Keep your dog on leash while on the trail; clean up after your dog; old trail partner

There are more than a few people who are not fond of meeting backpackers with dogs on the trail, and in thinking of some of the backpackers and dogs I have encountered, I can understand why.

I have seen backpackers who unleash their pets 50 feet from the trailhead, letting them free to pursue wildlife and greet oncoming hikers. They invariably will tell you that their dog is friendly as you approach them, ignoring the frowns they get by other backpackers who are not thrilled to see loose dogs on trails.

My real pet peeve is about dog owners that don't clean up the messes their dogs deposit along the trail. They apparently don't understand that if you take a dog on a trail it is your responsibility to bury or otherwise remove their crap from the trailside. To not do this is to risk losing the right to backpack with dogs for everyone, as is already the case in most national parks and a few national forest backcountry trails.

I strongly encourage backpacking dog owners to be responsible in regard to the above points, as I consider having a dog along on a backpacking trip a privilege that makes the trips much more enjoyable, and one that I would hate to lose.

Naturalist John Burroughs explained it best when he said that having a dog along as a trail companion is the best of both worlds - you get the solitude you are after while at the same time you have the company of a little soul that loves the wild and the adventure of the outdoors as much as you do.

My oldest dog is a border collie who clearly has the opinion that there is nothing better in this world that starting up a trail into a pine or spruce/fir forest with me. I once saw him get so high after I shouldered my backpack and went over to untie him that he began leaping three feet up and down with excitement, with his dog backpack on, full of his food for the next three or four days.

Border collies are known to be pretty smart, but with that intelligence comes the propensity to get bored and unhappy if they are not worked or taken out for walks and adventures on a regular basis. Fortunately, since I love to walk and to backpack, my border collies think I am a pretty good guy, and know whenever I am home it won't be long before we head out for some outdoor fun.

Many people believe that having dogs along on a backpacking trip reduces your chances to see wildlife. While they may prevent bruins from coming into camp in the middle of the night, when I am on the trail with them (on leash as always), I have found that their alertness sometimes causes me to see wildlife I may have missed, by following the direction of their graze and their excitement at noticing some wildlife. In one instance my border collie looked off into the forest and hopped with his front feet, indicating clearly that he had seen something. Way down, at least 200 yards off was a large buck in a tiny clearing between trees, that I don't believe I ever would have seen if it weren't for the dog.

My dogs get so tired from exploring the high country all day long that like me, they often can't wait til the sun goes down and can get some much needed sleep in the tent. I place a waterproof liner around my sleeping bag so if the pups have gotten wet from a late thunderstorm they will not get my sleeping bag wet, and this works fine. (One of the primary rules for backpacking is that if you can keep your sleeping bag dry, you will be fine.)

My old dog has always shown that he is fearless and a little crazy. I have seen him run off a trail on the downhill side of a cliff to nose around for a chipmunk, which scared me half to death just watching him.

He tends to always climb to the high spot in a landscape, rather it is a mountain saddle, a 40 foot cliff, or a tall boulder. Once up there he slowly surveys the landscape so as not to miss anything in this magnificent mountain world.

It is hard to find "kindred spirits" who share you enthusiasm for the outdoors and hardly cause any trouble. That is what these border collies are, and I can't hardly imagine going backpacking without them.

As for my old dog, he has reached the age where his health has deteriorated, and I only may have his company for a few weeks more, on the high side. Dogs grow old and he has had a great life full of mountain adventure, so I am trying to not get all teary eyed about us parting. The way I will always think of him is standing up on a cliff with eyes fixed on the distant horizon, enjoying every moment of a high country day with me.

For the time he has left I plan to keep him close by every evening and spend a lot of time rubbing his shoulders and ears to make sure he understands how grateful I am for how much he has enriched my life. When the time comes where it is kinder to let him go, I will hold him to the very end so that he has the comfort of my touch and love right up to his last moment on earth.