Most climbers dream of a partner who never complains. Craig Armstrong found one at a cat shelter in Utah. Millie, a small black cat, climbed onto his shoulder the day they met, and before long she was riding along on his weekend trips to the sandstone cliffs and canyons of the American Southwest, in a harness and on a rope of her own.
How Millie and Craig Armstrong met
Armstrong, who worked for the outdoor retailer Backcountry.com, spends many weekends climbing. He had always imagined that any pet of his would come along. When he visited the Furburbia adoption centre in Utah, Millie jumped up onto his shoulder, and he knew they would make a good team.
Training a cat for the outdoors
Armstrong's advice is simple: start slow. Their first outings were to a local park, where he ran from tree to tree so that Millie learned to follow him. Next came a large island in the Great Salt Lake, where he would hike up a hill and she would follow him instead of staying alone in the open.
That instinct became the key to their partnership. Millie dislikes open ground without cover, so she prefers to stay close to him. It still took many trips before she would follow him along a trail without wandering off into thickets and talus fields, and he lets her set the pace.
Millie on the rock
"She literally loves to climb things," Armstrong says. "If there's high ground she'll seek it out." Millie is happiest on slabby, low-angled rock and less keen on steep, juggy routes, but when bouldering she has pulled off what he calls "pretty amazing gaps and dynos". Her kit is a harness, a leash and a rope, so she can be belayed like any other climber.
As a partner, he says, she is tough: "She never complains, no matter how bad it gets. But she also knows when to stop." She has come along in snow as well as desert sun.
Dogs, snakes and camp life
Armstrong keeps close when dogs come around, while letting Millie learn to stand her ground. "I do worry about snakes, but we haven't had that encounter yet," he says. Camp life has its ups and downs: Millie once peed in his truck, but she also caught a mouse in it.
Adventuring with a cat
Millie's story works because she is a cat who likes to follow and to climb. Armstrong's approach is a good model for anyone tempted to take a cat outside: begin in a quiet park, use a well-fitted harness and leash, keep sessions short, stay close, and let the cat decide when it has had enough. Bring water and shade on hot desert days, and remember that many cats will always prefer the sofa.
Related reading
- The Gimmelwald Cat and the Hiker: An Unexpected Alpine Encounter
- Rupee and Joanne Lefson’s Trek to Everest Base Camp
- Sleeping on a Big Wall: Portaledges and the Scale of a Climb
- Savor Every Moment: Keith Hopkin’s Film About Dogs
- A Malamute and a Moose: Reading a Wildlife Encounter Carefully
Sources
- My adopted cat is the best climbing partner ever – Bored Panda
- Photos: Craig Armstrong.
No comments