(March 2021)
Have you ever been out on a trip and thought, “the kids would really like this” or maybe we should bring
the dogs and do a similar hike? Brad and I often go places and think of ways to include the kids on future
trips. One of our favorite places is the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument and surrounding areas. We
have done all types of hikes and trips around this area and we continue to go back. While some hikes
like Buckskin Gulch overnight hikes may not be suitable for kids, we have more than once said that we
would love to take the kids on a trip starting and ending at White House trailhead. For spring break
2021, we did just that. Not only did we bring all 3 kids, but we brought both of the dogs. We figured it
would be a trial run for our upcoming camping trip below the rim in the Grand Canyon and a test to see
how the dogs would do in general. This style of camping would be new for them as we usually take them
car camping or hiking separately.
When planning this trip, there were many things to consider, but I listed out what I feel to be the most
important ones (and my thought process behind each one) below.
Things to consider when going backpacking:
- Physical condition
- Location
- Weather
- Gear (lightweight)
- Water sources
- Food
The first thing to think about (for any strenuous activity or exercise) is what type of physical condition
you, your kids and dogs are in. This will dictate the location and distance of your adventure. Do you or
your tribe have any medical conditions or limitations to consider? Can your kids/dogs do longer
distances or only shorter mileage? Can they handle elevation change? Can they carry a weighted pack?
Will your dog tolerate a pack and/or booties? If you aren’t sure what your kids or dogs can handle or
think that your kids or dogs can’t handle something long distance, start out with something smaller or
have a backup plan. Remember, there are no right or wrong answers, just be realistic about what you
and your family can handle so you don’t get yourself into a potentially bad situation.
Our kids have done different types of hikes with us before. They have done hot, 10 mile hikes with
elevation gain as well as shorter hikes and adventures involving kayaking, cliff jumping and climbing.
They are pretty active and play sports so we thought they could handle this 7.5 mile hike in/out in Paria
Canyon. As far as the dogs, we weren’t fully sure what to expect. Tortilla is a lanky, nothing-but-legs, 12
month old Dane mix weighing in at 92 lbs. She can run for days and has done other smaller hikes with
us. Luna is our 6 year old Mastiff mix who is a little on the thicker side weighing in at 114 lbs. She has
slowed down a bit since taking on the top dog role in the house, but she is still surprisingly agile and a
work-horse. We were most concerned for Luna as she isn’t the biggest fan of water and she’s on the
larger side, but she ended up being a trooper. For the hike back, I ended up carrying her pack because
she seemed to be getting hot. We also learned how much Tortilla LOVES the water. She was hyper and
running around for most of the 7.5 miles and could have easily handled more. She didn’t even notice the
pack on her back! One suggestion is to always monitor your dog’s condition (make sure they aren’t
overheating, check their paws, take water breaks, etc).
Location/Weather: Where are you wanting to hike? Is it local or is it a long road trip away? Is it terrain
you are used to? It is mountainous, desert, flat, hilly, grassy, rocky, lakeside, ocean front? Is it a National,
State, Regional park? Is it dog friendly? How long is your hike? Are you camping or day-hiking? Do you
need permits? Are there water sources? Will it be hot, cold, dry, humid? Is it too hot or cold or rocky for
your dog’s paws? Does your dog like to be in water?
In our case, we were headed to Paria Canyon up near the Utah-Arizona border in spring (March). We
have been there multiple times so we knew what to expect as far as terrain. We were planning for
sandy/rocky canyons, lots of cold river crossings, limited springs for water filtering and cold nights. We
also knew that this area is managed by the Bureau of Land Management and allows dogs.
The location and weather will also dictate some of the gear that you are bringing, which can ultimately
effect the weight of your pack. If it’s cold, you will need layers, a puffy, gloves, beanies and a warmer
sleep system. If it’s hot, you may crave water more often or want to change sweaty clothes. If there are
no water sources, you will need to pack in your water, which can be super heavy.
Speaking of pack weight, your gear choices are important because you (and your kids/dogs) will need to
carry everything with you. Luckily for us, we had already started buying lighter weight camping
equipment for the kids in preparation for our upcoming Grand Canyon trip. The kids carried their
sleeping system (sleeping bag, pad and pillow), change of clothes, water bottle, snacks and headlamps.
My kids don’t have very large packs so they were packed tight. I think they could have handled larger
packs, but I did not want to invest in one until we tried these out. We (the adults) ended up each
carrying a tent, stove, gas, food, sleeping systems, clothes, extra water, toiletries and headlamps. We
chose not to bring our lighter weight tents because the dogs would be with us and we did not want
them to possibly ruin them. Speaking of dogs, we had them wear doggie packs and carry their own food,
jackets and collapsible water bowls. The suggested weight for your dogs is 10-20% of their body weight
(depending on your dog).
Another issue to think about is if there are water sources near your location. While we did hike along a
river, this river is extremely silty and will clog any filter right away. Luckily, there are a few springs
further along this route so we brought 1 liter of water per person plus a little extra just in case. We
planned to stay 2 nights and filter the rest of our water. Our plans ended up changing, but we still had
an amazing time and improvised. It’s also not a bad idea to bring some flavored electrolyte tablets to
keep everyone on track.
When it comes to food, kids can be picky. Only you know your child/dog. Try to think of what foods you
can bring that are simple and calorie-rich for your child. So far we have had great luck with Mountain
House meals with our kids. They particularly love the pasta meals for dinner and the biscuits and gravy
meals for breakfast. We also brought oatmeal, ramen, mac n cheese, crackers, tortillas, cheese and
pepperoni. For snacks, we brought Blok bars, Nutella/pretzel packs, oreos, chips and beef jerky. For the
dogs, I divided each dogs’ meals into separate plastic baggies and brought collapsible bowls. Looking
back, I probably would choose to bring a little more food than normal for the dogs since they expended
more energy than usual.
I must admit that I was more stressed for this trip than many of my others because we were not only
responsible for ourselves. We had to make sure 3 tweens and 2 large dogs would be safe, warm and fed
on their first backpack camping trip. My takeaways for this trip are 1) clean your water filters between trips (ours were not working properly so we only spent one night in the canyon and hiked out the next day), 2) plan to get larger packs for the kids (I plan to start looking into reasonably sized packs for the kids), and 3) Luna should probably stay home (she loves being with her humans, but I think she prefers to be snuggling on the couch). That’s the beauty of all these trips: we learn something new every time and that’s how we get better.
I hope my recent trip, tips and ideas help you out in planning your next kid/dog adventure. Please feel
free to comment with your experiences and ideas as well.