Using you Passion for Purpose

“Generosity is the most natural outward expression of an inner attitude of compassion and loving-kindness.” 
― Dalai Lama

I'll cherish forever the lessons I learned from my first fundraising adventure. I sat there looking at the screen of my computer, mustering up the bravery to hit "enter" and agree to the what seemed unsurmountable task of raising several thousand dollars so that I could participate in a 3 day 60 mile cancer walk to honor my Mother who did not survive her battle with breast cancer. 

I didn't even know how to begin asking people to part with their hard earned dollars. I felt awkward and guilty for even thinking of it, why would anyone want to give money in my Mom's name. I didn't even think I knew enough people with that kind of extra money to cover my required donation minimums and thought for sure I'd have to pay it myself or forfeit my spot. I quickly learned though, that there are so many people who want to be involved, that want to be supportive, that really truly care and that maybe they just don't know how to help, how to support and that bringing a cause in front of them is just what they have been waiting for. 

My heart grew a thousand times while my eyes were opened to the generosity and good in this world. I not only covered my required donations, I doubled it and was shocked, straight up shocked. As I walked all those miles I had my heart stretched, touched, grown and received a lifetime of gifts. The sea of people I walked among, every single one of them having had their lives personally touched by the tragedy I felt alone in, the crowds we walked thru cheering for us and thanking us, and the little boy who's face I will never forget who ran up to me during the hardest mile when my leg had seized up in a cramp, wrapped his arms around me and handed me a little sticker that said "you got this" while thanking me for walking since his Mother in the hospital could not. 

It's easy to get caught up in the negative, to become cynical and jaded. To be overwhelmed by all that seems to be wrong with the world. To feel helpless. And I think all of us are born with a desire to have a purpose, to make the world a better place, to leave our mark. But I think maybe we get a bit lost in thinking that has to be this big huge monumental thing, we have to solve world hunger, save all the world, be the mostest, biggest, bestest at all the things. I think I've come to learn that isn't the case, that it really is the small moments, the little things, all adding up that allows us to find our purpose. 

I don't even know that little boy's name, who is now probably a young man, but one tiny little sticker and hug fueled me to smash out another 30 miles. As the years pass along when I find myself in a struggle I think of that "you got this" sticker and that hug. I remember there are far more people than I can even imagine who want to make the world a better place. It reminds me to tell strangers they've got this. It reminds me how good it feels to give, even just a tiny little bit. 

Soon we will be announcing the charity we will be walking in support of! I am SUPER excited as it is a cause that couldn't be much closer to my heart, I'll give you hint, dogs are involved :) 

F.E.A.R.

She came to me in a dream two days before I saw her face on my friend's FB page, she told me she was waiting for me and to hurry up and come get her. I recognized her instantly and dropped everything to go get her, it was my birthday, she is the best gift the universe has ever sent me :) 

I can remember the moment so clearly, as if it were just a second ago. I was driving up the mountain, windows down, music loud, singing along, Butters giant head resting on my shoulder, his soft excited pant moistening the side of face. The feeling found me like a freight train, slamming into my heart, terror. I had to pull over the car for a moment. I'd never felt fear like this before. 

It's difficult to put words to that moment, it was like in an instant I was aware that I was living the very most perfect moment, I saw and felt the beauty of life to such a deep level, that I didn't know until that day, perfect joy. I was moved to tears by the blue of the sky. Every single thing was just as perfect as it could be in that moment. I was happy, purely, truly, completely. And oddly, that absolutely unhinged me, sent a terror all the way thru my body from head to toe. For the very first time in many years, all the ones that I could recall,  I cared whether or not I lived or died. I finally had a life I never wanted to loose.

Our very first day and hike together. She needed my help to cover the miles with her tiny little legs, at first she struggled when I carried her, pouted when I set her down and walked away, then had the realization that she needed my help, slurped my chin and we've been a team in every way ever since.

