. We Meetup EVERY 3rd Sunday of EVERY month (except August - too hot for wearing a fur coat! And January - too cold!) and/or unless the weather is really, really nasty. Join us.
It's always a hoot when we move-out with a dozen plus dogs of all sizes, shapes and breeds yelping their heads off. It is Iditarod w/o ice, snow, frozen rivers, blizzards or chapped lips! No bears or wolves either.
2. THE FLUFF: As mentioned, we Meetup once a month, except August & January for a Green Bay Trail trek.
3. OUR CORE TREK IS THE GREEN BAY TRAIL: From the south going north the Green Bay Trail is a forested, sometimes heavily forested, asphalt/gravel/dirt sided RR frontage with some gorgeous residential streets in the beginning and lots of well-groomed "hidden" parks. We start in Wilmette, walk through Kenilworth and turnaround in Winnetka. Tiger lily's are everywhere in the summer, autumn colors can be fantastic, winter is dark and deep and spring is a... tease!
4. Finding our Trailhead for the Green Bay Trail, is simple: We Meetup fifty-ish feet DIRECTLY across from the Wilmette Fire Station, 1304 Lake Avenue, Wilmette in the north-end of the Metra parking lot. To put it slightly differently, we Meetup at the s/e corner of Lake Avenue & Green Bay Road, Wilmette, Il. If our Meetup site had its own address, it would be 1303 Lake Ave. Parking is FREE on weekends. This is our trailhead. From there we will trek north on the Green Bay Trail - it is clearly marked. We out-trek for one hour and then back-trek for one hour to our trailhead (Now you see why I prefer the word "trek"... to say we will "out-walk" and "back-walk" sounds sooo stooopid. Plus "trek" is a cool word!)
Want a Green Bay Trail Map? https://www.traillink.com/trail-maps/green-bay-trail/ Don't let the total length of the trail shock you - we only go one hour "in-country" and then back one hour. We then have an optional noon-ish tailgate. Its BYOB (humans) and BYOMB - Bring your own Milk Bones (dogs).
Trail
Now for the basic housekeeping stuff:
4. CANINE GEAR (suggested minimum): Pooch poop bags, water & a pooch bowl - there is only one fountain on the trail. It usually works (?).
5. HUMAN GEAR (suggested minimum): Comfortable shoes, human water, weather gear, sunglasses and a hat.
6. RESCUE & SHELTER GROUPS are strongly encouraged to bring their charges: The more the merrier. Sorry, no cats or edible mammals.
7. GOT DOG-FRIENDS? Got dog-less friends who love dogs & who like to walk? Bring 'em.
8. WEATHER POLICY: Naturally if the weather is exceptionally nasty we will cancel. Be sure to check your email the night (or morning) before a trek - especially if Tom Skilling is in a bad mood. I will not cancel for a minor "chance of showers/snow" forecast. Thunder, extreme heat/cold and Armageddon type stuff... yes.
9. A (human) Treat: Senator George Graham Vest's short, three paragraph, summation speech (c. 1855) "Tribute to the Dog". It will bring a tear to your eye in a GOOD way. http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/vest.htm
Q & A's:
Q1: "Don't different dogs and different owners all trek at different pace's?" Yes... and it doesn't matter! Simply out-trek at you & your dogs pace for an hour and then back at your pace for an hour. We will all get back to the same place (our starting Trailhead) at the same time. It's a Festivus Miracle!
Q2: "What if I'm late and miss the pack on the out-trek?" No problem. Simply check your watch and out-trek half-way "time-wise" and return. Example: You arrive at the trailhead at 10:40 am and we are gone. It's one hour and twenty minute's until noon (80 minutes total). Following the Green Bay Trail signs, out-trek north for 40 minutes... turn-around and return. You should then catch us on our back-trek and now with us, be back at the trailhead at noon. Another Festivus Miracle! I will be wearing a blaze orange hat & jeans.
Q3: "My dog is up in his/her years (health) and can't do a two hour trek. Can we still come?" ABSOLUTELY... You can meet us at the start (10 am), trek-out with us for as long as you wish and return. Or purposely come late (11 am?), out-trek 30 minutes and back-trek 30 minutes for our tailgate "party'. See Q4.
Q4: "What happens at noon?" At noon-ish, we re-convene at the Metra Lot/Trailhead and... tail-gate (hee hee) and BYOB or______? There's a Walgreen's on the s/w corner of our trailhead in case you need something, a BP Gas Station on the n/w corner if nature calls (or the Metra Station). And as mentioned, the fire department is on the n/e corner if you have a stroke! The tail-gate also serves as a good cooling down for man & beast.
Barks & Yelps,
Jim McCarthy, Fearless Leader (I have a "Fearless Leader" patch that proves it. So there!)
