[nagdu] Backpacking

Tue Jan 24 22:37:33 UTC 2012

Get a couple of llamas tpo carry all the stuff and the dog could double as a 
herder for the llamas!
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tami Kinney" <tamara.8024 at comcast.net>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 24, 2012 4:13 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Backpacking


> Julie,
>
> Also, this is a very educational discussion. /smile/ I'm reading it all 
> and wondering how many things I would forget to think of if I suddengly 
> got a chance to head off on a nice backpacking trip one a natural trail...
>
> Which I long to do, so I'm exercising my guide dog hiking brain cells by 
> trying to figure out how I would solve all of those things... /smile/
>
> People have given good answers to some of the things I haven't gotten 
> around to thinking about, like water purification and all.
>
> The weight bearing part, I'm not sure of, since the dog needs food, extra 
> food for the extra work. So would I!
>
> If I come up with a brilliant solution to that in light of the fact that I 
> am but a delicate little woman, I'll be sure to clue y'all in... /grin/
>
> Tami
>
> On 01/24/2012 05:08 AM, Julie J. wrote:
>> Abigail,
>>
>> What specific things are you concerned about in regard to a week long
>> hike vs. a day trip?
>>
>> Is it sleeping arrangements and making sure your guide is warm and
>> comfortable?
>> Is it the extra weight she will need to carry and getting used to packs?
>> Maybe working her on off road terrain?
>> Are you concerned about interference from wildlife or illness from
>> unpurified water?
>>
>> I think if you could be more specific about what your concerns are, we'd
>> be able to offer more help.
>>
>> Julie
>>
>>
>> On 1/23/2012 9:56 PM, Abigail Lanier wrote:
>>> Mark,
>>>
>>> Thank you for your response, but I am really looking for advice in
>>> regards to hiking with a guide dog. I've done lots of camping and
>>> hiking before I got my guide and even some short day trips with her,
>>> but as I said in a previous message, I"m looking into a week long hike
>>> of the Appalachian Trail this March and I want to take Alexa with me.
>>> I'm doing lots of research and considering the pros and cons of taking
>>> her. Her health and well being is just as important as mine.
>>>
>>> Abigail
>>>
>>> On Jan 22, 2012, at 11:30 PM, Mark J. Cadigan wrote:
>>>
>>>> I go backpacking all the time. For water purification I just use the
>>>> purification tablets you get at any camping or army surplus store.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> You can set up your tent completely independently; it just depends on
>>>> practice, and having a small tent. Chances are, if you are
>>>> backpacking you will have a small tent.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> For food, I like the freeze dried food. It's a lot easier to carry
>>>> than canned food.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jeffrey
>>>> Young"<jeff.young8806 at gmail.com>
>>>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog
>>>> Users"<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>>> Cc: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog
>>>> Users"<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>>> Sent: Sunday, January 22, 2012 7:20 PM
>>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Backpacking
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Thanks Tami. We probably won't do any hiking in the first year, but
>>>>> maybe some car camping.
>>>>>
>>>>> Abigail, the biggest issue on a long trip is water. It doesn't sound
>>>>> as though you are, but if you or anyone is backpacking in a dry
>>>>> desert area, I would not recommend bringing a dog. The reason being
>>>>> that you have to pack all of your own water. This can become very
>>>>> heavy, and packing the additional water for the dog would be hard to
>>>>> deal with. Ideally you will only need to bring two or three leaders
>>>>> along with a water purification system. You can get water from
>>>>> streams, but it needs to be purified so you or your dog do not
>>>>> contract geardia. I'm sure I misspelled it, but it's also known as
>>>>> backpackers disease. It's easy to cure when near a hospital or vet,
>>>>> but not in the wild, especially because you won't have a functional
>>>>> bathroom.
>>>>>
>>>>> Check with the organizer of the event to see if he or she is
>>>>> bringing a purifier, that way you won't need to by your own. Another
>>>>> thing is to make sure you are familiar with your own equipment. IE
>>>>> setting up your tent on your own ETC. You will need a hand with most
>>>>> tents, but you will need to make sure that you can do the majority
>>>>> of the work. Everyone else on the trip will have their own
>>>>> equipment, and having to help someone else a lot can be annoying to
>>>>> them.
