Middle-aged newspaper editor Tom Ryan and a little dog named Atticus M. Finch, are an unlikely pair of mountaineers. During the winter of 2006-2007 they set out to pay tribute to a friend who died of cancer by attempting to climb all forty-eight of New Hampshire’s 4,000-foot peaks twice while raising money for charity. Following Atticus chronicles their adventure—a demanding and wondrous trek over hundreds of miles. Yet little did Tom and Atticus know that their most difficult test would lie ahead, at the journey’s end. Following Atticus is a story of transformation, how a five-pound puppy pierced the gentle 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—all because of a promise made to a dog.