Hot trails, hot tails and a suspension bridge.
I would like to acknowledge that this hike past through the ancestral and traditional territories of Indigenous Peoples. The Blackfoot Confederacy, Tsuut’ina, Stoney (Ĩyãħé) Nakoda, Cree, Lheidli T’enneh, Ktunaxa, Secwepemc, Sinixt and Métis who have called the Rocky Mountains home since time immemorial. I acknowledge the many Indigenous Peoples in Canada whose footsteps have marked these lands for generations and I am grateful to be a visitor in these lands.
The summer of 2023 was different for me since it was the first time in 14 years I did not teach summer school leaving me flexible to enjoy more time adventuring in mountains. I was able to book a last minute three day trip on the northern section of the famed Rockwall in Kootenay National Park. Our trip would be essentially a loop starting at the Paint Pots trailhead and stay at Helmet Falls Campground and Tumbling Creek Campground before exiting back to the trailhead. When booking the trip one thing I had not bargained for was the extreme heat we would encounter. To avoid the heat we ended up getting up early and hiking fast arriving at our destinations quite early in the day. There are worse things to do than hang out in a backcountry campground for the afternoon.
I laid out all the items I planned to bring for Margaux and then stuffed the dry goods into a stuff sack and the food I put in the food bag.
Margaux’s backpacking camping list:
- Four meals (dinner day 1, breakfast and dinner day 2 and breakfast day 3) separately packed in their own Ziplocs
- One meal worth of extra food for snacks and treats because Margaux is such a good girl she always needs extra treats
- Doggie poop bags to collect the business and two Ziplocs to double bag them to carry the poop bags out.
- A Chilly Dogs rain jacket
- For sleeping a Ruffwear fleece jacket to keep Margaux warm at night.
- Collapsible water dish for eating and drinking
- Fido Pro Airlift dog carrier. Carry with me in case Margaux becomes injured and is unable to walk (there is a long story for the Fido Pro, who knew that Margaux is much longer than Volcano and does not like to be lifted)
- A Ruffwear doggie backpack. We limit Margaux to carrying about 10% of her body weight which is approximately 3 kg.
What we learned:
- Margaux is a star in camp and everyone loves her (ok, we knew that, but she did finish the trip with quite a fan club).
- Margaux is a hard charger on trail. We average over 4 km/hr when hiking.
- People are very willing to help if you ask.
Day 1 Margaux on the Rockwall Kootenay NP – 2023