The Heat

It's hot.
Like, go out at 7am and then hide inside until 9pm when you can squeeze in a walk without becoming a puddle on the sidewalk, kind of hot.

Triple digits most days. Yesterday it was 105 around 4pm.

You can't do ANYTHING in this kind of heat, and it's exceptionally frustrating.

So, Koda and I just hang out inside. No big deal or anything, just bored out of our skulls.

Diet/Exercise/Research Update

Sorry it's been so long. I've got a few other side projects going on right now that seem to have taken priority.

So, let's get down and dirty and break it up real quick:


Diet


Koda maintains his Eukanuba diet, but I have added a few berries (raspberries or strawberries) to his daily intake.  From what I've read, they're just as good for dogs as they are humans (due to antioxidants), and Koda really enjoys eating them.  I've also cut up a sweet potato and put it in the freezer, after a long hike on a hot day, I'll give him a chunk after he has cooled down a bit.

My diet has become fairly regular, due to budgeting.
Breakfast
1 egg + splash of milk + 1 Tbsp cut up onion + 1/4 c. cut up ham + sprinkle of cheese: all scrambled
1 smoothie (banana, plain Stonyfield yogurt, strawberries/raspberries, milk)
1 slice of homemade bread (toasted)
1 glass of water

Lunch
Ham and cheese sandwich with homemade pepper jelly on home made white/wheat bread.
Fruit of some sort (the current favourite is pineapple)
Kombucha or water to drink

Dinner
Spaghetti (with Organic Pasta Sauce and steamed vegetables (most often carrots, broccoli and green beans)
Slice of toast with olive oil and cut basil on it
Glass of water

Not to enthralling, but it's fairly healthy and it keeps me going.

Exercise
It has been in the triple digits here, much like the rest of the country. In the morning I take Koda for a brief walk and then down to the dog park so that he can run out a lot of his energy before it gets too hot/humid.  I'm often at work from whenever we get home until early evening. When I get home we go for a 3 mile walk (or so), unless it's too hot.  To be honest, it's all just dependent upon the heat. I can tolerate the high temps very well, but Koda cannot.  I ride my bike into work as often as possible (which is about 2 miles, one way) and occasionally for errands if I don't have to go too far or carry too much.

Research
I have added some new links for all of the trails on the "Links" page.  From my understanding, and discussion with a few hikers, the trip can be completely worthwhile to do with your dog, so long as the dog is well trained and as a hiker I am willing to make sacrifices.

I'm currently looking in to gear and reviews of gear, so that's the next big step.  I've put a list up of what I have and what I'm looking at purchasing in the future.  The biggest trick will be finding the best route to take and figuring out where I can and cannot have Koda.

Take it easy,
A

Diet(s)

It's well known that an important part to staying healthy, especially while training for a physical venture, is in what you eat.

I take great pride and care in making sure that Koda's diet is one with which he can:

1) Gain weight off of (he is about 5-10 lbs to light right now)
2) Grow muscle mass from
3) Gain energy from
4) Maintain healthy skin, joints, etc

Now, is this to say that Koda's diet is stagnant?  No. I'm constantly looking at labels and reading things about what larger dog breeds should be eating.  I also have a pretty awesome vet that is always willing to talk about these things.

Right now, Koda's main source of food is Eukanuba Large Breed.  After a long day of hiking/outdoor activity, I may treat him to some soft food, but still staying within the Eukanuba brand.   So far, the favourite has been this one.

Similarly, at dinner, if I am browning some lean hamburger/bison meat, I will give Koda  few chunks in order to keep him interested.  I found out that he likes peppers and carrots, so I may occasionally give him one of those as a snack.

Speaking of snacks.

When I adopted Koda, he had a comfort food (which I what I used as a vehicle to get him comfortable to me and to train him).  For the good or the bad of it, Milkbones are to him what mashed potatoes and gravy are to me.  He gets about one of those a day. (1/2 in the morning and 1/2 at night)

I also use Pet Botanic's "Training Rewards" for any other training adventure we might be engaging in.  He didn't take to these right away, but enjoys them now.

My diet, thank goodness, is a little more varied than his.  I do try and make sure to eat more protein than carbohydrates.  I also try to balance out every protein dish with a vegetable/dark leafy greens/fruit dish. I don't drink a ton of milk (about one glass every 3 days), mostly due to the fact that I just prefer to drink water).

There are a few other guidelines I try to follow:

- None of my meals are fried.
- I don't eat hamburger meat more than once a week (I mostly indulge in chicken, fish, bison (a lean red), turkey, and pork).  THIS IS A MAJESTIC FEAT WHEN LIVING IN THE GREAT PLAINS.
- Spinach is the only leafy green I purchase
- I rarely eat out
- I do drink alcohol (generally found in the form of a beer) about once a week. Never to excess.
- I don't own a microwave and only use them when I have to (they "suck the soul out of food" as a friend once said).

I'll post more on my diet later (I'll track it for a week and let you know what it is).  It's late here and I have to work in the morning.

Best,
A

An Assessment

I've begun watching Koda and assessing him to see how "fit" he is.  While we're not doing the bigger hikes for at least a year, I feel like getting a dog "comfortable" with 10-12 mile days could take a while.

As mentioned in the "About Us" portion - Koda hasn't ever really been exercised regularly.  He was kept on a lead at his former home and in the kennels at the Humane Society.  Thus, he doesn't have much muscle mass.  In just this past two weeks of exercising him, I've noticed a dramatic increase in the tone of his muscles.

When we did the hike on Monday at GB, Koda was tired after about 1 1/2 hours and 3-5 miles.  I might mention, though, that it was during the warmer part of the day and the high for that day was about 85 degrees Fahrenheit.  My goal, ultimately, is to be able to push 15 mile days and high humidity and a fair amount of heat, too.  Koda will also, eventually, be carrying his own pack.  While I don't think it will get nearly as hot there as it does here, I like to live by a "better safe than sorry" motto when it comes to hiking.

However, I did notice this about Koda....he is FAST.  The past two days at the dog park he has run up against a husky mix and a lab/pitbull mix and smoked them each time.  His speed is perfectly okay (which is what he is built for), it's his endurance that needs work.

Me?
Oh, you mean I need to be in shape for this too?
Yea, we'll talk about that.......another day.

Greetings!

I'll keep it brief.  Visit the "About Us" page to learn about who I am and who Koda is.  Both are pretty key characters in this blog.

The goal of this blog is to help me (and, eventually, hopefully you) to prepare to Triple Crown in hiking the United States.  I have only done small hikes and small camping trips, so there is a lot to prepare:

-Exercise
-Gear
-Planning
-Timeline

I don't anticipate doing any of the hikes this summer, but I'm hoping that next summer I could at least attempt a leg of the Appalachian Trail with Koda by my side.  Please feel free to subscribe and keep up with my progress...it will be slow going at first, but I think within a month things are going to get pretty interesting!

Best,
A