It’s been over a month since I’ve written here, and I have so many things to share with you. Perhaps the most exciting thing is that I have, after seven years, finally completed The Colorado Trail. It was not without some difficulties, but I’m thrilled and relieved to have finished so that I can put more energy into writing the book. More about the book in another post.
As I mentioned in my last post, the original plan was to do 111.3 miles in 11 consecutive days, with the dogs. After about 40 miles, Japhy began having some issues with a front paw, due to the extremely rough trail. Most of this section of trail was loose scree and large rocks, so it was particularly tough on the dogs’ paws. Even with dog boots, which I only put on the dogs when absolutely necessary due to the fact that dogs partially regulate their body temperature via their paw pads and can very easily overheat if the pads aren’t allowed to breathe (there are also issues of traction in environments where it’s absolutely crucial that the dogs are able to maneuver tricky terrain without slipping), by the time we reached our resupply point it was clear that the dogs should not go on, and I’d reached out to a shuttler in Durango (about 45 minutes by road from our resupply point) who picked us up and took us back to our car. Back to Lubbock we went, with 75 miles of trail remaining.
It took me a couple of weeks to make enough money to go back. With gas prices so high, and the fact that my parents—who are 12 hours from Lubbock—are the only people I trust 100% to safely and successfully manage the dogs for a week without me, I had to hustle to make it happen. I edited and posted the new images I’d made from the 40 miles of trail we’d just finished, and I put together my 2024 wall calendars a bit early to begin accepting pre-orders. It was tight, but I made enough money to head back out roughly two weeks later. I drove to the Midwest and dropped off the dogs with my folks, then drove 13.5 hours to Durango to stage my car at the end of the trail, paid a shuttler to drive me back to Molas Pass where we’d left off two weeks earlier, and I started the last 75 mile stretch of trail on my own. Some call it crazy. I call it determined. :)
I’d planned to hike the 75 miles in eight days but ended up finishing in six. My mom, who’s very likely correct, said it’s because I missed my dogs. I really do hate leaving them, even when I know it’s for the best and that they’re in good hands. In so many ways, not having the dogs with me made the last 75 miles a lot easier. I wasn’t as hyper-alert, as I didn’t need to be constantly looking ahead for wildlife, or other dogs and people in order to leash up in a timely manner and get off trail so that others could pass, etc. I’ve discovered through firsthand experience that I’m in the minority when I do this, and that yes, it’s absolutely so much easier not to do this, but it is my responsibility to do this as a guardian to these two beautiful dogs. It’s a responsibility that I take very seriously and that I fully accepted when I chose to adopt (and include in my active outdoor life) two medium-large breed dogs that most people fear based on appearance alone. Plus, both of mine are now reactive to varying degrees, and this creates a very serious responsibility in itself. It’s also just common courtesy to others with whom I share the trail experience. I often wish other dog people would take their responsibility to their own dogs as seriously, but that is beyond my control. What is within my control is how I manage my own dogs when we’re out there. Though sometimes even that is a challenge, due to others’ lack of understanding and/or concern in a shared space.
As I neared Durango, the southern terminus of The Colorado Trail, I became even more glad that I didn’t bring the dogs on this final stretch. The closer to Durango I got, the more people and dogs were on the trail. In fact, the last few miles were downright congested, and so many people were completely clueless as to what their dogs were doing (off-leash). Multiple dogs approached me, and their humans never intervened in any way. I don’t know how I would’ve handled trying to get my two (leashed) reactive dogs through that insanity without resorting to using dog spray to keep the unleashed dogs away from mine. This is one reason why I try to avoid the popular trails when backpacking with my dogs. Most of The Colorado Trail is remote, and we’d sometimes go days without seeing a single person, but the last few miles into Durango were very different, and I’m really glad the dogs weren’t with me.
Lack of common sense and courtesy with regard to dogs in public spaces makes it very, very challenging for those of us who wish to include our own dogs in public spaces in a safe and respectful way. I very much care about how my dogs’ presence impacts everyone in a space, whether it’s a wilderness area, my urban neighborhood, or even my own home when guests are over. I wish other dog people cared as much. Some do. Many don’t, in my experience. One of my greatest fears is that my dogs will be punished for another person’s lack of responsibility. It’s why I take every action I can to be an advocate for my dogs, like putting brightly colored velcro patches on their collars that say “No Dogs” and “Do Not Pet,” or when I yell out to oncoming hikers with unleashed dogs to say, “I have a dog reactive dog! Can you please leash yours until we pass?!”
My dog reactive dog has just as much right to be living his best life as any other good dog out there. But I *don’t* have the right to be irresponsible about it. I must advocate. I must do all that I can to ensure everyone’s safety, because everyone’s safety = my dogs’ safety.
I certainly don’t mean to point fingers or create unnecessary drama over the issue. I hope that my blog can educate without doing either of those things. For the most part, I think that people just don’t realize how common dog reactivity is. Or that it’s not aggression. Or that reactive dogs deserve to be able to live a life of adventure, too, safely—and absolutely can, with a little more respect and understanding. I also think that people don’t fully grasp how many other people are truly terrified of dogs (another reason not to allow your unleashed dog to approach someone in any space). In a perfect world, I suppose all animals and humans could commingle without so much as a tiny squabble. But alas, we don’t live in a perfect world. A bear is still a predator and a dog is still an animal, and as the so-called intelligent species-in-residence here, we humans have a duty when we choose to bring a dog into our world to keep learning and advocating for all of the things they need in order to be successful. It’s an active process.
At any rate, in the coming days I’ll continue to write more about specific details and experiences from my CT finish that may be helpful to you. I want to share more information about the gear I used, including the Säker Canine Ascension dog pack system and a few other things. I’ll be making YouTube videos reviewing that gear as well, and I’ll be sure to share those videos here when they’re published.
I hope you’re doing well and staying cool. Fall is just around the corner, and I’m looking forward to more car camping trips once the temps are more reasonable.
Until next time, take care and love your doggos. If you have any specific questions you’d like to me to answer in a future post, please leave them in the comments. Enjoy a few photos below of the dogs on trail this season.
This is incredible, I would love to dork out with you some time about you dogs, thier packs, anything you learned about the fit, the weight, etc. I love using packs with dogs in general as someone who enjoys a bit of Rucking myself.
Just love those pictures, such beautiful and happy pups!!
Absolutely agree with your observations. I know when I take my X-Large dog I’m always aware of how his size intimidates people fearful of dogs and even otherwise dog friendly dogs not used to encountering giant breeds (toy breeds the worst- full on attack mode). He is fully trained to not approach with out my first giving permission but I still grab his leash which I keep tucked on his pack. Making sure he is a great ambassador on the trail so everyone can enjoy the experience is just courteous. I really don’t want to see dogs exclusively leashed or even banned because of tragic but preventable incidents.