I came up hard in the world. I never was afraid of monsters hiding under the bed, they walked thru the front door. My life had always been about survival and just trying to find a good enough reason not to jump off that bridge, and for most of those years, it was the panting breath of the dogs sitting at my feet that kept me breathing. Many times I sat there, feet dangling, wanting so bad to end the pain, but my fears over what would become of my four legged friends stopped me. 

I spent most of my teen years and twenties deeply depressed and suicidal. The scars I carried were not visible to most, but they took all I had to walk on with. I found love, fought the deep demons that made it so hard to allow access to my heart, and clawed my way to a happy life. And when it dawned on me, that I was here, I was happy, I was loved, I was surrounded by good things, I suddenly cared and it terrified me. It was the oddest feeling to feel it seep in and wrap around all my insides.  

My angels, protectors and greatest teachers of all. I would not know love, I would not be here if it were not for the companionship of dogs. 

It's a magical thing, the way things work in my life. All those years ago, it was dogs that saved me, by giving me love, companionship and the only reason not to die. And to this day they continue to save me. I swear that each dog has come to me with this amazing lesson and mystery to unravel with them, that ultimately is a lesson I have had to learn to grow and evolve thru these challenges that start to life left me with. Butters, the golden pictured above, helped me face true anger and rage. He taught me to accept that dark part of myself, to understand it, to get control of it and to ultimately turn it into a strength. Seriously, don't mess with anyone Butters or I love, or you will know true fury;) 

Miss Emily, she has only one hitch, she is the perfect dog, truly, intelligent beyond belief. She had thruhikers absolutely astounded at her ability to find "the" correct pinecone in a field of pinecones. Even when they buried it, threw ten at once, she would always find "the" one. Her ability to focus and sort things out is amazing. She is one of those dogs you have to spell words around if you want to avoid her excited anticipation. But, her one thing, fear. It's not a classic presentation, she loves people, but needs a moment to decide if she wants to know them or not, when she decides to let them in she loves them, hmmm, sounds familiar;) She is not afraid of fireworks, other dogs or any of the classic triggers. 

I became an ultra marathon runner because many years ago I asked myself ~ what is the one thing you could never be and the answer that came was, a runner. I set out to face my fears of failure and perhaps prove myself wrong. The very first race I ran was a relay race that saw me getting into a van with 5 guys I didn't know for 36 hours deep in the back country roads. I amazed myself that I did that, as a sexual assault survivor it was crazy hard to step into that van facing the scariest predator of all, Man. I came away 36 hours later, a legit long distance runner with 5 new amazing friends. 

No, she's not afraid of any of the usual things, she is afraid of things she does not understand, once she does the fear evaporates. When she was young and learning agility (obstacle course racing for dogs) the first time she knocked a bar of a jump she stopped and slunk away, scowling at me in horror as if the thing tried to take one of her legs off. It took several days to convince her to try again and once she did, she was the queen of jumping and basically never drops a bar. She is no fan of small children, not so much that I would worry as her choice is always to move away, but she looks at them in disgust as they mill about and squeal in ways adults do not, she cannot figure them out. When she learns the child knows how to throw a ball, they are best friends and she will follow them right off the edge of the Earth. 

In her service dog training for her Public Access Test at first when in busy urban places she would find the oddest things a concern, cars backfiring right next to her totally fine but the way that one door hissed when opened behind her - wtf was that!!!!!!! Skateboards roaring down the sidewalk right next to her, no worries, the beep beep beep take your card out of the ATM machine noise holy hell people is that a bomb about to explode? Sitting at a restaurant a dropped tray with glasses and plates exploding, not my concern, guy walking by wearing spiked biking shoes, OMG what is wrong with his feet?!?!?!

Her fear responses are also not like many dogs I have worked with, she does not loose her mind, she does not become aggressive or dangerous, she just needs a minute or a bit of space to step back and try and sort it all out, if she can, boom fear disappears and that is now an ok thing in her life. If she can't sort it out, if it's ok with you can we just get out of here. She is very reasonable and responsive, she just lets you know she'd rather not, and if told sorry you must, she will lie down and take it. 

