Moxie is first dog to complete Northern Forest Canoe Trail

FORT KENT - On Monday, after travelling for 50 days, a four-pound Yorkshire terrier named Moxie arrived at the end of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, becoming the first dog to complete the 740-mile trip.

COUPLE WITH A LITTLE MOXIE - Justine Jarvis and Tom Kiernan completed the 740-mile Northern Forest Canoe Trail on Monday, accompanying Moxie, a four-pound Yorkshire Terrier. Moxie is the first dog to complete the trail and Jarvis and Kiernan are the oldest couple to make the arduous journey.  - Birden image

The little dog seemed in good spirits as he stood atop the canoe as his owners trundled the boat up Main Street in Fort Kent.  They paused and allowed Moxie to strike a pose for a photograph.

Justine Jarvis and Tom Kiernan of York and Wells, Maine, said they hiked the Appalachian Trail a few years ago, and it was an experience they say transformed their lives.  On July 18, they became the oldest couple to complete the trail, at age 55 and 50.  Jarvis said, "Our combined age makes us the oldest couple to do it."

Moxie joined them a few years ago for camping and hiking, and he was with them for the entire trip on this canoe journey, which began on May 30, in Old Forge, New York.  Jarvis and Kiernan have chronicled Moxie's adventures on a blog at moxiesgreatadventures.blogspot.com.

Jarvis said the most difficult part of the journey occurred at a portage with the apt name of Mud Pond Carry.  She said they had to slog their canoe through thigh-high mud, and they had to battle deer flies the whole way.

After their arrival on Monday, they spent a day in Fort Kent, and now Moxie is joining the couple as they return to southern Maine.

Jarvis said the next adventure could be to hike the Canadian Rockies.