Dog on Quandary West Ridge?

Dogs, dogs and even some cats
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crossfitter
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Re: Dog on Quandary West Ridge?

Post by crossfitter »

WinterKlondike wrote:I know this, of course. Getting a dog off any route would not be easy but I take that chance every time I take her hiking. I know she prefers it to sitting at home.
Ask yourself this very carefully and honestly: Do you want to take her on the West Ridge for you or for her? Most dogs are perfectly content with licking themselves, eating their own poo, and chasing after the occasional stick. I'm sure she will be perfectly content with class 1 hikes and has little preference for more difficulty.
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oldschoolczar
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Re: Dog on Quandary West Ridge?

Post by oldschoolczar »

crossfitter wrote:
WinterKlondike wrote:I know this, of course. Getting a dog off any route would not be easy but I take that chance every time I take her hiking. I know she prefers it to sitting at home.
Ask yourself this very carefully and honestly: Do you want to take her on the West Ridge for you or for her? Most dogs are perfectly content with licking themselves, eating their own poo, and chasing after the occasional stick. I'm sure she will be perfectly content with class 1 hikes and has little preference for more difficulty.
Agreed... very well put.
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WinterKlondike
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Re: Dog on Quandary West Ridge?

Post by WinterKlondike »

crossfitter wrote:
WinterKlondike wrote:I know this, of course. Getting a dog off any route would not be easy but I take that chance every time I take her hiking. I know she prefers it to sitting at home.
Ask yourself this very carefully and honestly: Do you want to take her on the West Ridge for you or for her? Most dogs are perfectly content with licking themselves, eating their own poo, and chasing after the occasional stick. I'm sure she will be perfectly content with class 1 hikes and has little preference for more difficulty.
As any dog owner knows she would rather be with me over doing anything, but I'm not willing to put her in extreme danger, so that is why i'm asking the opinion of the 14ers.com user group. It is hard to make a judgement call when you all don't know her ability level and I don't know the route. . . i appreciate the feedback.
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Re: Dog on Quandary West Ridge?

Post by Brandons Dad »

It's been years since I climbed that route, but what I remember most is the homestretch, up high on the ridge. You will likely encounter sections that may require the testing of handholds and footholds. Humans can test these sufficiently, while dogs cannot. Whatever you decide, be safe for you, be safe for your dog.
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JB99
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Re: Dog on Quandary West Ridge?

Post by JB99 »

Our Golden did it with us back in the pre-Internet days... It was hers (and my) first 14er. She did fine. If you are confident in your dogs ability to climb class three then I don't think there is anywhere on that route that should keep the dog from making it. It also is an unpopular route and mostly ridge climbing so kicking rocks around won't be as big a problem as on other routes.
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DeTour
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Re: Dog on Quandary West Ridge?

Post by DeTour »

Sounds to me like you've pretty much made up your mind to do it. I haven't taken a dog on any 14er, so I don't have perspective on that, but since you asked, I'd say photos 18 and 19 of the route description pretty much tell the story. If you think your dog (presumably with rope) can handle that wall in photo 18, there's nothing else on the route that's harder. Nor is there a great deal of sustained class 3 scrambling to wear you both out - the route is really class 2 most of the way, with a fun but relatively short stretch at 14,000 feet with a lot of scrambling.

The downclimb before the wall, photo 19, is about as tough as the wall itself. There's no person in photo 19 for scale, but know that it's a similar total height to the wall in photo 18. Our group found both the downclimb and the ascent of the wall to be surprisingly easy, for humans, but I don't know about canines. Opposable thumbs are pretty handy in situations like that.

The only other advice I can suggest is to make sure the dog doesn't lock herself into the car before the hike. I read somewhere that kinda sucks.
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edhaman
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Re: Dog on Quandary West Ridge?

Post by edhaman »

WinterKlondike, it might be helpful if we had a little info on your dog. How old? What breed? How many pounds? The ultimate question is: Are you willing and able to carry your dog back to the car if necessary? From my experience, in relation to 14ers routes, if the dog is anything other than a 6-pound Chihuahua, the answer is "no."
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Re: Dog on Quandary West Ridge?

Post by Jim Davies »

How are you getting off the mountain? On this route, that's an important thing to decide in advance. Best choice is usually descending the east ridge route, then two miles up the road to Blue Lakes if you left your car there.
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nomadelmundo
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Re: Dog on Quandary West Ridge?

Post by nomadelmundo »

there are so many dog haters on this forum it's unbelievable.. Quandary will be fine for ur companion have fun... just avoid any class 3s...
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LuLuLuv
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Re: Dog on Quandary West Ridge?

Post by LuLuLuv »

The west route is class 3 with loose rock. My dog is an excellent climber, but I think I would avoid taking her up that route. Cristo couloir might be a better choice.
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klinger
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Re: Dog on Quandary West Ridge?

Post by klinger »

I try to bring the dog whenever I can, and she is very awesome and doesnt bother anybody. A couple weeks ago some lady's small dog virtually attacked me (harmlessly), snatching my hat out of my hands and driving me absolutely batsh!t crazy for several minutes. I was mad at the dog and at the lady, but I am a dog person, and MY dog is STILL awesome. Unfortunately owners constantly make bad decisions that the rest of us dog and nondog people have to pay the consequences for.

Take all the anti-dog statements with a grain of salt, there are at least a dozen people on this forum who "hike" their neighborhood once a year and just login to be jerks about your dog. This forum does not represent the sentiment on the trail by ANY means.

Just don't do anything stupid, but then again that really has nothing to do with your dog.
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WinterKlondike
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Re: Dog on Quandary West Ridge?

Post by WinterKlondike »

DeTour wrote:The only other advice I can suggest is to make sure the dog doesn't lock herself into the car before the hike. I read somewhere that kinda sucks.
that wouldn't be referring to my trail report from last week would it?? haha and thanks everyone for your feedback. i have been taking all comments with a grain of salt, as stated before only I know my dogs abilities. Now if my climbing partner hadnt ditched on me i'd give it a go tomorrow. . . oh well maybe later in the week.
- It's not the number of breaths you take but rather the moments that take your breath away.
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