Sharing Stories
by Tom Baxter
St. Paul, Minnesota
The Route
to the Summit
Reaching the summit of a mountain involves
a combination of opportunity, technique, and luck.
The routes to success have been winnowed from many attempts. There are a devoted few who record the routes to success, and who will offer them up to those determined enough to make the climb - they are our guides. Their role, though often in the background when we attain the summit, is essential to most of us and is worthy of honor.
I know this well because my dog Ory would not have had the opportunity to become a Versatile Champion if it were not for my NAVHDA friends who have been guides along the way. I did not grow up hunting. My dad stopped hunting when he returned from Vietnam in 1967. Just a year earlier, when I was six, I had walked with him days before he left – out for pheasant on a crisp fall day. War can change a man’s experience of things and so we never hunted again. But in me grew a love of the outdoors and a strong sense of the bond we can share with each other and with nature through hunting.
While he was away I spent a lot of time at my grandparent’s place in the country, where I explored fields, streams and an old overgrown orchard full of birds. My constant companion was their dog Sam, a cocker spaniel. He loved these romps more than chasing cars down their gravel road. I can still hear my grandmother’s voice over the slam of the screen door, “take Sam with you, he’ll keep you out of trouble.” He was a good buddy in those quiet days and he made a big place in my heart for the companionship of a dog.
As we moved from post to post, one of the first things I always did was to check to see if our yard might be fit for a dog. Dad was firm in his West Point manner, “Tommy, you never know where we will be in two years, a dog is a duty, and will be with you for a long time.” So, I filled the space in my heart with every dog I ever met. It wasn’t until I was 39 years old that I finally opened my own back door to let my dog in. I had been lucky to find Bill and Barb Jensen’s Alders Edge Kennel and their Wirehaireded pointing Griffons – a breed I knew to be gentle, cooperative and intelligent. They required that I join NAVHDA and take the pup to the Natural Ability test. This was their “O” litter and I couldn’t believe my luck in naming him “Orion” after the constellation also known as “The Hunter.” Little did I know that the real luck was that Barb and Bill had guided me to NAVHDA and blessed me with a prince of a dog.
From there our NAVHDA family grew by leaps and bounds and now number too many to name and thank here, except for one. Bill introduced me to Ed Erickson of Autumn Breeze Kennels after my independent efforts achieved a Prize II in Natural Ability. Ed is a gifted trainer who can paint a picture for a dog that helps him understand his own capabilities. Even more important to me, Ed is willing to work with owner/handlers and teach them how they can bring out the best in their dogs. He has been our guide to this summit, and along the way Ory and I have had the joy of learning to hunt together.
In three days VC Alders Edge Orion and I will be in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, a designated wilderness along the Canadian border. To get to our hunting grounds we will paddle in through a series of lakes so pristine that a man can dip his cup in the water and drink. We will hunt grouse and ducks, and take breaks in the afternoons for a little fishing. We will have a campfire each night and hope for a clear sky so that I can point out to him the star he is named after. Each morning will bring a day full of adventure. This we are doing to celebrate for ourselves. But what we are really looking forward to is a visit from my dad later this fall. When Ory earned his VC, I called my dad out in Virginia and told him I felt it was one of the biggest accomplishments of my life. I mentioned that if you had set out to find an opportunity to hunt over a Versatile Champion you would be hard pressed to arrange it — it is a rare and exceptional thing. He agreed, and now 40 years after our first walk for pheasants we’re going to do it again. These are the some of the gifts that have come into my life through the gift of owning VC Alders Edge Orion. For this I have you to thank, every one of you who make NAVHDA such an outstanding opportunity. You have formed a summit of excellence upon the ideals of man and dog cooperating in the hunt, and fostered a gathering of guides to help others like me along the way. That is real leadership and a gift to us all.
VHD is a monthly magazine distributed to all NAVHDA members.
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