Every time we climb this summit I am eternally grateful for her level headed caution that resides in the place fear carved out. Caution equals intelligence in these sorts of places.

Mostly her fears are a positive thing. They make her a VERY safe dog to climb mountains with, she is acutely aware of her surroundings and moves with mindful steps in technical places. They make her very easy to hike with, if she sees something that concerns her, she simply returns and walks behind me until I show her it is a-ok, or she arcs around the person or thing in question. I never need worry she is going to jump on someone or startle them or assert herself in anyway. It makes her a very sensitive thoughtful little dog, so long as she is given time and opportunity to sort things out for herself. 

I will admit that there are areas of her socialization and acclimation that I could have done better when she was younger that I had to go back and work on so she could pass her public access test, like busy urban environments. But that is simply because we just don't like hanging in those places and much prefer to be in the wilderness. But honestly working thru her fears, has been a gift because it has helped me to think about my own and how I can help myself work thru my fears.

Learning how to sleep alone, in a tent, deep in the wilderness we share with bears and mountain lions stuffing away those images of claws ripping thru the tent wall, the first few times waking with every sound my hands clutching my much too big and heavy for backpacking knife. Not much sleep the first few times, but the joy of awaking and experiencing these places far away from roads has long eroded those fears.

It has helped me to separate the ways fear is a good thing and makes me a better person. I used to be a much more detached person, not afraid of much, and have realized the ways being vulnerable and afraid to loose someone makes me a much better more caring friend and lover. I have become a far more cautious person, thinking twice about the situations I put myself in, keeping myself fully present and focused while putting my life on the line in my adventurous pursuits. Being safe and aware is a good thing in the places I put myself in often. 

However, helping her has also made me aware of the places and times the fear does not serve me. When I see her have a moment where she is on edge, I can see how it muddles her thinking, how maybe she would like to flee from something that is not a real danger at all, like a funny squeak of a door, that she might fear more than the moving traffic in that split second. We had a wicked bad storm a couple years ago, that knocked down a dozen trees in town, that had tornado/hurricane level winds that shook our giant potentially house smooshing tree ferociously and I was seriously about to grab my dogs, run out the back door and just keep running.

Luckily my husband talked sense into me and reminded me that our house was the safest place to be in that moment, that it gave us a better chance of survival than facing falling trees and debris with only our skin, that we could not outrun this storm. He sat me in the giant cast iron tub, with all three of my dogs, had ready a mattress to cover us with and promised to keep us all safe. The storm passed, our house survived, our tree stood tall, the other fallen trees, thrown debris and downed power lines proved him right, outside our home was no safe haven. He showed me what fear used as purposeful action over panic looked like. That moment reminds me off both sides of fear, I can understand Emily's moments of animal instinct that just say RUN, and the calm level headed approach to let's see how to best approach this situation. 

I recall his calm, but commanding presence, NO you are NOT fucking going outside, I will keep you safe, and how that strong response allowed me to let go and leave it in his hands. Not that I tell Em in such words, but I am sure that when she looks up the leash there is always a calm certain strong partner who promises her she is safe. It reminds me when I am out in the world facing my own fears, to think and determine the safest action rather than just follow the RUN animal instinct.

As I stood at the top of the mountain we had just climbed, holding my sled, thinking to myself you have got to be fucking kidding me, fear wrapped around my guts, I am going to fucking die, as I watched the last of our party depart in front me laughing as they jetted away in what looked like complete chaos. It was complete and utter chaos, but it was the most amazing and funnest mountain descent I've ever done, some risks are worth taking.

