What's Next Diego

Granite Lake, Cabinet Mountains

coreypiersol — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 21:56:09 +0000

Granite Lake is a beautiful mountain lake surrounded by peaks and wild life. The great thing about Granite Lake is that it is at a low elevation making the 6 to 7 mile hike in rather fair. The Lake sits just above 4,000 feet with “A” Peak towering directly behind it at over 8,000 feet. This setting creates a beautiful scenic location, one in which I highly recommend everyone to visit. The lake is crystal clear, glacier feed and home to tons of 5 to 6 inch cutthroats. Take caution with pets because there are lots of Mule deer and a curious young Moose.

Backpacking List for your Dog

coreypiersol — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 20:56:53 +0000

BACKPACKING LIST FOR YOUR DOG

1) Food: Decide how much to bring according to how much your dog eats. Bring a bit extra because they will be exerting a lot of energy and eat more than usual. Treats are a great idea as well. I love to bring m&m’s so why wouldn’t Diego want a snack as well…

2) Packable Food and Water Dish: There are many companies out there that offer these products. I recommend Ruff Wear gear.

3) Water: Even if you plan to be near water an extra liter of water is a great idea just in case there is a long stretch of the trail that has no access to water.

4) Medicine: Diego has joint issues so we make sure to bring him some type of joint health supplement. I recommend Dasuquin from Nutramax. It’s expansive but you can find it through Amazon for pretty cheap. Plus it’s your best friend why not get them the best!

Because of his joint issues he was able to get a prescription of Rimadyl, a pain reliever. We bring this with on long trips and will give one to him immediately after the hike to help with the pain.

5) Bug Repellent: Make sure to bring repellent for your pet. Avoid anything with DEET. I have seen DEET eat through an IPOD!

6) String or Webbing: More than likely there will be wild animals around your camp site and if your dog is anything like Diego, he or she will chase after it! During a trip in the Cabinet Mountains in Montana Diego chased after a young Moose, yea a Moose. That may have been one of the scariest moments for me. I highly recommend bringing something to tie them up just in case!

7) Sleeping Pad: This is really only necessary if you may be sleeping on snow or rocky terrain. I will sometimes make a soft spot under the footprint of the tent out of leaves or fur needles. Diego usually ends up on the foot of my sleeping bag…

8) Light: I usually duck tape a tiny light to Diego’s collar. I set it to flashing to conserve energy and it allows me to keep an eye on him at night.

If there is something special you often bring for your dog while hiking please share!

Nelson Lake

coreypiersol — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 06:41:01 +0000

Canyon Lake

coreypiersol — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 05:07:43 +0000

Below are some photos of Diego and I at Canyon Lake in the Bitterroots…

WHAT’S NEXT DIEGO…

Bushwacking around Blodgett Overlook

coreypiersol — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:24:33 +0000

Below are some photos of Diego and I with views of Blodgett Canyon from Blodgett Overlook.

Heart Lake

coreypiersol — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:56:55 +0000

Below are some photos of Heart Lake in the Great Burn Wilderness.

Don’t Forget Bug Repellent

coreypiersol — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:07:24 +0000

I forgot bug repellent for Deegs on our trip to Upper Seymour Lake in the Pintlars. Actually I didn’t even consider bringing him specific but repellent and it turned out to be a big mistake.

Within two hours of us setting up camp I noticed Diego licking his stomach area more than usual. I then noticed red dots and a lot of them. He had what appeared to be “chicken pox” all over his chest/belly region and after further inspection I found a few gnats. Putting two and two together I realized gnats and mosquitoes where attacking him. Because the bugs weren’t affecting his upper, more visible body we had no idea how vulnerable Diego was to bugs. They would go after areas with less fur/protection, which happened to be his belly.

Some of these wounds were slightly bleeding and I could tell they were a nuisance to him. We avoided applying anything with DEET on him which I advise doing the same with your pet (NO DEET ON PETS). I have seen deet products dissolve their own lids, that’s not right! Thankfully we brought some all natural repellent from All Terrain that worked well but I plan to test some others next time I am out.

Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures to show you of his red spots, but they are pretty obvious.

Hope this helps,
Diego and Corey

The Porcupine, Diego, and Cooper

coreypiersol — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 02:47:09 +0000

On our way into Storm Lake in the Pintlar Wilderness Area, Diego and Cooper found a porcupine. Diego kept his distance but Cooper got excited. He approached and tried to bite the porcupine, receving a mouth full of quills. Diego not learning from Coopers mistake decided to take a second look. He was sniffing the porcupine when it gave him a soft thwack, leaving 6 to 8 quills attached to the side of Diego’s mouth! I was able to remove all of the quills in Diego but Cooper’s were not coming out! Biting the porcupine forced the quills deeper and made it very difficult to remove!

In the case your dog gets curious too, remove the quills that you can as soon as possible. The longer they are in the further they will bury. Cutting the end of the quill may release some air trapped in the quill making it thiner and easier to remove. DO NOT TEAR YOUR DOGS FACE OFF! If they are too deep and many please take your pet to the vet. After removing them out of Diego’s face he was fine, I did not take him to the vet.

Little St. Joe

coreypiersol — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 02:23:09 +0000

Below are some photos of our hike up Little Saint Joseph peak.

Upper Seymour Lake

coreypiersol — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 02:06:27 +0000

Below are some photos of our backpacking trip to Upper Seymour Lake in the Pintlars.