OUR STORY
From the day Liberty came home with me – I knew I had found my adventure pupper. She was cautious about the big world but trusting enough to overcome fears as we found them. Luckily for her, nothing as scary as a trashcan with wheels will ever be seen on the trails. As we continued to grow, it became undeniable, very quickly that we were going to have great times together.
Our first hike – Humpback Rocks, VA.
We were finally ready! All of our training was paying off. So many “sit – stays” and “leave-its.” The constant testing of the recall to the heels. If only she knew why she was working so hard and WHY we slept in a tent in our living room…I’ll explain it to her when she gets older.
Our first hike would send us to the Blue Ridge Parkway. We would decimate Humpback Rocks followed by a short 3-mile hike down the Dobie trail. Gosh – So many new smells! She would argue that a leash is not how she would prefer to explore these trails!
Sometimes she lets me be the big spoon – Mill Creek Shelter
Feeling very accomplished Liberty would spend the evening in my sleeping bag. You never realize how much discomfort you will tolerate until you have a pooped pooch snoring on your forearm. The night would bring the cold, but luckily I had chocolate furnace cooking in my bag!
In the morning we would soak some kibble in hot water while my oatmeal was doing the same. I would work on my cup of coffee and she would romp around our site. Strangely enough, Liberty came out of the bushes with a purple disc golf frisbee. If there is one thing you should know about this little princess, it’s that she would do anything to chase a frisbee! I purposely didn’t bring one with me because it can become very distracting and she becomes fixated on it. Some Labs will retrieve birds – but not mine! Oh no, she’s good at finding fun, no matter where we are!
10-degree morning selfie – C&O Canal
We would later try our luck with hammock camping, I prefer the “Hanging” lifestyle. What can I say, it’s the Sailor in me – I was born on the crest of a wave and rocked in the cradle of the deep. Hammocks give me that peaceful sway plus bears LOVE hiker burritos!
The temps would drop lower than we expected and Liberty would once again get in my bag and act as a furnace. Though she’s a bit bigger – she fits perfectly in my foot box and between my legs. Our morning selfie. We negotiated who was making breakfast and as usual, I lost. We decided to eat on the move and have a larger than normal meal at lunchtime when the sun came out.
Homemade “Mushers Secret”
Testing our new pack by Groundbird – Spruce Knob, WV
Our gear would continue to evolve. We would try different things and we would take them on the trails to test them. Some didn’t work well then but work better now.
We tried making some homemade “Mushers Secret”. We tried different pack load-outs, different fuels for cooking and different meals. We even upgraded our bag to a “quilt” so that we would have more room to snuggle!
Like everyone else, we don’t have the money to just throw at this hobby – this necessity in our life. So we did countless hours of research. Watched video reviews, read articles and chat in forums.
So what is the point of this and the site? My plan is to help others find the gear they may need based on our trial and error. To have access to tested trail food recipes and links for gear reviews. I would like to have an “in memoriam” page dedicated to our friends that wait at the Rainbow Bridge for us.
Most importantly, when the time is right, Liberty and I will be looking to you – to help us find and hike our dog-friendly backyard trails. The trails that are in your neck of the woods. We want to travel state to state and provide accurate mapping/GPS data of these trails. We want to offer photos and videos to compliment the map data. We want to go to Canada and Mexico and eat the freshest salmon in Alaska!
We look forward to more “wags and woofs” with newfound friends in our future.