w w w . d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m
105
I loaded up Charlie and Ranger in my truck with all of our
belongings, and we set off for a popular section of the trail at
which locals like to camp. As we pulled up to the lake and I
noticed all the other people around, I started to get a bit wor-
ried about my decision to start here. We all jumped out of the
truck, and I proudly put Charlie's panniers on her with her
bedroll, not thinking of the lake. As I was busy fixing my own
backpack and making sure I had everything, I heard a guy
say to me, "Your dog is in the lake with her panniers on…" I
turned to see Charlie happily floating in the lake, bedroll and
