**Lake Bonita, Moreau Lake State Park, pic by M Waldman**

SPRING GATHERING, GRAFTON LAKES STATE PARK, SATURDAY, JUNE 20

Join us at the THC Spring Gathering at Grafton Lakes State Park, at the Deerfield Pavilion on Saturday, June 20. You may come for all or part of the event. Meet old friends and make new friends!

We will start with a brief meeting at 9:30 at the Deerfield Pavilion, which will include voting on the 2026 Bylaws amendments. After the meeting we plan to hike around Shaver Pond and take a side trip on the Granville Hicks Trail. You can paddle on Long Pond or stroll along the beach if you don’t want to hike.

We will meet again at the Deer Field Pavilion for a “bring your own” picnic lunch. If you cannot make the morning hike you can still join us for the picnic lunch; plan to arrive by 11:30.

After the picnic you can paddle on Long Pond, take another hike, or relax and hang out at the pavilion. Bring your own kayak or canoe; remember to bring your life vest, white light, and whistle.

‘RUFF’ COMPANY - YOU AND DOGS ON THE TRAIL

Some of us like hiking alone (I do on occasion!) but most of us have a hiking buddy or two. Among the most popular hiking buddies around are the four legged kind. It’s hard to hike for too long without seeing our best friends on the trails with our fellow hikers and even those of us who don’t currently own a dog can’t help but appreciate a good boy (or girl) enjoying the trail with our fellow enthusiasts.

The trails are a great place to exercise our dogs, have some companionship and, frankly, enjoy a sense of security when they are with us. Like anything we do on the trails, or anywhere else for that matter, bringing our dogs out with us, while rewarding, comes with risk as well. We need to be aware of our fellow hikers and the dynamics between them and our dogs when we bring them out into the local parks, preserves and forests.

I have been an insurance claims professional for over ten years and have handled thousands of claims. Some of these, unfortunately, are personal injury claims and some of those involve our four legged friends. While we enjoy their company, we have to be constantly aware that they are also our responsibility.

Last year NY amended their dog bite laws to change their previous “one-bite” rule rather substantially. Now, due to a NY court decision, a dog owner can be sued if he or she fails to control their dog and that dog injures someone due to the owner’s lack of “reasonable care” even if the dog has no aggressive history.

So what does that mean? That means that if your 75-pound friendly ball of love Labrador bounds up to a person on the trail just looking to slobber all over their shoes and get a belly rub and knocks the person down breaking their arm – you can be sued. If you dog jumps on a fellow hiker and his nails tear their $400 jacket? You can be sued for property damage. Your dog attacks another dog on the trail and the vet bill is $2000? You can be sued for it. Yelling “he’s friendly” as your dog charges someone is not a substitute for control either.

And then what? Again, not to give specific advice, but your homeowners or renter’s insurance, if you have it, will likely step in to defend you in a lawsuit if your dog hurts someone or damages property. Even if they settle the case for you, prepare to have your rates skyrocket or to get your policy dropped. Also be prepared to now have a claim history for an aggressive dog claim that follows you when you apply for insurance. Trying to get a new policy while you are flagged as having an aggressive dog could be very difficult and is almost assuredly going to be insanely expensive. It is rare, but you may find that, unbeknownst to you, you bought a policy that excludes injury or damage caused by pets. This usually lists a series of dog breeds that insurance underwriters have decided are especially “dangerous”. If this clause exists in your policy, the insurance company may not defend you at all, leaving you to fend for yourself.

To complicate matters, many of us hike in privately owned preserves or private land. The owners here could be litigated against by an injured person as well. As we are all well aware most of the conservation groups who generously donate time and money to keeping us all happy with fantastic hiking, camping and backpacking opportunities are not swimming in money. Making sure we have control of our puppies is not only protecting our pets and ourselves, but the people and organizations that make our hobbies possible.

All of this, of course, is secondary to the fact that, even if it is by accident, no one wants your dog injuring people or property, possibly seriously.

So what can you do?