>>>>>
>>>>> This is all stuff I learned on the trips we took. I was twelve and
>>>>> theirteen on most of ours, and my dad came on one and basically told
>>>>> me if I wanted to keep going I needed to be more independent.
>>>>>
>>>>> Good Luck, and don't hesitate with any other questions. Also, you
>>>>> can find a lot of first time resources online.
>>>>>
>>>>> Sent from my iPad
>>>>> Jeff Young
>>>>> Home of the world's healthiest energy drink. No Caffeine, no added
>>>>> sugar. E-mail me for a free sample today.
>>>>> Phone: (318) 243-3003
>>>>> E-mail: jeff.young8806 at gmail.com
>>>>>
>>>>> http://actoverview.com
>>>>>
>>>>> On Jan 22, 2012, at 3:55 PM, Tami Kinney<tamara.8024 at comcast.net>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Jeff,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> These are all excellent suggestions of things to consider. And
>>>>>> congratulations on your soon-to-be first child. You will certainly
>>>>>> be too busy to go camping! /grin/ Unless you decide next year your
>>>>>> brave enough to put the kid in a backpack and go for it. I know
>>>>>> people who do and don't know whether to admire their courage or
>>>>>> wonder about their sanity... Just kidding.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Another piece of good advice I got from an avid guide dog using
>>>>>> hiker and camper was to always wear sunglasses to protect your eyes
>>>>>> from low hanging branches, just in case. And also to wear a
>>>>>> baseball cap, for the same reason. This is certainly something I do
>>>>>> when using the cane on a trail, and good thing! With the tame
>>>>>> trails we usually do, I'm not as motivated to remember when I'm
>>>>>> using Mitzi, but I really try to make it a practice. Just in case!
>>>>>> /smile/
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I've only gotten out on short day trips with Mitzi so far, but one
>>>>>> thing I did, knowing I wanted to add more of that in the future,
>>>>>> was to use the off leash obedience I'd taught her to give her
>>>>>> freedom to explore the first time or two, while I used my cane to
>>>>>> navigate and try to figure out how I planned to use her as a guide
>>>>>> dog. So then, when I did start doing trails with her in harness, we
>>>>>> were able to work out the kinks together pretty well. I haven't
>>>>>> gone on any of the really good backpacking and camping trips I
>>>>>> would like to. Yet. But I do like using more than one tool,
>>>>>> depending on which works best in which environment. Well, and Mitzi
>>>>>> really does do the jingle guide and squeak guide thing, in addition
>>>>>> to leash guiding, so that gives us a lot of flexibility.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> That wouldn't work for everybody and every dog, though, so on a
>>>>>> safety first basis: Don't do it unless you're sure your dog will be
>>>>>> safe. Honestly, I can't see myself trying it at all with a
>>>>>> program-trained dog, simply because the pups are protected and
>>>>>> streamlined for guide work, not for running wild and free in the
>>>>>> wilderness... Mitzi ran free with a big pack o' poodles and other
>>>>>> dogs until she was 7 months, so the other dogs taught her the
>>>>>> fundamentals of doggy safety. That made socializing her and all in
>>>>>> the city quite the adventure, but it has given me a lot of freedom
>>>>>> to train from the beginning towards the outdoor life. She does
>>>>>> really well at city slicker stuff now, of course, but that doesn't
>>>>>> mean we can't throw off our fancy duds and hit the trail! /lol/
>>>>>>
>>>>>> One way to work with a dog without risking letting it run off leash
>>>>>> where it doesn't know the dangers or might get too excited and run
>>>>>> off and forget to come back would perhaps be to do some long leash
>>>>>> work with dog while you use your cane. Our dogs are about as not
>>>>>> stupid as dogs can be, after all, and they really do seem to grasp
>>>>>> that their purpose in our lives is our safety and theirs. So giving
>>>>>> the dog a chance to observe some of the special obstacles and other
>>>>>> challenges of hiking a trail could be to give the dog an
>>>>>> opportunity to watch you take them on and figure it out with your
>>>>>> cane. If that makes sense. Also, I have found it to be a good way
>>>>>> to plan *how* I want to hike with my guide when the time comes that
>>>>>> she will be in harness and I will be using a rigid cane or trekking
>>>>>> pole in the other hand for gauging distances up and down.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> If that makes sense. /smile/
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Tami
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On 01/22/2012 12:09 PM, Jeffrey Young wrote:
>>>>>>> So I have done extensive backpacking as a boy scout, but I haven't
>>>>>>> had a chance to do any with my guideDog. One thing I'd recommend
>>>>>>> is to bring a cane along. A good sturdy cane not a telescoping
>>>>>>> one. The cane would serve two purposes. One as a walking stick.
