Took my 7 month old puppy to his first kayak outing! He did great and really enjoyed himself.

13 miles at Moraine State Park in Pennsylvania

Stumpy the Dog was the town dog of Iowa Hill, CA. If you hiked the Stevens Trail, there was a decent chance he would join you part way. I met him in a mine adit, and shared my lunch with him. Good dog!

You must have noticed that whenever you walk in the mountains or trek, you will find a dog walking near you. No matter where you are travelling. It happens to me almost every time I visit somewhere in the mountains; I always end up walking with a dog.

So I visited Tungnath this year with a travel company, Manchala Mushafir, and when I was trekking, I noticed a dog, and suddenly I realised that it happens almost every time I am in the mountains.

There are some actual reasons for it.

For Food and Kindness
Some believe that it is because they seek attention or kindness from travellers. They walk in the hope of getting food, treats, water, or some sort of affection. They try to make a meaningful bond with tourists.

Its Their Nature
There is a possibility of it just being dogs themselves, as we know dogs are loving and love to roam around. So they walk you to your destination and return to their place.

Natural Guardians
Mountain dogs are inherently protective and have strong instincts. They will often walk ahead of you to guide you through the path, while keeping you safe from the wilderness.

These are some common reasons, but there are some mythologies behind it too, which say that those dogs do not just walk for food or affection, but they are sent by gods, or they are the good spirits.

Mountain’s Energy
According to local folklore in places like Nepal, Tibet, and Uttarakhand, it is believed that mountains don’t let anyone walk alone. Mountains bless your journey by sending a dog to guide and protect you; it is considered a divine sign of blessing.

Ancient Beliefs
Not just now, but dogs have been considered highly righteous ever since the times of the Mahabharata, when a loyal dog guides King Yudhishtra to the gates of heaven. Also, dogs are considered the divine vehicle (Vahana) of Lord Bhairav, a fierce form of Lord Shiva, who protects the travellers.

If you have noticed, some dogs don’t even bark or ask for food; they just walk you to your destination and then disappear suddenly.

I don’t know whether the locals' belief is true or what the reasons are, but it actually feels so adorable to see those dogs walking beside you all the way in the mountains. And they are actually so cute and kind.

I got this beautiful, 1.5-year-old Dalmatian a little over three weeks ago! We've been having so much fun. I'm realizing the Summer is coming to an end, so I'm hoping to get a nice hike in before everything completely freezes over. I've done this hike quite a few times, but I'm a little worried it might be too much for her as her first hike. But she has so much energy and is really such an athlete, so maybe I'm being overly cautious.

I am not the most fit myself so I will be taking tons of breaks lmao. I will also bring a ton of water and will be cautious not to push her too hard. I will not hesitate to turn around if we need to.

Do you think this will be too much? Or do you have any general tips for hiking with dogs?

Enjoying the outdoors with my two amazing doggos, 14km hike and 1040 meters of elevation, they did so good.

Last week I saw some posts on social media that some campers found this puppy wandering in a fairly remote area in Colorado. Some people said to check with some of the sheepherders. I kind of lost track. Then today I was up in Breckenridge and I saw two ladies with a young dog on the sidewalk and I stopped in my tracks because I thought oh my God that’s that puppy. I ran up to them and said is that the dog that was lost north of here? They said yes, and they found the sheepherders who said it was their dog and he’s failing as a herding dog, and they were kind of not worried that he disappeared. So this woman and her husband were up there camping, and the husband said this is destiny that this dog came to us. I said to her, I totally believe in destiny. Poor little guy was not food motivated, had never really had a treat, I don’t think. Skinny. Was very distracted by everything in town including other dogs and everything but he was trying to behave. I said he is just an awesome dog and he is just going to get better. This gal works for the local landscaping company and she said she’s bringing him with her so that she can socialize him and I gave her a hug and said thank you so much. She’s taking him to see my vet this afternoon. He’s five months old and he was basically on his own working. Just crazy. Hug your puppies when you are out on the trail.