Like Emily my fears are mostly a good thing, they are in place to remind me to be sensitive, to care, to not take things for granted, to look carefully before taking those steps on those rocks along the ridge that drops to away to death, to measure risk vs reward, to be sensible and smart. Like Emily when I understand something and know how to step carefully the fear evaporates. Things I understand and can control that old fear becomes a great place of strength. Like Emily I have moments where I need someone to ground me and tell me it's going to be ok, like lightning storms and airplanes ;) 

I'll take it. The fear. I far prefer this newer version of Dawn, that cares enough to be afraid to lose it all. It's taking work to sort out how to be this person who's life is best lived racing and climbing along the edge, who is petrified of falling off that edge. My husband laughs at me sometimes, like as I stand at the bottom of a rock face, all roped in, ready to climb, shaking in fear, "why do you do this to yourself?" he laughs as he hugs and consoles me "you could find less terrifying hobbies". I look at my dear friend and mentor on the ropes, who's hands I am about to literally put my life into, take a deep breath and say "because I want to live, really live, not just live a safe life that is just about existing and carefully not dying and I also really really want to not die, so my body shakes, but I won't let the fear shake me off of things I know I can do, I know he has me and won't let me fall, I just need a moment to convince my flight brain to shut up and buck up, and I think maybe I also might be a masochist."

I was wrong when I thought I could never be a runner and I have a wall full of ultra marathon finisher medals to prove it anytime the fear monster starts telling me what I can't do. 

Life is about living, not just not dying. And I refuse to let my fears stop me from really living. I have faced them down and gone on to accomplish some amazing feats I never thought possible. And I have also walked away, turned around, run for cover when my clear thinking brain has advised me as such. I am slowly but surely learning to trust myself to know when it's safe to push on and tell the shakes to sit down and shut up, and when to tell the doer and the pusher to settle down and leave it for another day.

When I ran my first ultra marathon, I experienced this amazing thing. As I ran my mind revolted, it told me I was crazy, it told me I was stupid, it told me I couldn't do it, it told me I would hurt myself, it told me so many awful scary things, but I ran on anyway and as the miles peeled away it happened I saw that voice for what it is, realized sometimes it lies and that I am NOT that voice, that was a life changing revelation, that the whining complaining doubting judging voice is not me, that *I* am the one listening and deciding. That voice was wrong, I did it and I fucking crushed it and I became the thing I had once believed I could never be, my short little legs, my middle aged tired beat up body, my thick quarter horse and not thoroughbred style clunky body is capable of being whatever I want it to be and now it is that of a ultra marathon runner and also a mountaineer, rock climber, backpacker and future thruhiker.

Emily has also realized (I think) that sometimes she has to just take a breath, lay down and trust me when I say it's all ok, so that she gets to live a life that means she is always at my side even when doors squeak and machines beep. It's not easy to rise above one's fears, but it is possible and the doors in ones life that open when you do move thru those fears instead of running from them or letting them paralyze you is a life worth risking for. It's a funny paradox, the more I face the fears, the better life gets and the better life gets the more I fear losing it, which creates more fear that I have to fight thru to keep making life better and scarier to face losing. 

Am I Crazy?

It's days like today that really make me question myself and my decision to go for this huge epic adventure, hiking the PCT southbound next year. I woke up and could immediately tell was going to be one of those days. I've readjusted my attitude around my new life dealing with this chronic pain and neurological issues and for the most part I can carry on with my life without anyone having any idea at all that I am not 100%. 99% of the time I am positive, happy and annoyingly chipper, but these 1% days, well my head cranks it to another level and everything falls apart, literally, I have dropped every single thing I've picked up today.  

The foggy feeling is the first warning sign things are not operating well and it's going to be a challenging day. It's a weird haze that blurs my thoughts and slows all my reactions. I feel like perhaps I am stuck in slow motion as the rest of the world races by. I've gotten used to the sharp stabbing pains, that feel like someone is driving an ice pick into the back of my skull over and over again, up to dozens of times in an hour. People comment or notice when I reflexively wince or close my right eye awkwardly as if somehow shutting it will protect it from the pain racing it's way from the nerves exiting my cervical spine. But those reflexes are habit and really the pain part is not the bit that gets me down.

