There are many fun and safe ways to enjoy nature with your pal. Below are 10 packing tips for a doggie day out.  

1. Gather lists of rest stops and veterinary hospitals along your trip (if driving)
2. Leashes are always a must
3. Bring along a collapsible water bowl for day long treks. We like the Ruffwear Quencher bowl
4. Stock up on their favorite dog food
5. Treats are a good way to reward their companionship
6. One or two toys for play-stops along the way brighten their day
7. Blankets and/or a dog bed are needed for comfortable sleeping quarters. Check out the Ruffwear Flophouse Foam Pad   
8. Bags to pick up waste
9. First Aid Kit
10. Your dog’s medical records, including vaccine history, and medications
     

So now that you’ve got your packing list ready to go, keep an eye out for a Puppy Pack Fitting or Barkin Backyards seminar at Backwoods to learn expert tips on how to get your best friend all suited up for the memories that lie ahead! For an ideal doggie bag, consider the Ruffwear Approach Pack.    

Before you know it, you’re off to enjoy the new sights, sounds, and scents of your destination with your thrill-seeking, four-legged pal. Just don’t forget to post your story and pictures on our You Had to be There  site to share your bonding “tails!”

*Special thanks to Amy McGaha in Overland Park for sharing this photo with Backwoods.

Check out Marvin’s story below about how laughter can get you through the night, then go to You Had to Be There  and post your own story!

Not Much to Read
By Marvin Sommerfeld June YHTBT Contest Winner

We could only stand the cold, the rain and the massive amounts of gargantuan mosquitoes for so long (ten minutes), and then we decided to go to our tents for the night. At 7:00PM the sun is setting and we were going to bed with the sun.

“Let’s play a game,” Jonathan said from the warmth of his sleeping bag inside his tent.  

“Like what,” answered Jillian from her tent.

“How about the one where each person says one word to make a story,” Jonathan replied.

This game was played for a while, before a really funny story came up, the story went like this Dad said “good,” Mom said “night,” Jillian said “sleep,” Jennifer said “tight,” Josh “snorted”, and Jonathan said “Hanes,” which came from Josh’s underwear tag for a line of “Good night, sleep tight, ‘snort’, Hanes.” Laughing hysterically with tears in our eyes, Josh and Jonathan continued to amuse us for the next hour; from their tent they are changing their voices, reading out loud the warning labels on their tent, sleeping bags, pretty much everything that has a tag, even the underwear.

All we were trying to do is stay warm and away from the mosquitos, while the temperature kept dropping. It was forty-two degrees when we crawled in our tents. We all begin to fade, but no one falls into the deep good night of rest longing for your own bed. Not only did the cold keep me from falling asleep, but the noises that are heard in the great outdoors. Tossing and turning all night, not being comfortable, pushed into the side of the tent, wet from the dew, a hard rock under my head caused a horrible night of sleep. I could not wait for the sun to come up and read more tags.

The Rawhyde Adventure Ranch, deep in the heart of the Angeles National Forest north of Castaic, California, has become BMW’s west coast training center and host to the 2010 GS Trophy qualifier, “The Adventure Rider’s Challenge.” The event was held there at the end of April and first of May. I rode out with Adventure Rider Magazine’s publisher, James Pratt, primitive camping in some of the west’s magnificently remote but motor-accessible places.

Many times we find ourselves bound by urgency, flying down the highway, bent on making it to our destination in time to have a well planned bit of fun and then return home to the lawn, jobs and other obligations, a predictable experience when we attempt to schedule every moment. Not this time. Adventure, I have heard it said, is what happens when plans go awry. Sans any plans then, it’s all an adventure, right? Our only obligation was to make it to the Rawhyde Ranch in time to compete, six days travel away. Plenty of time to ride a motorcycle less than 2,000 miles. We barely made it with all our wanderings!

We burned the six days out to California and I continued my rambling, rolling explorations another three weeks and 5,000 miles after the competition before returning home. I will attempt to share more of that story later, but suffice it to say that we were successful at the Challenge and I will be representing the United States in the GS Trophy competition in Africa this November. As I prepare for the event, I am grateful to have a Backwoods store in my hometown of Norman, Oklahoma. It was a “fur piece” to north Oklahoma City back in the dust bowl days before they put in a store a mile from my house! Next week I will load my gear on my bike and head to the Great Northwest to meet my team mates for the trophy and ride the Oregon Back Country Discovery Route (OBDR), and to attend BMW’s National Rally in Redmond, Oregon. The OBDR, a 750-mile, mostly dirt trail from California to Washington, will serve as a training run. We will camp along the way, enjoying the outdoors and learning something about working together as a team.

