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The Dog Team Bios
Written by The Dog Team
Part of The Dog Team at the finish line, the Whiteface Summit
Good Dog
Dacks Dog, Sea Dog, Cave Dog, Groove Dog, Adog
Iron Dog, Rad Dog, Lady Dog, Herb Dog
|
Sea Dog-Ross Workhoven, Sea Kayaker |
Sea Dog and Cave Dog have been friends ever
since Sea Dog moved next door to Cave Dog when they were both two years
old in Coos Bay, Oregon. They were often found mixed up in some shenanigans
with the other neighbor kids. Sometimes it seemed that they lived
atop the tall pine trees between their homes. In Junior High, they
shared many of the same classes. In addition, Sea Dog was instrumental
in helping Cave Dog in his many political campaigns to come. By Junior
year in high school, Sea Dog, Cave Dog, and Good Dog began to pal around
and the ties between the three of them would be formed into a life long
friendship.
After high school, Sea Dog went to College at Western Oregon State for
a year, and finished his Outdoor Education Degree at Northland College
in Wisconsin. Throughout his college years, Sea Dog built upon his
love for the wilderness. He took jobs as a backcountry ranger in
the Sky Lakes Wilderness, guided in the Oregon Caves, and spent two months
backpacking in Kenya with Good Dog. However, it was in Wisconsin
that Sea Dog found his true passion, sea kayaking. Since that time
he has been employed as a kayaking guide in both Lake Superior and on the
coast of Maine. Like Cave Dog, Sea Dog is a constant wanderer, but
he currently lives in Bar Harbor, Maine. His love for the water has
renewed his appreciation for the outdoors.
During the Mighty Mountain Megamarathon(M4), Sea Dog was
the primary driver of Myrtle. He was also in charge of all electronics
and photography.
In the summer of 2001, Cave Dog lived with Sea Dog in Bar Harbor, Maine.
Cave Dog joined Sea Dog guiding sea kayaking trips for a local outfitter.
Bar Harbor is a mecca for sea kayaking and a great place to improve one's
skills. It has become a regional base camp for Cave Dog and home
for Sea Dog.
That fall, the two of them moved out to the Adirondacks to scout out
the High Peaks region for the upcoming challenge. Sea Dog was Cave
Dog's constant hiking companion and helped him consume a can of Spam at
the culmination of every summit victory. Sea Dog gained a great appreciation
for the Adirondacks and has enjoyed coming back.
During the challenge, Sea Dog was in charge of driving support.
He also did some hiking support in the Great Range. |
Adog-Richard Kelly, Retired Attorney
Base Dog-Joan Kelly, Nursing Consultant
|
Adog and Base Dog live on Boulderwood in Lake
Placid where the base camp lean to is located. They are hiking the
46 High Peaks completing Allen, their 30th, the week before the challenge.
Base Dog is a nursing consultant and Adog, an attorney; and they are
semiretired. They have spent all seasons these past four years on
the mountains and waters of the Adirondacks when not volunteering, gardening,
playing tennis, partying, or traveling to visit one of their three children
in New England, or going back to Long Island, to Canada, to Florida, or
just about anywhere else.
Adog and Base Dog's home has been base camp for both the training and
challenge. During the challenge they helped at base camp and with
hiking support. |
Dacks Dog-Erica Loher, Graduate Student |
Dacks Dog grew up in Valatie, NY, and has
been coming up to hike in the Adirondacks with her family since a very
young age. She has been hiking the Adirondacks High Peaks with her
dad. They are now on their 44th high peak. For the last three
years, she has been living in Wilmington.
She met Sea Dog while they were both working at the Oregon Caves National
Monument in 1993. After meeting Dacks Dog and her husband, Brute
Dog, Sea Dog decided to join them in attending Northland College.
Dacks Dog received her Bachelors of Arts in outdoor education at Northland
College in 1995. While at Northland, she did a variety of outdoor
education programs, such as, teaching fifth graders in the Apostle Islands
National Seashore and she studied at the Audubon Center of the North Woods.
Since college, Dacks Dog taught outdoor education programs for Frost
Valley YMCA in the Catskills between 1996-1999. After which, she
guided skiing, hiking, snowshoeing, canoeing, and camping trips for the
Adirondacks Mountain Club in 1999-2001. She is currently studying
for a Masters in Elementary Education at Plattsburgh State.
Dacks Dog met Cave Dog at the end of the M 4 in Boulder,
Colorado. When Sea Dog and Cave Dog came to scout out the Adirondacks
High Peaks in the fall of 2001, Dacks Dog and Brute Dog helped them out
with routes and gave them a place to crash in the northern part of the
high peaks area.
