Backpacking With My Older Dog
My plan to make Honey as comfortable as possible during our winter adventures
With 2024 coming to an end, naturally, I have been reflecting on what types of hiking and running-related endeavors I want to strive toward next year. While my plans post-bachelor’s degree graduation are a little fuzzy, I have ultimately decided to take a gap year before possibly going on to graduate school. Therefore, I would love to make the most out of this break from academia to pursue things that would make my heart happy before succumbing to adulthood and getting a job. I have some fun ideas in mind for the adventures I want to do, but for now, I want to focus on this winter’s plans before getting too ahead of myself.
Ever since moving to Missouri, it has always been a goal of mine to eventually complete all sections of the Ozark Trail with my dog Honey. In the six or so years that I’ve lived here, we have completed many of them, but still have a ways to go if we want to finish the entire trail. When Honey turned 9 this past July, things hit me like a ton of bricks: she’s not getting any younger. As I find her sleeping more and more hours of the day with speckles of white sprinkled around her dark brindle snout, I can’t help but feel like her long-distance hiking days are coming to an end. Don’t get me wrong, Honey still has plenty of spunk in her. However, the last few hiking trips with her have caused me to realize that her body definitely isn’t as spry as it once was.
She slows down much quicker now and requires more breaks to get through the day. 20+ mile days are no longer in the cards for us anymore, but she can still hammer out 10-12 miles if we pace ourselves correctly. With this in mind, I think completing the Ozark Trail is still possible even if it may take a little more planning involved to make sure she stays happy and healthy. For this post, I figured I would detail the steps I am going to take to ensure that Honey is as comfortable as possible as we tackle parts of the OT this winter together.
Gear changes
While I have dialed in my backpacking gear the way that works for me and don’t need to make any big purchases anymore, investing in Honey’s comfort is important to me so that she stays warm and dry on the trail. This meant buying some dog-specific gear like a sleeping pad, sleeping bag, and insulated jacket. If you don’t frequently hike or camp with dogs, you might be asking yourself, “What in the world? Those things actually exist?!” Yes, they most certainly do thanks to Ruffwear.
Sleeping bag + sleeping pad
Ruffwear is an awesome, performance dog outfitter company that specializes in providing top of the line outdoor gear for your pup to enjoy their time in the backcountry. They have a plethora of really cool items like harnesses, dog packs, and apparel for all sorts of outdoor sports. They even have dog trail boots and life jackets. How incredibly cute is that!
In the past for cold-weather hiking trips, I have always just stuffed Honey into my sleeping bag if the temperature got too low (which I have to admit is a highlight of the trip. When is spooning with your dog not the best thing ever?). However, for this upcoming series of overnights in the dead of a Midwest winter, I decided to get her own sleeping bag and sleeping pad.
The one that Ruffwear offers, while not ultralight, is definitely one of lighter weight options when compared to other brands. At 1.6 pounds, the Highlands Dog Sleeping Bag provides a cozy experience for your dog. It’s insulated with synthetic down and has a water-resistant outer shell that’s also surprisingly durable. This is important because every outdoor gear nerd with a dog knows that their claws can easily shred the typically delicate fabric of most down products if given the chance.
Ruffwear also has made a corresponding sleeping pad that can slip inside the sleeping bag. The Highlands Dog Pad at just 12 ounces has a closed-cell foam design and is filled with synthetic down as well. While it doesn’t compress, it folds up accordion style and seems to stuff well inside the Gossamer Gear G4-20 pack I plan on taking for our trips on the Ozark Trail. With Honey being around 45 pounds and relatively small in stature, she just barely fits inside the medium version of the sleeping bag/pad combination. So far, she hasn’t been too excited to utilize the sleeping bag when we’ve practiced at home, but that totally could change when we’re outside in below freezing temperatures.
Insulated jacket
For our previous cold-weather hiking adventures, I have had Honey wear one of Ruffwear’s softshell jackets to provide some warmth. However, for this winter, I decided to upgrade to something that’s actually insulated. I ended up going with the Powder Hound Dog Jacket which should keep Honey comfortable at camp when things get super chilly. This jacket is what is known as a hybrid, which means it’s partially insulated in specific areas that need targeted warmth like Honey’s back, chest, and stomach. The bottom sides of the jacket as well as the sleeves that cut off at the elbows are made of a stretchy material that helps with range of motion. I have to admit, Honey looks pretty adorable in it and I hope it is enough to protect her from the harsh cold Missouri typically experiences each year.
Food
For most backpacking trips with Honey, I keep her food very simple and just bring her regular food in a reusable baggie. However, this time I want to take things up a notch. Since it will be “the season of the sticks” outside, I normally enjoy eating and drinking warm things. There’s nothing like a hot meal and some hot chocolate to end a long day of hiking before burrowing into my tent for the night. So why not do the same for Honey? (minus the chocolate of course).
To make her food options more enjoyable, I scoured Chewy.com for anything that would be backpacker-friendly and came up with some solid results. For Honey’s breakfasts and dinners, I’ll keep things the same with her primary dog food as the main base of the meal. As toppers, I plan on adding banana chips, freeze-dried pumpkin, a hip/joint supplement, peanut butter, and powdered bone broth. Since I’ll have my stove out anyway for both my breakfast oats and rice bowl dinners, I figured I would mix in some hot water into her bowl as well so her meal can be warm too.
For snacks, I found these dog nutrition bars called Barkwell that I plan on giving her during my lunch. I always feel bad about chowing down on my delicious hummus and tuna wraps while Honey just stares at me longingly. Now, she can eat something too alongside me. At the end of the hiking day, I like treating myself to something sweet like candy or cookies before bed. I figured I could do the same for Honey as well by giving her a non-rawhide bone to chew on while we chill inside our tent. I think Honey will enjoy these fun additions to her trail food and as her dog mom, I most certainly have enjoyed planning for it.
Miscellaneous things
Besides making changes to Honey’s gear and food, I also have decided to incorporate a few more ideas into our trip plan to make sure she stays comfortable throughout its duration. For one, I plan on bringing some paw balm for her little toe beans. Considering she’s going to be doing a lot of walking over the next few weeks, it only makes sense to provide some self-care and make sure her paw pads are not cracked or irritated. I also intend on carrying the majority of her gear/food. She already has a pack that she’s used to wearing. However, I don’t want to completely load her down. Realistically, I’ll probably end up putting most of her meals in her pack and then putting everything else into mine.
In terms of the actual hiking plan, because Honey is older, I think it will be wise to ultimately complete the entire Ozark Trail in small chunks as opposed to an entire thru-hike. That way she can get proper rest and recovery in between the 50 or so miles that we do for each trip. Since 10-12 miles will be our daily limit, this puts us at only hiking five or six days at a time. This is a preliminary plan. Obviously, we can make adjustments as needed if things don’t go as I originally thought they would.
Overall, my hope is that Honey doesn’t suffer too much. Backpacking by nature is uncomfortable, especially in winter. Therefore, I recognize that both of us will probably have our low moments during each trip. However, one thing is for certain: Honey and I are better together. Our bond is strong and has only strengthened over the years, so I firmly believe that we can complete the entire Ozark Trail regardless of her age. All 300+ miles of it.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for our future adventure reports!
See you out on the trail!
Rooting for you and Honey!
I’ve had the same realization about my dog, Fergus. He seems to enjoy our backpacking trips, but he’s just not as spry as he used to be. I’ve made the decision I’ll carry a heavy pack if it means he can come. A “gram wheeney” (a.k.a. Ultra light hiker) I am not!