The Boys' First Camping Trip

We made it! After two days of backpacking on the Appalachian Trail, we are all a little sore, but very happy to have our first outdoor adventure completed and looking forward to planning our next trip.

As many of you might remember, over the past month or so we have been preparing our first backpacking/camping trip with our chocolate labs, Brady & Cooper. We purchased each of the boys a pack from Backcountry K-9 so that they could carry their own food & water on our trip, and during the weeks leading up to our trip, we helped the boys get adjusted to carrying their packs by using the packs on walks in our neighborhood and on short hikes. At first we had the boys wear only the harnesses so that they could get used to the feeling of them and to make sure that we had the fit right. We then added water and later food to the packs to get them acclimated to the feel of the extra weight. By our departure time on Friday afternoon, the boys were ready to go!

[Cooper on the left, Brady on the right]

My husband and his friends backpack frequently on the Appalachian Trail, so he was in charge of selecting the route for our first trip. To make sure that we didn't overextend the boys on their first trip, he chose a route that was about a 9 mile hike roundtrip (approximately 4.5 miles each day). We drove up to the trailhead after work on Friday afternoon and set up our homes for the night at a campsite right across the street from the trailhead. The campsite was right next to a creek, and the boys LOVED exploring everything. The sights, the smells, an endless supply of sticks and leaves to roll in...camping is a dog's dream! And despite the cold weather, we couldn't keep our water dogs out of the creek...

[Cooper wallowing in the creek next to our campsite]

The boys did better the first night than I did. I despise the cold weather, and it ended up being a pretty chilly night. We had a great fire going, but even with that and wearing four layers of shirts/jackets and two layers of pants, I was still freezing. It must have just been me, because my husband and his friend, Chris, didn't seem to mind the temperature, but I was not a happy camper. Needless to say, I didn't get the best night of sleep and was pretty grumpy when I woke up. Fortunately, when I finally came out of my tent, the guys had a great fire going, and I was greeted with hot chocolate and a warm breakfast sandwich, courtesy of my amazing husband who is an incredible cook. My grumpiness began to fade away, and we were all ready for a great day of hiking.

The weather on Saturday could not have been better. We had a clear blue sky and warm weather. Since we only had 2-3 hours of hiking planned for the day, we took our time and let the boys lead the way. At first, they seemed to be on a sprint to the finish, but we finally got them to slow down and pace themselves.

[Brady in the lead, Cooper following]

We took frequent water breaks and found a great overlook about halfway through our first day of hiking where we stopped for lunch.

[Brady enjoying a water break]

We finished our first day of hiking around 2 o'clock Saturday afternoon, and Chris found an amazing secluded site with clearing and a fire pit right next to a natural spring.

Our second night of camping was much better than the first. We didn't have the howling winds from the night before (although we did have a few bugs that were pretty obnoxious) and the temperature didn't drop nearly as much as it did the first night. We made a roaring fire, cooked an awesome meal of chicken & four cheese ravioli with diced tomatoes and garlic bread and relaxed before it was time to turn in. The boys were racked out before the sun set, and we all had a great night's sleep.

We woke up early Sunday morning, finished our hike back to the trailhead and sadly returned to the real world ready to start another week. We had a great time, and we're all looking forward to our next adventure!

And the winner of my first giveaway is...

#11 Simple Girl! Congratulations! Please email me at thebrowndogboutique@gmail.com to claim your set of 10 design your own dog silhouette note cards.

Happy weekend everyone! We're off to the North Georgia mountains for our camping weekend. Keep your fingers crossed for good weather and be sure to look for lots of photos of the boys and the gorgeous scenery when we return!

Backcountry K-9

Those of you that have been following along with my blog for the last few weeks will remember that I've written several times about our upcoming camping trip and the great gear that we've been testing to get the boys ready. What you probably don't know (because I was saving this great secret until now) is where we get all of our camping gear. A few months ago my husband found Backcountry K-9, an awesome online store that features a great variety of camping and outdoor gear for dogs (and humans, too). We have made many purchases from Backcountry K-9, and I cannot say enough good things about their terrific customer service and great products.

I don't really need any additional reasons to recommend Backcountry K-9, but they gave me one anyway. As you know, the Humane Society of Jackson County is one of my favorite rescue organizations. To help out HSJC, Backcountry K-9 has offered a special coupon code that will directly benefit HSJC. Here's how it works...

Check out the great products at www.BackcountryK9.com. When you go to check out, use the coupon code 5HSJC to save 5% off your order and Backcountry K-9 will donate an additional 5% of your order directly to HSJC! How sweet is that?! You get a discount on incredible products AND the HSJC will get a donation!

Oh, and one more great thing - Backcountry K-9 offers FREE shipping on every order over $75!

Getting the Right Gear

In preparation for our upcoming camping trip, we bought each of the boys a pack about a month ago so that they could carry their own food & water. After a lot of research my husband ordered each of the boys a Palisades Pack (shown above) made by a great company called Ruff Wear. Actually, we ordered both the Approach Pack and the Palisades Pack to see which one we (and the boys) liked best. Both of the packs were great...made from durable material featuring lots of spacious pockets and plenty of padding to make the packs comfortable to wear. The pack attaches to a harness, so you can easily remove the pack when stopping for a swim or water break. Ultimately, we ended up choosing the Palisades Pack because it features two water bladders to make it easy to stop for a quick drink along the way.

To get the boys used to wearing the packs, we started taking them on walks with just the detachable harness. A leash easily attaches to a hook on the top of the harness to make walking even easier. After a few days with just the harness we added the packs for added weight, but didn't put anything in them just yet. At first, the boys seemed a little confused about why they couldn't walk as close to each other as they usually like to, but they adjusted pretty quickly. In fact, they seemed to have an added spring to their step and tried to pull us like they were part of a dog sled team. Last night we added water to their packs for added weight, and although Cooper tried to stay put at first, after a minute, he decided it wasn't so bad, and they both got moving pretty quickly. As long as the weather is nice, I'll take pictures this weekend of the boys in their official gear. In the meantime, I'll leave you with this cute picture that we took last year after their first bath...

Happy Friday!

Backpacking with the Boys

Now that the weather is getting nicer, we are itching to take the boys on their first camping trip. We have taken them on a few hikes on the trails in the Chicopee Woods Nature Preserve behind the Elachee Nature Science Center, and they loved it! The trails feature many creeks that Brady & Cooper love to run to for a quick cool down. They love to swim and go on walks, so I can only imagine how much they will love camping! When searching for a great spot for their first trip (one that's dog-friendly, a little bit challenging, but not too much for their adventure), I came across a great book called "Best Hikes with Dogs." The version I bought features trails in Georgia and South Carolina, but a quick search at Barnes & Noble found similar books for many other states as well. The authors have hiked thousands of miles with their yellow lab, Rebel, and they offer a ton of great tips for planning a fun and safe trip with your dogs. A must read for anyone considering backpacking with their boys (or girls :)

As of now, we have a backpacking weekend planned for the first part of April, so we'll be spending the next few weeks getting the boys in shape and outfitted for their trip. Cute pictures of the boys with their gear coming soon!