During the challenge, Dacks Dog helped out with the hiking support. |
Brute Dog-Colin Loher, Rock Climbing Guide, Ski Patrolman |
Brute Dog grew up in Philadelphia.
He went to Northland College where he met Dacks Dog. The two of them
spent the a summer at the Oregon Caves National Monument where they met
Sea Dog and enticed him to join them at Northland. After College,
Brute Dog and Dacks Dog married in Frost Valley where they were working
at the YMCA. Brute Dog lead and coordinated elder hostel bicycle
trips. In 1999, they moved to the Wilmington area and began working
at the High Peaks Cyclery in Lake Placid. In 2000, Brute Dog joined
the Whiteface Ski Patrol and in 2001 he became a Rock Climbing Guide for
Rock and River in Keene.
Rock Climbing has been a passion for Brute Dog. Devil's Tower,
Yosemite, Red Rocks, Joshua Tree, New River Gorge, and The Gunks are just
a few of the places he has climbed. He enjoys the adventure and the
freedom of the rock.
Brute Dog met Cave Dog at the end of the M4 in Boulder, Colorado.
In the Autumn of 2001, Sea Dog and Cave Dog moved up to the Adirondacks
to scout out the high peaks for a possible challenge. Brute and Dacks
Dogs gave them a place to stay in the Northern High Peaks Region.
They also showed them the area and exposed them to some of the Adirondack
traditions. In addition, Brute Dog introduced Sea Dog and Cave Dog
some great Adirondacks rock climbing.
During the challenge, Brute Dog was in charge of the numerous barbecues. |
Roque Dog-Bill LaRoque, Accountant |
Roque Dog lives in Tupper Lake. He loves
hiking in the Adirondacks. This passion has brought him to nearly
completed three rounds of the Adirondacks 46. Cave Dog's routefinding
and overall course decisions were greatly enhanced by Roque Dog.
In fact, Cave Dog's first round of 46 was completely determined by Roque
Dog. In addition, they met in the autumn and did some hiking in the Sewards
together.
During the challenge, Roque Dog helped with some of the more difficult
routefinding locations. |
Lady Dog-Tanya Dix, Graduate Student |
Lady Dog did not grow up in any particular place.
She has lived in Utah, Queensland, Australia, Greeley, Colorado, and a
short time in Oviedo, Spain. In 1991, she moved to Myrtle Creek,
Oregon. After graduating from South Umpqua High School in Myrtle
Creek, she went to Willamette University where she earned a degree in Philosophy.
It was at Willamette University that she met Good Dog, a very close friend
of Cave Dog. In 1997, Lady Dog and Good Dog got married. In
the fall of 1997, they moved to Philadelphia where Lady Dog did postgraduate
studies in Classics at the University of Pennsylvania. They currently
live in Eugene, Oregon. She is currently finishing her masters degree
in Education from University of Oregon. She has plans to teach high
school English.
In the intervening years, Cave Dog has gotten to know Lady Dog not just
through Good Dog but as friends in their own right. Good Dog and
Lady Dog have always extended an open home to Cave Dog in his frequent
visits to Oregon and they have done many interesting excursions together.
In 2000, Lady Dog joined The Dog Team in their record breaking challenge
of the M4. She was in charge of the website design and
updates. She was also the primary driver of the backup four wheel
drive vehicle. In addition, she helped Scurv E. Dawg with making
sure that nothing was amiss with Cave Dog's pack.During the M3,
she was the base camp manager and spokesperson for the media. She
organized the support teams and kept track of the overall project.
She kept particular care to make sure everyone had plenty of food and drinks.
Everyone has Lady Dog to thank for working hard to keep the website updated
as soon as information came out from the field. |
Good Dog-Jason Goodson, Middle School Teacher
|
As Good Dog grew up he always had a fascination with the
outdoors and working with people. His interests resulted in the maturation
of a young man who liked to go backpacking all around the western portions
of the United States. During middle school, high school, and college,
Good Dog discovered two of his best friends. Those two people are
Cave Dog and Sea Dog. When called, Good Dog perked up his ears, and
leapt at the opportunity to support Cave Dog in his efforts to break the
Adirondacks record of climbing the 46 peaks over 4,000 feet.