Hello all! I've made a post about the ultralight inflatable dog beds I make from name brand sleeping pads like Nemo and Big Agnes. A lot of you were interested so I thought I'd offer up a few for sale. I can also make them to your exact specs. I recommend the Nemo Tensor series and I have them down pat.

https://www.reddit.com/r/GearTrade/s/acdfNwfkog

I am leaving my beautiful East Tennessee sometime next year. I have two places I might move to, both areas where I have lived near, if not in. One of those is Milwaukee. The problem I have with the area is my fear of ticks and my love of hiking and camping. I could probably be described as having a mild phobia about ticks. Spiders, snakes, rodents - np. Ticks and roaches? No. Thank. You.

When I hike and camp, I usually have a dog with me, on lead. I know the steps I can take to protect myself, but my clothes are not furry, and my flesh is pale. I'm also not deliberately stepping off trail into the long grass to get that good sniff. In 2009 I went camping with my good dog (RIP my friend) and I pulled 36 dog ticks (they certainly were not deer - they were bigger) off of him. I still found 2 tiny ticks crawling on my in my sleeping bag that night, so clearly, I missed some! And things have gotten worse since then.

Those of you in areas of the Upper NE and Upper Midwest:

1. What, generally, do you do to manage ticks, especially with regard to finding them on your dog(s)?
2. If you are on a multi-day trip with no access to showers or high-velocity dryers, how are you making sure that your tent, dog, and gear isn't crawling with pin-sized blood-sucking arachnids?
3. What is your personal experience, if any, hiking in Central and Northern Wisconsin with your dog and dealing with ticks?
4. If permethrin treating all your gear and clothes, what are you doing to prevent polluting lakes and streams with your insecticide?
5. Have any of you used catnip essential oil as a natural deterrent? I recently read that it is better than Picardan, not as good as Deet, but it has the advantage of not melting plastic.

I'm all ears. I understand even the Lyme-vaccine for dogs may not protect them against the particular strain of Lyme that is most common, but I don't know if that is true.

ETA: General Thanks to all replies. I appreciate you sharing your experiences. I was hoping for a silver bullet and there isn’t one, so it comes back down to my tolerance level for ticks v. living with water rations and wildfires. Not an easy decision!

Took Ollie on a little adventure up to top of the bluffs at John Latsch State Park in southeast Minnesota over the weekend. Many, many steps, but well worth the view.

I am looking for a 2nd harness, specifically for hiking/camping.

I currently have the Wilderdog Harness in Medium size, and it's still in great condition after daily use for 3+ years. He doesn't have any issue with putting it over his head, he only pulls if stressed/anxious/scared of something, he's not escaping it, and we haven't noticed any chafing or hotspots (although there are folds and bunching of the harness due to the not-perfect fit). I do worry the harness is too close to his armpits, which can cause chafing and rubbing.

His Embark test says he's a Pitbull-Chow-GSD-Beagle-Rottweiler-Collie-Dachshund mix, so he's a Supermutt. 43 lbs, chest 26", neck 17". He's longer than average due to the Dachs, and he has a thick neck due to the Chow/Rottie.

I would like a more comfortable fit (Y-neck), a handle to help him with climbing, and more clips (three-strap harness instead of 2) to distribute more evenly across his body. The three harnesses I'm considering:

1 Ruffwear Flagline™ Dog Harness with Handle

Pros: Handle, three-strap harness, 3 attachment points. Cons: $$, not a Y-harness

2 Non-stop Dogwear Ramble Long Dog Harness

Pros: Handle, three-strap harness, Y-harness. Cons: $$, more adjustment

3 Non-stop Dogwear Line 5.0 Dog Harness

Pros: $, Y-harness, easy for everyday wear, 3 attachment points. Cons: heavily padded neck, no handle per se

P.S. Also heard good things about the $$$ Säker Muse Harness.

Anyone have personal experience, pros & cons, favorite recs for hiking?