Hiking with your Dog: Overnight Hikes

Happy Hiking everyone! I hope you all are well and staying cool this summer. Today we are continuing on our barking mad hiking with your dog series. It has been a SUPER fun month so far! We’ve discussed road trip hikes (so those days when you are driving a lot and then stopping to hike), day hikes (those hikes that take all day!) and we celebrated Independence Day in America by featuring a dog friendly hike for all 50 states.

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Now I present to you: overnight hikes! Also known as backpacking. I have done only a number of true backpacking adventures; because I was afraid to do them alone for the first time. Well; I came to Oregon, did some reading, and decided I wasn’t afraid anymore! I did my first solo backpacking adventure with Chloe this summer and it was an amazing experience.

Some Examples of Overnight Hikes:

Three Fingered Jack, Oregon
Mount Marcy, Mount Skylight and Gray Peak Loop, New York
Cirque of the Towers, Wyoming

Preparing your Pup

Backpacking is a whole new enchilada for your adventure pup, but there are a number of ways to make it a great experience.

Practice Runs: Having some experience camping with your dog, and hiking with your dog, before you go somewhere; where you can’t just drive away if they’re overwhelmed makes the entire experience much easier. Make sure your dog is used to a tent or hammock; as well as the gear they have to carry. Pack up the gear you plan to bring and practice carrying it on a local hike; or around a campsite.

Altitude exposure, exercise and more exercise: lets just take this moment to discuss that carrying a 25 pound backpack up 3,000 feet if elevation over the course of 24 miles IS NOT EASY. But it’s so much fun. Or it can be, if you train for it! The same story goes for your adventure pets. Taking that 3 mile hike with 1,000 feet of elevation gain and slowly advancing to more complex adventures until you ultimately are ready to climb South Sister Mountain in Oregon! Your dog needs that training too! Great exercise includes hiking, daily games of fetch, walks, chase/tag; going to the dog park and going on runs/bike rides with your dog.

Perfect those recalls! Also practice stay, leave it, and constant communication: This was mentioned during the ‘day hike’ adventure hike preparation skills as well. Ensuring your dog has excellent recalls, to come back despite deer, bear, mountain goats (this actually happened), will make your backpacking adventure much less stressful! It is also handy to ask your dog to ‘leave it’ when they wander across the smelliest spot that was used as a toilet; or at the sign of garbage (so that you can pick it up and carry it out, instead of your dog- right?). Making sure you are constantly communicating with your dog is essential as well- are they tired? Hot? Ready for water? Still energetic while you are dying? In need of their boots to protect their paws? These are all very important to recognize; making that communication piece essential for overnight hikes.

What to Bring on an Overnight Hike

I love these types of photos! If you follow any active backpackers on instagram, or are a part of the ‘women who hike’ facebook group; you will see so many of these photos! It is so fantastic.

The list of 10 essentials is as follows: food, water (methods to make it purified too), shelter, protection, first aid, phone charger, method to make food, clothes, personal items, leisure items.

5 essentials for your dog: Food, Water (with purification methods for them too), Method to eat/drink, treats/snacks high in protein, Methods to keep them warm/comfortable, and dog boots.

My pack weighed approximately 25-30 pounds with a gallon of water between the two of us each day. In my pack I had: hammock with mosquito net, rain shelter, phone charger, flashlight, warmer packs, protection, 2 external water bottles and 1 water bladder, propane, tiny stove thing with 2 cups, 2 bowls and a spork; bear spray, first aid kit for self and dog, sleeping bag, personal care stuff (toothpaste/brush, wipes, sunscreen, mosquito spray, bear canister with rope to elevate, food including 4 dehydrated adventure meals, oatmeal, coffee, jerky, trail mix, jolly ranchers, cliff bars; clothes including swim suit bottoms, warm socks, smart wool socks, rain coat. Chloe’s halter/pack with dried liver treats, wet food, dry food, foldable bowl, rubber boots, and leash. Camera and journal for leisure. Not pictured I decided to bring emergency fishing equipment; in case I did get very bored in the evenings (it was fun to fish without a formal fishing rod- try it sometime!) baby powder (don’t neglect how insanely essential this is); my hiking boots, hat, leggings with pockets, tank top, t shirt, long sleeve shirt.

Overnight Hiking at its Finest: A Chloe Rue Adventure

I was exahsted, having hiked 8 miles and about 3,000 feet of elevation between 4pm and 8pm at a 2 miles per hour pace. I had already set up camp; with Chloe and I curled up in my hammock while we enjoyed the sunset of the summer solstice (at about 10pm). The mountains were accented with the diminishing sunlight; turning our view from blue, to gold, to navy. There was a small source of water not far from our enclosure, protected by a large rock above us; and tied between two strong trees. Chloe was nearly sleeping as she was also tired from the long day.

When suddenly; everything around us became silent- too silent. You know that moment, when you know there is a predator nearby; because the mosquito stop their humming, the cicadas stop their screaming and the navy hue of the oncoming night is just not enough to see what is around you? Chloe noticed, and perked her head up, curiously. She didn’t bark. She didn’t growl. Not even when a loud THUMP and SNAP echoed throughout our campsite, confirming my fear that there was an animal nearby. I perked up in the hammock, nearly flipping us over upside down and started hollering; grabbing hold of my form of protection and shining my flashlight anxiously around us. There it was- about 10 feet away, pure white with a horn sticking out of its forehead. A unicorn. I’m just kidding; but that was truly the first thing I thought about when I saw this mountain goat. It stared at us; and I yelled at it. Chloe crawled into my arms in a panic; not barking or growling or helping in anyway. And then the goat hopped away down the rocks; off to enjoy its night on its own terms.

And that is the moment when I realized backpacking alone is an amazing adventure. My first overnight hike with my favorite adventure dog; having delicious dehydrated meals with snacks throughout the day and just absorbing the mountain; the nature; the beauty that surrounded us. I wouldn’t trade it for anything; no matter how many times I get to scare a goat away.

Just some Backpacking Advice

I spent about 3 years of my life actively hiking with this fear that I would not be able to backpack alone without someone to tell me the ins and outs of everything. Then I started dating someone who promised me he would teach me about backpacking and safety, etc. And then we broke up- so you know what? I researched solo backpacking, I did a couple trial runs, and then I chose a backpacking adventure that seemed like something I would be able to manage successfully. Would you believe I was just fine? My best advice is to make a goal. Take steps to meet that goal (usually through education and training). And then go get that goal; never let anything hold you back. Of note, REI does provide classes; as do many state parks and national forest offices related to backpacking. But there is no greater adventure than just getting out of bed and doing it.

I hope you all enjoyed the read today! This is the last of our hiking series for the month of July- let me know your thoughts! And stay tuned for Chloe Rue’s next adventure post; as well as some great traveling with your dog content this month! As always; happy tails and happy trails to you all.

Barking Embarkers