It's the slow mind and the clumsy hands that irritate the heck out of me. Bending down to pick the crap up I keep dropping over and over is always a sure trigger for the pain to shoot off, the nerves voicing their objections loudly to my attempts to bend my neck in such a way, and more often than not the stabbing nerve response just makes me drop it again anyway.  

It's so frustrating when your body just stops working the way you have grown accustomed to and wish it to. To go from clinging to tiny nubbins on rock faces to not being able to pick up the toothpaste cap, urg, so maddening. 

I'm blessed to share my life with such an amazing companion, Emily has been a crucial element to my being able to push thru and still live the active sporting life I crave. Our relationship was always close, but now relying on her to help me get thru these really hard days has pushed our bond to a whole new level. She's become an expert at picking up all the things, even tiny little toothpaste caps that my silly fingers struggle to grasp. The relief of knowing I can use her skills to avoid having to bend over and send the shooting pain thru my head, oh man, I cannot even tell you how lovely it is to know I can avoid that stabbing.

We are currently working hard to adapt her service skills to accommodate backpacking life, retrieving the anti-seizure meds from my pack, negotiating picking up dropped trekking poles, pulling tent zipper tabs and such. 

I know it's crazy at times like this, when normal life is a challenge, to even consider such a thing like hiking across the country. But I refuse to let these 1% days get in the way of living the life I dream of, and knowing I have this amazing little dog at my side makes me think, maybe together we can actually pull off what seems impossible.

It may take everything we have, but someday we'll get back to that place I was a couple years ago, running Ultra Marathons, rock climbing and eating mountains for breakfast. I am grateful that all the lessons this life has gifted me, most of all the ability to always feel the light even during these dark days. To have faith that we will do our best and have the experience we are meant to have. 

I know this day will pass, that the fog will lift and my mind will clear. I trust that when these days find me out on the trail, we'll push thru and make it work. Together Em & I will sort it out, we are both pretty good problem solvers. 

Teaching Force Free Off Leash Heeling

Another essential skill for Adventure dogs to master is Off Leash Heeling! While I always obey leash laws where required, there are so many times while hiking where they are not required that I find it far more comfortable for us both to take the leash off and use our training to create a dog equally under control whether on or off a leash. 

Emily has two natural hiking positions and it depends on circumstances as to which she adopts. She is either in front of me about 10-15 feet in a scout position, or directly behind me at my heels. I actually rarely have to ask her to heel, after the years of asking her to come to heel position in circumstances that I prefer more control, these days she just puts herself there in these situations before I even ask. However I can ask at anytime she assume the heel position and remain there until released. It no longer requires any control or reward and is a habit that she happily accepts when prompted. 

ALL of her training has been done force free, hands off, using emotions, connection and reward. She has never worn anything beyond a regular buckle collar. And has never been corrected beyond a ever so soft "uh Em, where ya going" gentle verbal reminder, she would absolutely melt into a puddle if I were to ever even suggest she was anything but wonderful. She's never worn a training collar, gentle leader or any kind of training system. 

It may take longer to train a dog using hands off positive techniques, and it takes a lot more work for the handler to figure out how to hold the dogs desire and focus. But the reward is, once you create the skill, you don't need other things to make it happen and you have the same level of control and compliance whether on or off a leash since it's not the leash creating the behavior. 

So follow along as I demonstrate the steps to teach your pup to heel off leash! 

A few tips and pointers:

