I posted here about my 4-day trip with my dog, Canela, and, as promised, here's an update on how it went:
The plan was to do a circular route following a greenway (old railway tracks converted into paths) and then go up into the mountains to spend the night near an astronomical observatory. However, bad weather came in, so unfortunately we had to cut our trip short. We ended up doing 151 kms in 2 days.
Now, the experience of touring with a dog was quite different from travelling alone. I had to take more breaks than usual and carry some extra weight for her food and water... but we both loved it!
Canela spent most of the first morning sitting in her basket. I like to imagine that she was just taking in the new landscapes and places. Not long after lunch and a short nap, she had the chance to run around the fields next to the uphill section of the path. Once we reached the top, I got her back into the basket and started a nice, long descent. I could see her tail wagging with excitement at every critter we came across, but she stayed still in her basket.
We had dinner, and I started looking for a place to camp and spend the night. I found a small forest not far from the main path, pitched the tent, and cooked dinner. We spent some time looking at the sky, eating snacks, and taking pictures, but I could tell Canela was exhausted after a day of adventures, so I decided it was bedtime. We got into the tent and, although I had brought her bed, Canela made herself comfortable between my legs and fell asleep.
The next day, we woke up to cloudy, rumbling skies. The path into the mountains was covered by low, dark clouds, so we weren’t going to be able to follow our original plan. I decided to improvise another route following a different greenway. It started to rain lightly as we were having breakfast, and we managed to do about 20+ kms from our camping spot when it started pouring down. I decided it was time to go back home.
Canela was wearing her little pink poncho and didn’t seem to care about the storm, to be honest. She was happy and had enough energy to walk alongside me for some stretches. She kept booping me with her nose every time she wanted to get out of the basket.
So, my thoughts about bringing her with me are that we both had a blast (even with the shortened trip). For me, having her with me didn’t make the trip harder or longer than usual. I loved seeing her running around and having fun outdoors.
I’m planning our next outing for May, and I’ll have the chance to test another trailer before then.