Does this sound reasonable?

[Stacy]

Katie is an 18 month and 27 pound mini goldendoodle. And we're from the flatlands of Kansas. This summer I would like to drive out to Colorado and hike up Barr trail to Barr camp. It's the trail up to the top of Pike's Peak. We would only be going as far as the camp, so halfway. It's 7 miles with a fairly significant increase in elevation. 

She and I are both in reasonable shape. I've done this several times, but never with a dog. I know I can make it (not setting any land speed records, but slow and steady gets there!) I just don't want to ask too much of her. Let's be honest. She's probably in better shape than I am. And I'm going to be carrying all the stuff. But still, it's something she's never done before. And I just wanted to get some opinions from people who do these sorts of things before we are halfway (of halfway) up a mountain!

Thanks, Stacy

[Amy and Annabelle]

I'm from Colorado, though I don't live there anymore. I used to take my Golden Retriever hiking. He did have his limits though on altitude and heat. I don't know if dogs can get altitude sickness, but it did seem to affect him. It is doable though. The elevation gain on that hike is less than 4000 feet, which isn't that much when you are talking some of the hikes I have been on. I was doing the 14'ers and I couldn't take the dog on those. I took him to Rocky Mountain National Park near Estes Park all the time and he did great most of the time. Sounds like fun.

[Stacy]

I've done the whole trail and it's not an experience I need to repeat. The lower half is lovely though. In my head the plan is to go up and camp and wander around for a couple days before we come back down. I was just worried that she might need some special conditioning. But I probably need it more than she does!

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I would certainly be conditioning her at home for even that distance.  I would work up to walking the 7 miles a little at a time.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Might it be a good idea to have these:  http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/support-doodle-rescue-and-...

[Stacy]

Aww, those are cute! 

[Amy and Annabelle]

Hiking boots for dogs, how cute.

[Wendy and Myla]

I've never been on this trail - I googled it and it looks great!  We do a lot of hiking with Myla and she loves it.  What we have found is that Myla drinks a lot of water (more so than on ordinary walks), so we tend to avoid long dry hikes as carrying water for both Myla and us is a lot of extra weight.  Luckily we live in BC, Canada so most of our hiking trails follow streams!  We also make sure that any long hike we take her on has a lot of trees along it so that we all can take a break in the shade.  I would definitely condition her prior to going, even just to toughen her paw pads.  It sounds like a lot of fun and an experience you'll both enjoy!

[Stacy]

It is a beautiful trail! I highly recommend it if you ever have the chance. I'll have to take into consideration how much water I will need for Katie. I never drink enough while hiking. I usually just carry the water around with me. And when we get to camp there is a water source. There are also a lot of places where we can stop and take breaks, and I won't be a hurry. I'm a planner. I just want to make sure I'm taking everything important into consideration before we leave home. 

[Amy and Annabelle]

Same here, I don't drink nearly enough water hiking,mainly because what goes in must come out, and I don't feel like peeing on the hike. It's not like they have bathrooms on the trails. But the extra water and all the camping gear is a lot to carry. Then if Katie finds a shade tree and calls it a day before you reach your destination, like Annabelle had done with us, that really puts a damper on the fun. Annabelle is a mini and weighs 15lbs, so it's not that big of a deal. She can walk 5 miles in cooler weather. We don't take her out when the pavement gets too hot. We have only had Annabelle on one hike in a heavily wooded area and 3 ticks decided to hitch a ride on her. Haven't had her on a hike since. After that I get Annabelle a yearly lyme vax in addition to her flea and tick meds. I know Colorado also has the tick fever which is pretty common as well as the Rocky Mountain spotted fever which is pretty serious. I would be prepared on that as well.

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

I have done my share of extensive hiking and doing 12 miles a day or more, but never with a dog.  My daughter and her husband take their malamute on week long trips in the back country, and they generally hike 7 - 8 mi a day and then camp - they are carry quite a load.  Their dog is conditioned to back country hiking and skiing etc.  So I would think it depends on the conditioning of the dog.  What condition are his pads in, etc - you might consider taking along some muk luks just in case.  Will be looking for updates on your hike.  I hope you have a very enjoyable time. Be safe. 

[Stacy]

See, that's why I asked and what concerns me. We've never done this before. How do I even know if her paw pads are in condition for this? I mean, they look like feet to me... We do 2 - 3 miles on a trail at the park pretty routinely, but we've definitely never done 7. I guess we need to start doing more. But I wonder what is the best way to get her ready. We can continue going back and forth on the trail - dirt and rocks (she's off leash at the best and biggest off leash park I've ever seen) Or we could go on leash around and around at the walking park - concrete. But there are really no hilly areas around here to speak of. So, as far as getting used to hiking uphill we're kind of stuck. 

This is one of the most beautiful, well maintained, well traveled trails I've ever seen. My parents give me some grief about going by myself but I'm never really alone on this trail. I can pretend I'm deep in the wilderness but there are resources if something were to happen. And I don't have to carry quite so much stuff, because once you get to the camp they feed me breakfast and dinner and there is a water source. I have to filter, but I don't have to haul the water! It's one of my favorite places anywhere. I just want to make sure that I'm prepared and that the dog has a good time too! 

[Wendy and Myla]

Honestly, I don't think you have to worry about conditioning for uphill hiking at all - I would just make sure that you get her to the point that she can walk seven miles total.  If you walk routinely outside with her, her paw pads will be fine - just make sure they are exposed to gravel and rocks if that is what the trail is.  I would make sure that she is on leash with you, just because when off-leash we find that Myla puts on double the amount of miles we do, by going back and forth ;)  - If you're not packing all of your food, then you should be fine just carrying water for both on the trail.  We have a collapsible dog dish that we carry on our backpacks with a carabiner clip and fill it with water often. Have fun!