We stretch our legs without packs along the lake shore as I talked to hikers that passed us on their way out. I asked nearly all of them, where they went, how long they stayed etc. Suffice to say, every single person we saw on our 8 hour long slog was a day hiker disguised as a backpacker. With the exception of two women, everyone I talked to, went in, stayed the night and hiked out. Backpacking starts at a minimum of four nights. Any less and you are simply a day hiker disguised as a backpacker. If you've ever done "real" backpacking, you understand what I mean. Once your trip length gets out of the day hiking range, everything changes. Especially if you aren't hiking a "hiking freeway" with ten thousand others crawling all over like ants. Your planning, safety issues, etc are all radically different. At least if you know what you're doing.

We took the opportunity to have some snacks along the lake shore. Dawg, on past trips has eaten less per day than at home. This trip is a massive caloric undertaking and I was concerned about him losing weight. I bought special dog food bars to encourage him to eat more. I also have a difficult time knowing exactly how much food to bring for him. As temperature and activity levels create wild swings in his needs, food for him is a moving target. In order to feel comfortable, I selected many foods for us that are safe and healthy for dogs. That way our food supply was partially interchangeable.