>>>>>>> Most backpackers use a walking stick. A walking stick is
>>>>>>> especially useful on steep rough terrain.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Secondly, when hiking you may encounter many obstacles that your
>>>>>>> dog might not normally encounter. You can use the cane to explore
>>>>>>> the obstruction before moving on. Also, make sure your dog is well
>>>>>>> fortified against flees and especially ticks. I don't remember if
>>>>>>> you said in the first email, but you might want to find out how
>>>>>>> rough the hiking will be and how many miles per day you will need
>>>>>>> to travel.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> If you and your dog only travel a mile or two a day on city
>>>>>>> sidewalks and you are expected to travel six or seven miles a day
>>>>>>> on the trip, then this could pose a challenge of potentially
>>>>>>> overworking your dog as well as yourself.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I could probably come up with some other tips, but I don't want to
>>>>>>> ramble to much. If you have any general backpacking questions feel
>>>>>>> free to let me know. Also, I'm sure we have some other backpackers
>>>>>>> on the list.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I should add that I can't wait to take Hansel on a trip, but we
>>>>>>> are having our first child in August, so their won't be much, if
>>>>>>> any camping this summer.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Jeff and Hansel
>>>>>>> Jeff Young
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Home of the world's healthiest energy drink. No Caffeine, no added
>>>>>>> sugar. Email me for a free sample today.
>>>>>>> Phone: (318) 243-3003
>>>>>>> E-mail: jeff.young8806 at gmail.com
>>>>>>> Website: http://jhyrumyoung.drinkactweb.com/
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Jan 22, 2012, at 9:57 AM, Abigail Lanier wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Julie,
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> The book's title is "Blind Courage" and I am going to try and get
>>>>>>>> a copy of it.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> The good news is that I already live in the mountains of North
>>>>>>>> Carolina and Alexa and I are fairly used to hills and such. We
>>>>>>>> have done some hiking, but I wouldn't say that we are well
>>>>>>>> seasoned or experienced hikers.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I'll let you know of our "progress" :-)
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Abigail
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> On Jan 22, 2012, at 9:01 AM, Julie J. wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Abigail,
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> I have been backpacking, but not with my guide. The trip I went
>>>>>>>>> on was 5 days in Colorado in the Rockies. I'd estimate the pack
>>>>>>>>> I carried was 50 pounds or so. It was just about all I could do
>>>>>>>>> to carry the thing. *smile* Of course that was just my stuff. I
>>>>>>>>> agree with Nicole to have your guide carry her own food.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> My suggestion would be to get a pack for yourself and for your
>>>>>>>>> guide now and start building up your strength to carry it. Add
>>>>>>>>> in a little more weight each day, practicing going up and down
>>>>>>>>> stairs to simulate mountain hiking. Your guide won't be used to
>>>>>>>>> carrying weight and will also need to build up strength to be
>>>>>>>>> able to do so comfortably. There are a lot of web sites that
>>>>>>>>> talk about dog backpacking, you could check out some of them to
>>>>>>>>> get an idea of how much the maximum weight is that your guide
>>>>>>>>> could potentially carry. I'd subtract a bit from that because
>>>>>>>>> guiding is work too.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> There is a book about a guy who hiked the entire Appalachian
>>>>>>>>> trail with his guide dog. NLS has it. I want to say it was
>>>>>>>>> called, "Blind Courage" but I could be misremembering. I've read
>>>>>>>>> a load of dog books and they sometimes get cross-wired in my
>>>>>>>>> head! *smile*
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Best of luck,
>>>>>>>>> Julie
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
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>>>>>>>>
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>>
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