Canoeing With Dogs

I’m sure you know we have been doing this for very many years – but it is getting harder. Because of Della’s eyesight she is less comfortable with the plastic boats we have used in the past: the Perception Minnows she/we used when the kids were little (over thirty years ago) , the Nylex Pioneers we used for many years and the New Town Anglers we have used for the last few years.

The Minnows (13 kg) were too small for dogs. The Pioneers (at over 35 kg) have become too heavy for either of us (not sure how we loaded two of them on the roof racks. Youth I guess.Where has it gone?) – why we chose the Anglers (13 kg) actually a few years back (though they are not so suitable for white water).

She is much more comfortable with the pack rafts we have (mostly Alpackas but also a Naturehike Double – especially this one) but I worry that Honey particularly will be able to scratch a big hole in one as she leaps out of the boats constantly, then scrabbles to be lifted back in. She just adores the swimming and diving. Question is how proof is 210 denier TPU against dog claws. Seems like the 21oD in the Alpackas is lighter and thinner than the Naturehike too. Less urethane coating I would guess. The Naturehike boats appear to be about 50% heavier which clearly indicates 50% thicker. We may need to buy a single one as well.

Scrabbling like this:

Last summer we mainly took the new Double Packraft (which weighs 8 kg) and left the dogs at home which we both felt very mean about, as they love canoeing. Our kids were away for this post-Xmas trip and could not care for them, so we needed to take the dogs with us. I remembered these Sevylor K-1s we had in the shed from our days Canoeing the Thomson River years ago – looking back at my pics from then, before all the fires we have to have now – as the price of  ‘conservation’.

As they are constructed of a pretty near indestructible ‘Zodiac’ fabric I thought they would be impregnable to Honey (which proved to be true) but while they were fine in the much more vigorous currents of the Thomson (when we were young!) they are very unwieldy on flat sections of the Wonnangatta and Della (particularly) found them just too difficult.

Neither do they track well. They are also pretty darned heavy – perhaps 20kg making portages more difficult. I certainly noticed this hauling them (and a 20 kg pack) back out up a couple of steep banks at Hut Creek. We put in at Black Snake intending to canoe to Meyers Flat. A very pleasant overnighter we have done many times.

Starting out at Black Snake creek we were saddened to find that our beloved apricot tree is no more though we took family photos of it last summer.

This was it in happier days:

This time last year. How things had changed over 35 years:

It is only moments until Honey is diving in and swimming again and again – a cleanliness fanatic perhaps?

‘Here she comes again’ you can almost hear Spot say.

‘Let me in’ she splashes.

Della has left her substantially behind here, but she just loves swimming.

Now she is giving up and coming back to me.

There are plenty of flat places to camp. This one is up a fairly steep bank on the right about half-way between Black Snake and Hut Creek. A really big flat, probably 20 acres or so – in the National Park.

We brought the heavier Chinese Trailstar tent I mentioned in this post. We had never used it before but found it very commodious and comfortable. It rained overnight which was also a delight. A great view of the river out our front door. I do love the lime colour of this tent. I have ordered its lighter version too now but it was only available in brown (which at least the deer do not see!)

Plenty of room – as you can see. My old 7’x7′ tarp which I used for many years as a hammock tarp and shelter is exactly the right size for a floor. A couple of trekking poles with two short sections of carbon fibre tube help erect it. I find their ideal length to be 54″ (4’6″) at which height you can stand up in the tent and walk in and our bent over. I have been (re) making a 7’x7′ poncho tarp (around 200 grams) which I will be posting about (with plans) soon. It will make an ideal floor for this (lighter) version of the huge tent giving us a tent including floor which will weigh less than 800 grams including guys and pegs. The tent really is big enough for three people or two adults and two small children – and only costs about A$75 delivered.

It goes up very easily once you have tried it out a couple of times. This heavier version comes seam-sealed. I will have to seam seal the lighter one myself. Here’s how.

The dogs particularly like all the ‘doors’ just for them.

It rained a bit during the night. Just love the sound of rain falling on my tent:

Off we go again.

She really does look quite effortless. Photos can lie.

Finally Hut Creek (below McGuires).

It was disappointing to cut the trip short – particularly as we had to walk the five km back to Black Snake Creek with the dogs to pick up our car. BTW: People might tell you on Facebook what splendid folk they are and how much they love animals but they won’t pick up a couple of elderly folks who are obviously struggling a bit on a bush track on a blisteringly hot day! There is less ‘Christianity than there used to be – and less civilisation.

I know it looks as if Della was enjoying it but the weight of the boat was just too much for her when the wind blew at all, so we will have to reassess and come up with another strategy. I think we will try me and two dogs (plus gear) in the double raft whilst Della tags along in the smallest (empty) pack raft. We will take lots of ‘sticky tape’. I also have some dog booties I can try on Honey. These should stop her scratching holes in the rafts (if I can keep  them on her).

I know I/we seem to be having lots of  ‘failures’ of late. You have to understand that some of this comes with being in our seventies and having accumulated our (un) fair share of the woes that go with age – arthritis, back problems, blindness, heart disease etc. Some people just give up, maybe hoping to do all these things in their ‘next life’ – which is just silly.

We try to ‘work around’ all our ‘little’ problems. We do intend to tackle some of those harder tracks (eg in NZ) again but we will do them more slowly. We won’t expect to do the distances between huts in a single day. We will be prepared to camp in the bush alternate nights, arrange to carry more food etc. PS: I might have another go at clearing the Mt Darling Track. Get in touch if you’d like to help.