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In Review: Following Atticus — Forty-Eight High Peaks, One Little Dog and an Extraordinary Friendship — By: Tom Ryan
As Reviewed by: Macy Walsh
I can’t say I’m a big fan of dog memoirs. You know, those cloying Marley and Me’s in which the author thinks his or her dog is the most important in the world; where the quirky canine teaches life lessons even though you know it really just wants some kibble, a stick and a tummy rub. That being said, when I came across Following Atticus by Tom Ryan the cover made me look twice: a miniature schnauzer standing in the snow with what looks like socks and crampons on its paws. As I would discover later, these doggie winter booties are called muttlucks.
The subtitle promised “forty-eight high peaks, one little dog and an extraordinary friendship. The “friendship” part guaranteed some stale bromides but the “high peaks” with this wee pooch made me crack it open. And right inside the cover is a hand-drawn map of New Hampshire’s White Mountains, highlighting its 4,000 foot crags. I went to college in that beautiful area (Hanover, New Hampshire) so I was immediately hooked. Turns out that the author, founder and former editor of the Newburyport alternative paper The Undertoad, set out with this tiny dog to climb up and down all 48 of these mountains, twice, in 90 days of winter. They did so to raise money for the Jimmy Fund after a friend died of cancer, and thus, a grand quest was born complete with challenges, love of nature and scattered tears along the way.
Sounds painfully treacly, yes? Suprisingly it’s not, and that’s largely thanks to Ryan himself. If Atticus seems an unlikely mountaineer, so does Ryan as a self-described “middle-aged, overweight newspaper editor” who likes poking the powers-that-be in his North Shore town. In fact, the first 50 pages or so are a great portrait of Newburyport, what it’s like to know everyone and to often be the one who publishes the things people don’t want to talk about. And when he writes about hiking these mountains, he does so with a sense of discovery any armchair reader will appreciate – you don’t have to be an Outside subscriber or John Krakauer fan to get this book.
Then there’s the way he writes about Atticus: This schnauzer sounds and looks very cute, and Ryan obviously becomes a sudden softie when he first gets this five-pound puppy, but he never tries to make Atticus more than just a dog – a very good, adventurous dog to be sure. But though he’s that proverbial best friend, his behavior is not over-analyzed. This tempered sentimentality is crucial when Atticus starts to go blind but is insistent on hiking the mountains anyway. Ryan writes plainly about it, not overstating what is clearly an emotional time for him, and the effect is more powerful for such restraint. When they finally reach the final peak of Mt. Washington, it’s truly a quiet triumph.
At the heart of this remarkable journey is an extraordinary relationship that blurs the line between man and dog, an indelible bond that began when Tom, following the advice of Atticus’s breeder, carried the pup wherever he went for the first month of their life together. Following Atticus is ultimately a story of transformation: how a five-pound puppy pierced the heart of a tough-as-nails newspaperman, opening his eyes to the world’s beauty and its possibilities. It was a change that led to a new life among the mountains; an unforgettable saga of adventure, friendship and the unlikeliest of family; and an inspiring tale of finding love and discovering your true self. A great read for the whole family!