Learn more about the Adventure Rider’s Challenge and the GS Trophy completion by checking out this link. Dragoo in center of opening slide and on red R1200GS, black and white shirt, gray helmet.

And more about the GS Trophy here:

About Bill Dragoo: Bill Dragoo takes to riding big motorcycles in the rough like a fish takes to water. Bill and his wife, Susan, of Norman, Oklahoma, are writing a book, “Ultimate Dual Sport Rides of North America.” Bill just finished a 7000-mile journey through the western United States, where he went to compete and to meet with contributors. Over the last three years Bill has competed in the Rawhyde Adventure Rider’s Challenge near Los Angeles, California, an amateur skills competition for dual sport motorcycles of 650cc and above. He has scored two first-place podium spots and a second during his three attempts at the ARC. Bill’s first success in 2008 caught the eye of BMW Motorrad of North America and put him in the running for a world class, dream come true event. BMW’s German parent company sponsors “The GS Trophy” every two years. Based on the popular “Camel Trophy” of years past, the GS Trophy showcases the R1200GS and F800GS instead of Land Rovers. Conditions are, otherwise, much the same.

In 2008 the contest was held in Tunisia, North Africa. Bill was one of six finalists, but missed the final cut in competition at BMW’s east coast training facility at Spartanburg, South Carolina. This year his second-place finish on Day One of the Adventure Rider’s Challenge earned him a place among the Top 20, who would compete the second day for one of the top three positions on the GS Trophy team. The 2010 GS Trophy will have teams from 14 countries taking on the terrain of South Africa, Swaziland and Mozambique.

I can easily say that my 5^th and latest Kilimanjaro trip was absolutely nothing like the previous four times.  It is true, the group was great, my local staff was stellar as always, however hearing the sleet tip-tap the top of my tent just before our departure to climb at 11:30pm told me this summit trip would be unique.

Leaving our Barafu high camp we climbed through the snow/sleet/rain throughout the night.  And although it was a little wet and a little slick the clouds and rain did keep the temperatures pleasant.  There were certainly times throughout the wee morning hours we would look up and see stars, only to have the storm rise with us, nearly in sync step by step, as we continued upward.  It was not until we were just below Stella point on the crater rim around 7 am that the storm subsided as the sun came up over the Indian Ocean and we could really see just how much snow had fallen…

After a cup of hot tea, carried by our awesome local guides, and a snack we continued the hour around the rim to Uhuru peak.  This highest point on the African continent at 19,340 ft.  15 amazing team members battled the cold and the elements to take in the views and enjoy the glory of climbing one of the world’s most beautiful and unique mountains!!  A special thanks to all the trip team members for the hard work, patience, and open mind to exploring Tanzania and pushing themselves to see what is above and remember how it felt as they continue with their lives below……

Joe Koehly

Outdoor Nation Youth Summit – June 19 & 20, 2010

Over 500 youth from across the Nation met in New York City’s Central Park this past weekend to discuss opportunities and new ideas to inspire more people to go outside and seek active, adventurous lives – just like our Backwoods Mission Statement.  This was a unique experience and the first of its kind.  Thank you to Backwoods and Osprey for sponsoring a delegate and myself to attend this phenomenal event.

Dezi Howard, a member of Big Brothers Big Sisters from Cape Girardeau, Missouri was our representative for this once in a lifetime opportunity.

Greetings from Mt. Kilimanjaro!

Day # 4 on Kilimanjaro and I have to say that the best part of my job is getting to meet so many great people.  You should meet the people on this trip, they are amazing and this climb has been awesome.  I have to give a shout-out to all their families and friends…they wanted to tell you hello and you are going to love seeing all their photos and hearing their tales. 

Our entire team is looking really good and has great spirits!  We made it to the Lava Tower junction at over 15,000 feet and then descended into Barranco Valley into our campsite for the evening.  We had several drops and climbs, but everyone did well with the 900 foot climb into the Barranco campsite.

Tomorrow we will have more drops and climbs as we head to the Karanga Valley  and campsite.  Just two more days until our ascent to the summit, everyone is looking really strong and is getting anxious to see the sunrise from the summit.

More to come soon!

Cheers,

Joe Koehly

 Last weekend was the Spring Campout for my son Logan’s Cub Scout Pack.  I was in charge of the food, which meant that I did all the cooking and cleanup while the other parents were off hiking in the woods with their boys.  Not exactly what I had planned, but it was worth it when the scouts exclaimed that these were the best hobo dinners and s’mores they had ever had!