Good Dog continues to appreciate the outdoors and currently lives in,
and teaches near Eugene, Oregon. Subjects such as U.S. history, and Computer
Science are the disciplines that Good Dog offers for his middle school
students to investigate. Curious inquiry into these topics has created
a web of knowledge and personal understanding for each student. When
educating our youth, or thinking about life, Good Dog tries to remember
that one should never stop learning and wondering about the world that
surrounds each and every one of us.
During the challenge, Good Dog was the navigator for the driving support.
He also was Cave Dog's massage therapist during and after the event. |
Groove Dog-Mike Guerette, Vagabond |
Groove Dog is a Maine native and met Cave Dog,
as well as other members of The Dog Team during a rare summer spent in
Maine. The place was Bar Harbor; the draw was guiding sea kayaking
trips. While working for the same operation in 2001, Groove Dog and
Cave Dog found a shared enthusiasm for the outdoors, and enjoyed swapping
stories of past experiences while becoming friends and temporary housemates.
Much like Cave Dog, Groove Dog has enjoyed an adventurous vagrant lifestyle.
Some of the highlights being: end to end hikes of the Appalachian Trail;
Vermont's Long Trail; the Continental Divide Trail; and most recently,
Ontario's Bruce Trail along the Niagara Escarpment. After the latest
hike, Groove Dog buzzed right over to the Adirondacks to be a happy part
of The Dog Team.
During the challenge, Groove Dog helped out with some of the more remote
hiking support locations. He also cooked up some of the best backcountry
meals during the event. |
Dingo Dog-Jeff Wagener |
In 1990, at the age of 21 and 53, Dingo Dog
and his dad, Jerry Wagener, set the record for the youngest and oldest
highpointers, reaching the highest point in every state. In 1993,
he set the record for the Mighty Mountain Megamarathon, to climb all of
the Colorado 14ers in the least amount of time. In addition, Dingo
dog is an Adirondacks 46er.
During the challenge, Dingo Dog helped out with some of the harder hiking
support areas. He helped base camp figure out the best support locations
and times. |
Iron Dog-Vivian Beer, Blacksmith |
Iron Dog grew up in Ellsworth, Maine, where
she enjoyed hiking and camping in the Maine Woods at a young age.
One of her preferred retreats was to Baxter State Park. In 2000,
she graduated from the Maine College of Art in Portland, Maine, with a
degree in sculpture. She is currently working as a blacksmith in
Florida, New York. Next year she will be attending Cranbrook Academy
of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
Iron Dog met Cave Dog while they were both guiding sea kayaking tours
in Bar Harbor, ME, in 2001. They used to jog together on the carriage
roads of Mount Desert Island before their paddles. Sea kayaking continues
to be a favorite pastime for both of them.
During the challenge, Iron Dog helped out with the hiking support and
provided the support vehicle. |
Gold Dog-Bill Stowe, Retired Rowing Coach |
In 1977, Gold Dog summitted Washington's
Mt. Rainier the first time he ever put on a backpack. Since then
he has led groups of Coast Guard Academy oarsmen up Mt. Washington, Katahdin,
Marcy, and others in New England as a part of the program he coached.
He has also summitted Kilimanjaro. But this unashamed selfconfessed
peak bagger's greatest pride was becoming Adirondack 46'er number 4131.
Gold Dog lives in Lake Placid and the Adirondack High Peaks are his beloved
mountains.
Perhaps Gold Dog's greatest athletic achievement was stroking the American
Eight Man shell to a gold medal victory in the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Gaining rowing experience at Kent School and Cornell University, Gold Dog
joined Philadelphia's Vesper Boat Club after a 1963 Navy tour running the
Officer's club in Saigon, Viet Nam. The Vesper Club went on to upset
the nation's college crew to become the last American boat to win the Olympics.
Gold Dog is currently finishing the book All Together about this
experience.
Gold Dog met Cave Dog last autumn during their scouting of the peaks.
During the challenge, Gold Dog helping out with the hiking support and
the media.
|
Slo Dog-Terry Finnan, Retired |
Slo Dog climbed his first Adirondack
High Peak in August of 1948. His childhood was spent partly in the
mountains and partly at the ocean. After graduating from New York
Unniversity in 1965, he went into business and devoted his leisure life
to mountains, ocean sailing, skiing, and cycling.
Slo Dog climbed in the west and Europe and sailed in the Mediterranean,
Caribbean, and the East Coast from Maine to Key West. Not finding
the answer to the question of whether life is a beach or a mountain, he
returned to the Adirondacks. He hopes to finish his Adirondack High
Peak climbs this year, 54 years after his first peak. Slo Dog continues
sailing on Lake Champlain, cycling, and skiing and snowshoeing in the mountains
in the winter.