• I do all my training off leash, you need to have access to a safe area you can work, if you do not have a safe fenced in area to work on the beginning steps you can practice in a large park and put your dog on a long line, do not hold the line and use it like a leash, either let it drag so that if your dog starts to leave you can step on it, or have someone else hold the end for you, or secure it to something, if securing it to something- attach it to a harness on your dog rather than a collar so they do not hit the end of a long line running and wrench their neck! 
• For the first step the common mistakes I see people make are moving the treat too fast and losing connection between the dogs nose and the treat, so the dog doesn't pass far enough to end up behind you to line up straight, and they end up stopping short and sitting towards you instead of beside you. Or forgetting to step back and just trying to move the dog with their hand, again this doesn't bring the dog far enough behind your leg to get a straight line up in the heel position. 
• When you feed the treat to your dog always do so with the palm of your hand facing their nose, if you have your palm forward they will bend around trying to get it and this causes them to sit out in front of you again instead of at your side. If you watch the video you can see me switch my hand as I step back forward again so my palm faces the pup's nose and I am able to stop her exactly at my side. 
• Be happy! Folks have a tendency to get caught up in trying to be correct and often get so serious the pup just wants outta there, so relax, have fun and just play with the technique until you get it figured out. 

Stay tuned for the next steps in both the off leash heeling & teaching a great come command!

Be sure and follow Emily, The Hiker Pup on FB, Instagram and you can subscribe to her Youtube channel. We have so much to share with you all as we prepare for our epic adventure next year. 

Using play to train a dog to call off a chase

Emily & I have been spending a lot of time this season preparing for our thru hike next year by hiking and hanging out with thru hikers on the PCT this year, and one of the questions people always have when they find out I am a dog trainer is: Can you teach a dog to come when they are called even around wildlife? The answer is yes, and it depends. Below is a video of a demonstration of the training I have done with all of my dogs so that I can have dogs I can hike with even where wildlife abounds. I have successfully trained all of my dogs to perfect come command status, except one, and with him timing is everything, if I catch it and call right at the start he will come, if he is too far into the chase, nope. 

The secret of success is toys. Using toys you can put a dog into prey drive and chase mode, and the use the toys to shape and reward the desired response. You will never get as good of a come command off of a chase using food, you can get a decent response, but if they are in full chase many dogs will not even consider a treat as a profitable trade. Food drive & prey drive are two separate motivations so one does not always interrupt the other. 

You can see an example of the early steps of the training that I do with her on a leash, using two toys, the toy I am calling her off is always a lesser value toy than the one I present as the reward for responding in the early steps. That way she is built up believing I have the better toy if she listens and that creates a better immediate response. 

As my training progresses I build to using the thrown toy as the reward, and building what commands I can get a response to before releasing to the toy. And as you can see in the video for it to be a practical exercise for real life I need to constantly vary whether I call, or send without a call, call back or just release the mid run wait. If I am too predictable my dog will not actually listen to my words they will just start running the pattern and it won't be under my control. 

Emily is under voice control and it has been field tested with wildlife of all sorts: deer, rabbits, squirrels, grouse, etc. If you like the video subscribe to The Hiker Pup Youtube channel, I will be posting more videos breaking down the training process for this come command training as well as stays, and other trail helpful training. 

Oregon Eclipse on a mountain top

Our original plan was to backpack into the Jefferson Park Wilderness in central Oregon, but when forest fires closed down the area we opted not to fight the traffic and crowds, instead staying local and summiting one of our favorite mountains, Mt McLoughlin, to watch the event. 

We headed up the mountain after work on Sunday which meant a night summit, in a dark moonless night. We've been to the peak of this mountain many times but only once before in the dark and never with a full backpacking load. The top of this mountain is all rock, which means the final mile is all bouldering, which was quite the adventure in the dark with a 20lb pack on our backs! 

We were blessed with perfect weather once we climbed up above the valley smoke, a clear night with just a easy occasional breeze which is a blessing on a mountain top! The downside to camping on the top of a volcano is there are not really any flat spots, so it was not exactly a comfortable nights sleep. Plus, the show the stars put on during the moonless dark night was spectacular! I saw so many shooting stars I could hardly close my eyes, so there was not much sleep happening. 

Hiker pup, Emily tucked in with us, snuggled in her dragon wing jacket and covered with the down blanket we packed in for her. There are few dogs I would trust like I do her, the space at our feet literally dropping away a few thousand feet off a sheer drop. But she is the most thoughtful careful dog I've ever owned and I never doubted her judgement. 