My youngest son Jordan was with us on the campout and all he wanted to do was fish.  Since I was busy with camp chores, I had to keep putting him off until we broke camp and everyone else had left for home.  When the time came, it was a beautiful morning!  The lake was calm, the weather cool, with intermittent showers mixed in just for fun.  I would give anything to have had a camera!  The image that I am desperately trying to burn into my memory is Jordan in his rain coat (which by now only has one arm) and green rain boots, sitting on a rock protruding just above the surface of the water, with fishing pole in hand patiently waiting for a fish to bite.  The contentment on his face at that moment in time is what I expect every parent wishes for their child. 

 I anticipate this Father’s Day to be the best ever. While fathers all over America will be brought their slippers, pipe and Sunday morning paper (too Norman Rockwell?), I will be exploring the ancient ruins of Canyon de Chelly with my wife and two boys.  Does it get any better than that?

*Rick is the Operations Manager for Backwoods Wichita, and a proud father of two young boys who inspired him to share this story for Father’s Day.

I wasn’t sure that I would be able to post a mid-climb-report, but today must be my lucky day!  We have a fantastic group of folks on our Backwoods Adventures Kilimanjaro Ascent and Safari trip that started on Saturday and everyone is healthy and doing great!

We have begun our ascent of Mt. Kilimanjaro and have an excellent group of porters.  It is the end of Day # 2 of our climb and we have arrived safely at the Shira campsite at 12,600 feet.  Our first day was a great day of hiking through the rainforest To Machame camp, followed by good food and a good night.  We woke to partial clouds and sun and started the 2,500 foot ascent to Shira camp.  After lunch the clouds broke and we had a nice sunny approach into our camp.  We are just hanging out this evening and enjoying the breathtaking views…soon we will be able to see the sunset over Mt. Meru.

Tomorrow we are looking forward to another great trek up the Lava Tower also known as “Shark’s Tooth.”  It will be about 6-7 hours of hiking and we will finish at 12,700 feet…the mountain is spectacular and everyone is looking forward to the summit.  We have an awesome team and everyone is looking strong!

I’ll do my best to send another report in a couple days.

~ Joe Koehly

Backwoods Adventures Director & Guide

Check out Erika’s story below about pursuing self-empowerment and the journey she took along the way, then go to You Had to Be There  and post your own story!

The Journey of 1.5 Miles, still Begins with a Single Step

 A few years ago, I set off to Anchorage, Alaska with one of my best friends. Neither of us had been there, but we had relatives and a mutual friend there, so off we went.

On day two, we decided to visit Flattop Mountain in Chugach State Park. We got there and my friend (who is in much better shape than I am) wanted to hike it. The sign said it was 1.5 miles to the top. I have always been overweight and out of shape, plus I had a very sore toe at the time, but I had my tennis shoes on, so I reluctantly agreed. We hiked. And hiked. And hiked some more.

Out of breath, with my throbbing toe and thighs that were burning from the stair steps, I wanted to quit. Four hours later, we reached the top.

The views were breathtaking! We could see the ocean, Mt. McKinley and fields of green. It was absolutely amazing. I couldn’t believe I’d wanted to quit so badly before. This WAS worth it. I was so grateful to my aunt and my friend for encouraging our journey.

Sometimes we can’t see the big picture or the goal that we are striving to reach. Maybe all it takes are a few words of encouragement from someone letting you know they are behind you and will help you when you fall. I think of this hike to Flattop when I want to give up. I remember the experience spent with those who are dear to me and I press on.

I still have a ways to go towards my weight loss goal, but since our trip I’ve lost 35 pounds. I’m spending more time outside and walking more, in hopes that one day we’ll go back and do this again.

Teva 5K Mud Run

Hi Backwooders,

It’s Mary again from Colorado…this weekend has been a BLAST!!  I had the unique experience to participate in the Teva 5K Mud Run on Sunday.  I’m the one with mud on me in the photos…ha ha,  I’m wearing the pinkish Moose tank.  The run was a lot of fun as you can see, I had a smile on my face the whole time.  We ran 3, 1-mile laps which were made tougher each time by the weight of mud clinging to us.  Each lap ended with a crawl

The Mud Pit we crawled through at the end of each lap.

through the mud pit. 
 
Afterwards, the local fireman hosed us off with snowmelt water.  BRRRR…  I am still washing mud off even today it feels like.  I had to throw away everything I wore in that race.  No getting it clean.  It was definitely a run that I will not soon forget.  Thanks Teva!

Cheers,

Mary Smith, Backwoods Corporate Office

Yay! That was fun!

Time for a shower!