Preparation

I think I have been in training for this my whole life.

Hi, my name is Goldie, well actually Goldenrod Crawford Vickers and I am almost 8 years old. When I was 12 weeks old I travelled from Virginia to Massachusetts with my sister, Guinivere. So I guess you could say I started out travelling.

I am in training now for an upcoming road trip from Hopkinton Massachusetts to Tucson Arizona. And I am in training to become a rock climbing, cactus avoiding, snake respecting and javelina avoiding retriever.

I have had a good life here in Massachusetts. On the borders of the Big Field and Lake Whitehall, I have tracked deer and rabbit, mice and ground hogs, coyote and red fox. I have swam with wood and mallard ducks, snapping turtles and beaver. I have caught fish and birds on the fly. I know the borders of my territory like I know my sisters smell. Soon I am to go on a road trip to live in another land, have another adventure, track other critters and see the moon and a billion stars at night with the sounds of wildlife like I have never heard before.

I will know new things. I am in training.