During the challenge, Slow Dog helped out with the hiking and driving
support. |
Ski Dog-Vikki Finnan, Student |
Ski Dog was on the summit of Mt. Marcy in the
winter before her first birthday. (On dad's back in a child carrier.)
This marked the beginning of her love for crosscountry skiing, enthusiasm
for adventure, and appreciation of nature. She is an avid crosscountry
ski racer, earning several gold medals at the Empire State games in the
high school category as a freshman. Skiing is augmented with hiking
and mountain bike riding. She is also a devotee of karate, presently
at the rank of brown belt with the prospect of earning her black belt by
the summer. Ski Dog is an honor student at Keene Central School and
is fortunate to live year round in the beautiful Adirondacks.
During the challenge, Ski Dog helped out with the hiking support. |
Herb Dog-Brendan Kelly, Herbalist |
Herb Dog is a professional herbalist,
wildcrafter, organic grower of medicinal and edible plants, herbal medicine
maker, and teacher. He is also pursuing a Masters in Acupuncture and Chinese
Herbal Medicine. He spends much of his time outside, studying Nature
and its Seasons, as well as the wild medicinal plants of New England.
Herb Dog happily offered some herbal help to Cave Dog and others on
the team during and after the adventure for there bumps and bruises.
He also helped out with the hiking support. |
Rad Dog-P.J. Keizer, Radiologist
|
Rad Dog is Cave Dog's older brother. They come from
a close family of five kids based in Coos Bay, Oregon. Day hikes,
skiing, and travel are some of the favorite pastimes for the Keizer household.
Their parents gave them an appreciation for the exploration of different
regions and cultures at an early age. In addition, when Sea Dog was
a small boy, Rad Dog taught him how to swim.
After graduating from Marshfield High School in Coos Bay, Oregon, in
1979, Rad Dog went on to earn a BS degree from Notre Dame, in 1983.
He continued his education with a Masters in Radiation Health at Oregon
State in 1986. After working for several years in safety programs
at nuclear plants, Rad Dog received his doctorate in medicine at St. Louis
University School of Medicine, in 1994. He did his residency training in
radiology at UMKC, finishing in 1998. Cave Dog joined up with Rad Dog in
Kansas City in order to get some high volume inner city EMT experience
at MAST ambulance service. Currently, Rad Dog is a radiologist at
Bay Area Hospital in Coos Bay, Oregon.
Like Sea Dog and Lady Dog, Rad Dog is a veteran from the 14ers Dog Team.
Rad Dog was in charge of all medical needs. He was also the primary
driver of the Kennel. Rad Dog put the chaotic financial accounting
to some order. In addition, he took charge of vehicle maintenance
of the four vehicles and the videography.
During the Marshall Mountain Madness Ultramarathon(M3 ),
Rad Dog was in charge of all medical needs and videography and also help
out with the hiking support. |
Cave Dog-Ted E. Keizer, Bum |
Cave Dog grew up in Coos Bay, Oregon.
He graduated from Brown University in 1994 with degrees in Geology Biology
and Political Science. While at Brown, he was elected Student Body
President. He was also voted by his class to lead their graduation
procession. After college, Cave Dog was tracked for a life in politics
when he decided that he needed to experience life before he could write
and vote on laws. So, he set out to do his own study of society,
people, and nature. Since that time he has visited all of the states,
all but two of them multiple times. He has lived and worked in fourteen
states, Indian country, the inner city, and the woods. Hot air balloon
pilot, hotel accountant, steel construction, shoveling snow off roofs,
enumerator, moving man, high school teacher, and ambulance driver are just
a few of the means of employment he has tried. His only restriction
is that he never does the same job twice. Being an outdoor enthusiast
from an early age, he has visited 145 National Park sites and hiked and
climbed in 38 states. In addition, he did a 31 day solo in Glacier
Park, Montana, under winter conditions. Cave Dog also broke the Mighty
Mountain Megamarathon(M 4) by climbing all of the Colorado 14ers
in 10 days, 20 hours, and 26 minutes. He loves all forms of hiking
from the peaks to the canyons, from the swamps to the desert, from the
woods to the tundra. Most of all he loves the wildlife and the wildflowers.
During the Adirondack challenge, Cave Dog climbed, and that is all. |
| The Dog Pound |
|
The Dog House, Support Vehicle |
During the challenge, there were some situations
where Cave Dog needed to be driven from one mountain group to another.
Iron Dog's pickup was outfitted with a mattress and lots of supplies for
this transport. |
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