Van life with Scout: July 2023 recap
A high level of what we’ve been up to in July! (More detailed daily sharing usually happens on our Instagram.)
We kicked the month off in Alaska, crossed the border back to the Yukon, and then headed towards some of Alberta’s most famous national parks before finally reentering the lower 48 United States. That marks the end of our “Alaska Highway 2023” trip—and it was as incredible as we hoped.
TLDR: Top July highlights
We started the month in Kenai Fjords National Park, where we got to see so many incredible creatures on a boat tour.
Then we headed to Homer, where I sadly got sick for about two weeks with one of the worst sinus infections of my life. Sean caught it too but thankfully fared better and was able to keep driving us on our route.
We made our way through the Yukon to Liard Hot Springs in British Columbia, which are officially my favorite springs we’ve visited.
Scout got to adventure around Jasper and Banff National Parks with us on a range of dog-friendly trails!
We finally reentered the lower 48 United States in Montana. We hit a few more national parks and got to see wild wolves at Yellowstone!!
Van life: Arguably the very best way to travel
July 26th marked six months since we first moved into Hermes the bright yellow van!!
Back in June I published a five-months-in reflection article, which all still holds true. After the last few weeks I’d add that I’ve never appreciated the flexibility of traveling in a van more. I love having my home with me at all times—even getting sick was made better by beautiful views out the back bed doors.
What’s been so convenient about living in a van this month:
Because we’re self contained (we don’t need hookups to run water or electricity) we can park just about anywhere.
That goes for overnight and just for breaks on long days of driving. See a pretty spot out the window? No problem, let’s pull over for a snack!
This was especially lovely in the national parks, where we could avoid crowded cafes and restaurants in favor of making our own food at quieter viewpoints.
Scout is comfortable in her home on wheels—we can leave her behind without worry when needed. This allows us the best of both worlds of having her with us almost all the time while also getting to enjoy non-pet-friendly things like our boat tour and more sensitive hiking trails.
Some favorite July destinations included:
Kicking off the month with a morning hike to the Harding Icefield in Kenai Fjords National park, where we got incredible glacier and mountain views
Spending almost our entire six-hour boat tour around Kenai Fjords (most of the park isn’t accessible on land) standing on the front deck, enjoying misty rollercoaster waves and ogling at orcas, puffins, seals, and sea otters
Walking around the cute town of Homer, Alaska, and spotting several more otters in the nearby waterways
Celebrating my birthday parked on one of the prettiest free river camping spots we’ve found—even though I was sick, the views were incredible
Camping by and soaking in the delightful Liard Hot Springs, which were the most “natural” and beautiful we’ve visited so far (they’re also home to a rare species of snail called the Hotwater Physa!)
Taking advantage of Canada’s ample public lands, making stops along the way from the Yukon to Alberta comfortable for both us and Scout
Hiking multiple trails in Jasper National Park—some with our heeler (three cheers for Canada’s NPs being quite dog friendly!) and some without, but all breathtaking
Catching our breath at the bright turquoise water in Banff National Park, particularly on an off-the-beaten-path hike where Sean and I had a whole beach to ourselves (absolutely incredible!)
Slowing things down after heading to Montana, where we enjoyed Glacier National Park before taking advantage of ample public lands for some days of relaxation
Getting to stay at Slough Creek Campground in Yellowstone National Park where we could hear wolves howling! The next morning we rose early in hopes of seeing some, and we got so lucky—seven were eating from a carcass in the river. One of the best mornings of my LIFE.
A full roundup of where we slept:
15 nights on some sort of public land (national forests, BLM, etc)
11 nights at campgrounds (traditional developed loops or free primitive spots)
5 nights in parking lots (like rest areas, Cabelas, trailhead lots)
What’s new with Scout specifically this month
My heeler is becoming an old lady, actually
I’ve been a little bummed by Scout’s endurance on some of our recent hikes. She’s an incredible sprinter—she’ll play fetch for ages when we’re parked on public land with room to run, especially if she takes a few breaks between rounds—but she was significantly slower than I expected her to be with some of the elevation in Jasper and Banff National Parks.
My hypotheses here:
Our best guess of Scout’s age is somewhere between six and seven now. As much as I hate to say it, it makes sense that she doesn’t have quite the stamina she used to. She’s not a senior yet, but she’s not a young dog either. (Cue crying.)
While I think she’s fulfilled on the average and appears in good physical condition, we’ve definitely fallen a bit into the “weekend warrior” trap lately. Depending on where we’re parked, we might spend a few days being fairly sedentary… followed by several of intense activity. I’m going to make a point to better balance Scout’s exercise moving forward.
Sometimes it’s hard to identify physical versus mental / emotional discomfort. Many of the trails we hiked were pretty crowded (more on that below) so it’s also possible Scout was hanging back near us out of uncertainty rather than joint pain.
Rocked some busy environments after several weeks of solitude
Speaking of crowds: Alberta’s National Parks are capital-P Popular—and also very dog friendly. While we spent the bulk of our Alaska trip in remote areas, only briefly encountering strangers in passing, our visits to Jasper and Banff brought us right into the thick of things. I was so proud of our cattle dog!
Scout’s neutral to people by default but easily overwhelmed if folks reach quickly for her. She finds crowds to be a bit unsettling in general. And she has no interest in having other dogs in her personal space. Predictably, some of our hikes pushed her a little. But every experience was by far a net positive with more joy than worry. We passed hundreds of people and dozens of dogs with only occasional stress signals. The me of four years ago would have bawled
Ways we set Scout up for success:
Depending on the trail width, we either put her in middle or in a heel on our opposite side when passing strangers or dogs in close quarters. This is a win-win of helping fellow hikers feel safe (not everyone is comfortable around dogs!) while also limiting the chance of “drive by” pets or sniffs.
We opted not to bring her to some particularly busy viewpoints. Scout doesn’t derive particular joy from looking at a waterfall, for example… so it made the most sense to leave her safely in the van while Sean and I went to observe a few things.
The abundant nature made it easy to prioritize biological fulfillment. Our cattle dog has much more capacity to handle stressful situations when 1) her basic needs have been met and 2) she’s feeling socially and emotionally satisfied.
Is our cattle dog secretly a village dog?
This isn’t exactly “new” with Scout this month—I’ve had these feelings for a while—but I finally wrote a little bit about how much she’s been reminding me of a village dog since we moved into the van.