The fire smoke made for a dramatic sunrise and it has been on the list for a very long time to sleep on this mountain and watch the sunrise, it did not disappoint! It was lovely having an easy morning, drinking coffee, eating oatmeal and watching the sun climb it's way into the sky. Then of course was the amazing display nature put on with the eclipse! Our place on the path put us at 96%, a lovely experience well worth the climb and something we will cherish as an experience! 

Making some ultralight emergency dog booties.

Here's video showing how to use KT tape to fashion some dog booties. 

I always have KT tape in my backpack when I hike and it works remarkably well in a pinch to provide a pup with sore pads some relief and can be the difference between having your pup walk out on their own vs being carried. 

The real secret is found in understanding how to properly care for your pups feet and how to condition their feet so you rarely need to rely on boots. Just like our own feet handling long distances suddenly is a recipe for blisters and sore feet. The Hiker Pup's feet see many miles of trail every week and in all our years of ultra marathon training with her joining me for all my training runs she has well conditioned tough feet and rarely needs boots. So while I wouldn't use these boots for a long term solution, they work great in a pinch and all I need to carry that I don't already is some super lightweight foam. 

Field Testing Backpacking food for dogs

In preparing for a thru-hike with Emily one of my biggest concerns is properly keeping her fed and literally carrying the weight of that on my shoulders. This weekend we field tested a few different options and here are the (incredibly non-scientific) results.

First up, her regular kibble, which is Zignature Duck Formula. 

Weighing in at 4.5ozs per cup which provides her with 427 kcal. This amount is x2 her regular meal portion size which I anticipate will be what the demands of thru hiking will require, so that works out to 9ozs per day for 854kcal which works out to $1.24 per day.

The pro's

• Hands down the most affordable option at just a fraction of the cost!
• Easy, no prep needed, easy to pack and portion. 
• No extra water needed for re-hydrating.
• she likes it

The con's

• weight

Thoughts: Given the $ savings, it's hard for that not to be a major factor so it is in the running!

Next up, Honest Kitchen Force, a backpackers favorite.

Weighing in at 4.2oz for 446/kcal, so 8.4ozs per day for 892kcal at $4.26 per day when buying in bulk - 4 ten pound boxes. 

The pros

• space in pack 
• a bit less weight, though I was actually surprised that it was not more of a weight savings than her normal kibble!

The cons

• it's a bit more work, it is a bit messier to work with than kibble
• takes water to rehydrate 
• I'm not sure she's real keen on the texture of this food and does tire of it the quickest out of all the diets I've tested.

Thoughts: given her lack luster interest after a few meals and the extra cost for just a wee bit of weight savings I think this one will not be on our thru hiking menu. That being said it is a fantastic quality food and I will continue using it at home and on car camping trips as a meal mixer, and it may work great for many backpacking dogs. She is a bit more finicky than many dogs can be...

I was very excited to test out the Evangers Hi-Bio Chicken

Weighing in at 3.5oz for 309/kcal, so by my math that's about 9.6ozs for 850/kcal. I had to do a bit of guessing and figuring to try and sort out how many servings per bag, and the estimate of cost was based on retail so I'm not sure if I can find it cheaper with a frequent buyers program or such like the bulk savings Honest Kitchen offers, but initial sticker price seems to work out to $5.41 per day. 

The pros

• Taste, she loved this stuff! It was nice and chewy. 
• Convenient! Just as easy as kibble and she likes it way more.
• I love how the little bit sized pieces can be dual purpose using them as treats.
• Did I mention she loved it.

The cons

• price, unless I can find a frequent buyer program I just don't see how I justify the increased expense given the weight to kcal ratio comes in just about the same as her kibble. 

Thoughts:  For short weekend backpacking adventures I can see using this stuff a lot, but for a 5 month thru hike it's a bit cost prohibitive. It money were no option I would move this to the top of the list! The quality of this product is top notch.

