Bring the dog along!

Introducing...Skadi! A 50 lb. lug of hairy licking lovingness. We named her after a Norse snow goddess and ironically her name means "destruction". Like any dog she has definitely destroyed many a things at our house ranging from shoes to a hot tub cover. I won't go into that because I'm already tense just thinking about it. But even though our dog has her downfalls she is still a part of the family and that means we love her and take her almost everywhere with us!
Skadi is a yellow labrador retriever. She's about two years old. She's beginning to show signs of intelligence and control but her puppiness still shines through sometimes.
Skadi loves the outdoors. Knee deep snow, heavy brush or winding trail, she's there. When we begin to put things in the backpack and put shoes on she's turning in circles and heading for the door with excitement.
Our latest hike with Skadi was to Mary's bathtub, a steep boulder-strewn incline which follows a small creek. At the end there is a tall waterfall and cave. It lies near Joe's Reservoir, close to Huntington, Utah.
Before we even hit the trail head she was wet and muddy up to her haunches. She spent a lot of her time nosing through brush, zigging and zagging across the trail, sniffing out an earlier passerby. When she got thirsty she went pouncing into the creek lapping up the cold water. And of course she periodically would pull her little prank of choosing to shake the water all over us whenever we were near. She was good about roaming and exploring and then coming back and checking in with us though. Because of the boulders we had to climb over and the steep incline, by the time we got back to the LandRover she was exhausted. She slept all the way home.
Even though she is a dog and has natural outdoor instincts, I highly doubt she could survive very long in the wild. We try to prepare for her. We have a handy packable way to store food and water for her. We have these bowls made out of fabric, gore-tex I believe. The top bowl holds food and has a draw string cord to keep it closed tight. Another bowl attaches under that bowl with a zipper. When she's thirsty and we're not near water we simply unzip the bottom bowl and fill it with water from our Nalgenes. Much more convenient and appetizing than letting her try and lap up the water while we pour it from our own water bottles.
We usually throw her bowls in our pack when going on longer hikes. But usually we just leave it in the car.
Some people prefer to have their dog carry their own stuff. There are these nifty backs that are made for dogs that have a harness system on them. Usually they have two zipper pouches that lay on both sides of the dog. I think this would be needed especially on backcountry trips. Our personal preference is to let Skadi be free of weight. That way she can squeeze through all the crazy places she explores and jump in all the rivers she wants without us worrying about her or whatever is in the pack. But I would buy one in the future if we begin to take her on longer treks.
It makes me smile everytime I see Skadi in her natural surroundings. She reminds me of a little kid playing in a sandbox. She truly loves it. And I'm glad we can provide that time in nature for her.
I'll be posting some more about Skadi and the equipment we like in the future. But until then let me know about your dog! Leave a comment about your dog's favorite spot or what you think about backpacks for dogs. Later!