Use a leash. You are generally exercising “reasonable care” when you are controlling your dog. If a person approaches your dog without permission or another dog approaches, you are still using reasonable care. I know we all want to believe our dog can be off leash because “he always comes when I call”. Maybe he does. Maybe he won’t. You are risking a great deal if you are wrong. Also, do not rely on “dogs allowed off leash” signs as protection. No one can absolve you of your duty to control your animal with a sign or a policy. Citing the rules of the preserve is not a strong legal defense.

Make sure people see you when you are out with your dog and make sure you give them warning when approaching if they do not. Most of us love dogs and love seeing them on the trail. Not everyone though. Some people don’t like dogs. Some people are allergic to them. Others are afraid of them – perhaps a previous bad experience has soured them. All of those things are ok. Don’t force your dog on people who are not interested. It is not their job to socialize your dog and they are certainly not required to put up with your lovable but excited dog licking them, jumping on them or running into them. Yelling “he’s friendly” as your barking, growling dog charges someone is really not helpful. That could be interpreted as your dog threating someone. Certainly if a strange hiker yelled at you while charging at you full speed, his companion screaming “he’s friendly!” from behind is not going to be much comfort.

If your dog is the excitable type, pull him a bit closer when you see people coming, especially smaller, older or very young hikers. Your dog is very likely not trying to hurt anyone, but if he’s a big guy, he can very easily knock someone down without meaning it and on a trail full of rocks and roots, that’s trouble.

As hikers without dogs, we have responsibility here too.

You are not entitled to approach and pet peoples’ dogs. If you see a dog and want to pet him – simply ask. If the answer is no, it likely isn’t personal. Maybe Fido is having a bad day or just isn’t super social. Maybe the hiker just wants to hike in peace and doesn’t want to stop to talk. That’s all fine. Approaching a dog you don’t know is not a good idea. Don’t do it.

Don’t yell at or call to other people’s dogs. Yelling and throwing things is a great way to scare or agitate the dog – that’s not only unwise but insanely rude. Calling to a dog might seem innocent but if the owner is trying to control an excited dog, you might be creating chaos.

The best way to approach with your dog or approach someone with a dog is to ask yourself – if the dog were a person, is this ok? In other words, if you wouldn’t walk up to me and lick my hand (please don’t) your dog shouldn’t either. If you wouldn’t call a stranger’s child over to play with you (please don’t) you should not be calling their dog over.

No one wants to see “no dogs allowed” signs going up. It robs dog owners of their companion while they hike and robs responsible, respectful hikers who get permission to pet your dog a quick moment of fun on the trail here and there. Being smart and responsible dog owners and hikers can keep our preserves and trails open to dogs and a great experience for us all.

We owe to ourselves, our pets and our fellow enthusiasts to do our parts. By: Ed Kuehn

END to END CHALLENGE CANCELLED & RESCHEDULED

The May 9, 2026 End-to End event was cancelled because of the forecast for steady rain with temperatures in the 30’s and 40’s. We were thinking of cancelling, then both NYS DEC and MA DCR, who issue permits for the event, told us we should cancel. The event has been rescheduled for next year, May 8, 2027, we will return to our standard biennial schedule after that. We will maintain the current roster and payments. Refunds will be mailed to anyone requesting one. Those on the current wait list will receive priority back filling on cancellations.

OUTINGS: Refer to the THC website outings page for details about the outings and how to register. We schedule on a monthly and short-term basis, so check the website periodically.

Tuesday. June 9: Coxsackie Four Mile Preserve - Paddle
Wednesday, June 10: Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary B
Wednesday, June 17: Olana Trails and Magnificent Views C/C+ (rain date, June 19)
Wednesday, June 17: Mountain Laurel Hike: Bear Mountain (Mt. Riga State Park) Salisbury, CT, B
Thursday, June 18: Henry Hudson Park - Paddle
Saturday, June 20: SPRING GATHERING, Grafton Lakes State Park
Monday, June 22: Huyck Preserve, Rensselaerville,
Wednesday, June 24: Flight Lock Road - Paddle
Friday, June 26: Biking the Electric Trail – Nassau Lake to Hudson RT B+
Wednesday, July 1: Berlin Mtn B

QUOTE: “Let the vibrant colors and the fresh scents of June invigorate your spirit and fill your heart with happiness.” – Anonymous

June Newsletter