Congratulations to the rookie canine and the Fish and Game conservation officer for doing a splendid job retrieving the loaded gun from near the Wapack Trail. Our Monadnock region is a special place for avid hikers like me, and I am dumbfounded that anyone would carry a loaded weapon on a popular hiking trail. Anyone feeling a need to be armed with a loaded gun while hiking should go bushwhacking in Alaska. The rest of us would be a lot safer in our state parks and conservation area trails.

Ckris Wallenstein

Bennington