My Tucker - Carnibar

The clear winner in the kcal to weight ratio, Just 3ozs gets her 500 kcal! So only 6oz's for 1000kcal, again I have a bit of work to do to see if a frequent buyer program is available as at $3/bar it would run me $6/day at full retail. 

The pros

• Power for the punch! That much energy packed in the least ozs puts it up at the top when it comes to weight savings.
• Super convenient! Takes up very little pack space, single serving packaging, while annoying for home feeding, on a thru-hike super handy! 
• She likes it.

The cons

• The super convenient only applies to feeding it as is, re-hydrating this stuff on the trail is not great. It doesn't tell you how much water to use, and at elevation I went 4 times the recommended rehydration time and it was still the same, in the end I added some Honest kitchen just to sop up the water. 
• Also, if going the rehydrating route extra water is needed. (this is no big deal camping, but when you are carrying all that water on your back for 20 miles a day it matters)
• It's dry, so she did best when I fed it to her as is, not as a meal but more like a power bar, broken up throughout the day instead of at once.
• Cost, $6 a day, so again unless I can find a deal...

Thoughts: Man it is hard to beat that weight savings, but the cost again is a huge jump to swing for 5 months. Emily is going to have to get a job;) But if money were no object this would top the list next to the Evangers. 

Summary:

If taste were the most important, Evangers was her clear favorite, the only one she licked the bowl and looked for more. If weight was the most important, and it almost is, than the Carnibar is the clear winner winner chicken dinner. If cost is the most important, and given the cost of a thru hike, it clearly matters a lot, than good old kibble rules the day. 

I'm guessing my plan is going to look a little bit like: Squirrel away as many Carnibars as my finances allow and feed them like a power bar cutting down how much kibble I carry which will be her main staple, then I'll supplement with as much Evangers as I can afford to ensure the quality of her nutrition is optimal and to make her happy.   

I still have a few more products to try, like the turbo pup bars and such. In the past I have already tried out most all of the freeze dried raw diets like Stella & Chewy's, Halo's freeze dried etc, and all of them were far too challenging to rehydrate at elevation and much too costly to even consider for this length of hike. 

Deadfall Lakes - Shasta/Trinity Forest

South Fork Lakes - Trinity Alps

wagner butte hike

DIY project - paracord collar

I've been meaning to make one of these for awhile, and had I known how easy it is I would have done so a long time ago!!! It's so easy you can actually just buy a little kit that has everything you need but I didn't go that route as I wanted to add a few features and use a lighter weight cord. 

I knew I wanted a few key features: a whistle, a compass and a built in leash. 

I had stopped in our local used gear store, as I was checking to see if they had any camping pads I could trim down to her size and as I passed by the counter I saw they had a used emergency paracord bracelet for people with exactly the whistle and compass I had been looking for. So for just a couple bucks I walked out with everything I needed except the paracord, which I picked up at the gear shop I knew that had the stuff I wanted by the foot. 

For around $8 I had all that I needed, except the know how, which a quick google search took care of immediately. There are so many how to videos and blogs that I am not even going to bother with that here, except to say, it is so easy so don't even hesitate to try it! 

To create the built in leash I just modified the design a little to have one of the ends longer than the other, I wove in a few extra rings so the leash can feed thru them to help keep the leash wrangled when not in use, and fixed a snap to the end. 

I'm going to test drive it like this and see how I like it, if I feel like I want the leash to be more easily accessible I will take out the extra rings and instead attach a tiny stuff bag to jam the leash into and have that just hang on the collar. But with Emily's off leash heeling skills I really only anticipate needing it when we come into towns so I went with a design that kept the leash as streamlined as possible. 

I'll let you know if I change that up after test driving it. 

I also attached the compass up away from the buckle so that it had more of a chance of staying dryer as the buckles tend to weigh the collar so it's also easier to read. They do make buckles that have a compass, whistle and flint built in, and maybe at some point I'll spring for that, but I was going for light and cheap :) 

I also picked up a used platypus bladder and made a travel bowl. So with just these two projects I took 5ozs off her gear weight!