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Long Haul Trekkers - Jen and Sitka

About Us

Hi there. Nice to meet you!

I’m Jen, the owner, writer, photographer and dog mom behind this blog. You’ll see a variety of dogs referenced in my photos and posts. My current adventure buddy is Sitka, a rescued Red Heeler from Hood River, Oregon.

Long Haul Trekkers was born in 2015 at the start of a two-year bicycle tour across Europe and South America.

In 2011, I attended a sustainable business school program, where I met Dave. Both of us were desperate to find a new way of life beyond the standard nine to five.

One year after graduating, Dave found himself in the same job he’d held for the past seven years and I discovered that even my dream job proved not so dreamy.

After an unsuccessful attempt at a start up business and a two-week venture in Colombia, we began to question the lives we chose.

We had a cute yellow house in a desirable neighborhood in SE Portland, two dogs, two cats, and two chickens, a beautiful garden that provides us with food throughout the summer and fall, and plenty of money to travel and play outside.

Only we couldn’t travel and play outside as we wanted. Our jobs told us where to be and when.

Our Australian Shepherd, Sora saw how work controlled our lives. She wanted to spend more time with us and see the world, so she convinced us to take her on a world bike tour. We thought it sounded like a great idea.

We began our adventure in Oslo, Norway in May 2015 and slowly made our way to Athens in December, via the Balkans and Turkey. In  January 2016, we flew to Ushuaia, in Patagonia, slowly crawling over the Andes toward Colombia.

A few years after that adventure, Dave and I parted ways, but one thing remains the same: If we go, they go. We never leave our dogs behind.

We hope to inspire you to leave your job if you don’t like it, take your dog along on your adventures, and show you that there are different ways to live than the prescribed American Dream.

Meet the Team

Jen

Jen is is a trail runner, mountain explorer, damn good vegan cook, and a fan of craft beer and dessert. She’s also dog mom AF.

Having grown up with cats, she always wanted a dog. To get her fix, she became the neighborhood dog sitter and walker. When she finally had the chance to have a dog of her own, she took that dog with her just about everywhere she went, wondering why anyone would ever leave their dog behind. She is always planning her next dog-friendly adventure.

A native of the Pacific Northwest, she developed a love for the mountains, waterways, and beauty of the region, aiming to explore as much as she can.

Jen is also a freelance journalist and content marketing writer and content creator for brands. If you’d like to work with her, please check out her other site at jensotolongo.com

Sitka

Sitka is a Red Heeler adopted from Hood River Adopt a Dog. He is a sweet boy with plenty of energy and spunk. A fence jumper in his first life, these days, he is learning the ropes of what it takes to be an adventure dog.



Dave Hoch

Dave manages the blog behind the scenes, running the technology and website side of things. He also used to write for the blog on occasion. Dave currently lives in Granada, Spain with his dogs Laila and Riia. He is a web developer and technology consultant for small businesses at DaveHoch.com.

Sora

Sora was the dog who inspired this blog. She was an Australian Shepherd adopted from Family Dogs New Life in Portland, OR in 2008.

She joined Dave and Jen on their two-year bicycle trip across Europe and South America. After a recurring battle with cancer, she went to the Rainbow Bridge in 2018.

Sora traveled to nearly 30 countries on her adventures, graced the cover of a magazine and served as the face of adoption for an animal rights group in Medellin, Colombia.

Sora was the original adventure dog of the pack and inspired this blog. She was Jen’s heart dog and the love of her life.

Laila

Laila is a rescued street dog from Spain. We are pretty sure that she is part hyena, African Wild dog, and a little bit kangaroo. She loves to cuddle, chase lizards, and will eat just about any vegetable you put in front of her.

Riia

Riia is a Border Collie that we acquired from our veterinarian who had to rehome her. She is a funny gal who lives for fetch and loves to run.

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7 comments

I had to run an errand at Greenlake this morning. Greenlake is easily one of the most popular recreation areas in Seattle. . I generally avoid super popular destinations because dog and because people. But I was there, so figured we'd have a walk around the lake. . I was already annoyed with Sitka because he whines non-stop in the car (can't wait to put an end to that behavior) so when we arrived at Greenlake and he went into stimulation overload, I started to feel my heart race and noticed my breath shallow. . "This walk is going to SUCK," I predicted. . And then I stopped, took a few deep breaths, and said we've got this. For three miles, we went on the ultimate training walk. . We practiced heel, swiveling right and left around people and dogs. . We chilled out in place or down when calm dogs walked by. . We walked past unmanaged dogs and gave them space while not freaking out. . We calmy watched ducks play in the water. . We learned that umbrellas, rollerblades, and black garbage bags are scary and so we followed them and walked behind them and sat and watched them. . Sitka did GREAT. . I heard several times throughout our walk, "wow, what a good boy." "What a well-behaved dog." . Nothing makes me more proud of my dog and of MYSELF than hearing those words. . I have a little acronym I use and practice: ABT or Always Be Training. . How do you practice ABT?
Oh, well, ok, Sitka. . Someone is a little enthusiastic for their treats! . Sitka is a rather...abrupt dog. He moves very suddenly and always with a thud or at full force. He has no concept of his body position and I have to be very keenly aware of where delicate objects, like my computer...or my face...are when he's moving. He's the type of dog that could give you a concussion if you're not careful! . Anyone else's dog a bit of a hurricane when they move? . #sponsored by @zukespets #ZukesPack #LiveLifeOfeash #letsgozukes
I took Sitka to one of those mall Glamour Shots places and this was the outcome. . Or... . I got belly deep in snow and played with fairy lights. 😉
For those of you who know me, you know that I do my research. I don't make decisions without weighing my options. I've spent weeks trying to determine which rewards credit card I should get for my business. . When I buy shoes or clothing, I spend hours trying to figure out which is the best brand, doing the least amount of harm. I wonder if it's more sustainable to buy wool and leather, even though I am a vegan. . When it comes to my dogs, I do the same. Which diet is best? Which brands are making the best toys, food, gear? Which training method do I use? . A little over a year ago, I posted about my frustration with Laila. I really couldn't stand her. I just wanted to leave her at home, which is completely contrary to what I advocate: If I go, they go. . In the comments of that post, many of you suggested ecollar training. Like many, I had made assumptions about the use of such a tool, but when I saw comments from so many whom I know love the shit out of their dogs, I began to ask questions. I read books. I watched videos. I talked to trainers. I talked to clients. Dozens and dozens. Hours and hours and hours and hours. . Ecollar training didn't pan out with Laila, but now I have Sitka and I plan to have him ecollar trained with @flashdogtraining. . My choice doesn't mean that I think force free trainers aren't good dog trainers. I know many and support them here and offline. I send friends to them. . It's just not the method I'm choosing. . There is more than one way to train a dog, and you may not like my choice. That's ok. . Here's what I ask of you. Stop judging other's for their choices and pushing your beliefs on them. . If you disagree, ask questions, instead of cast your opinion. At my hippie sustainable business school, we practiced appreciative inquiry. It's a way of asking questions that recognize the best in people and open dialogue for new ideas and discoveries. . Ask leading questions, like "What led you to this decision?" "Why did you decide to make this choice?" "What opinion did you previously have about xxx?" . This is how we learn and how we create bridges, not walls. My challenge to you is to practice appreciative inquiry today.
Let's say you have a friend who is writing a book about hiking with dogs (cause ya do, but more on that soon). 😉 . It's a guide book that will contain everything you need to know about hiking and camping with dogs, finding hikes, packing food and water, trail dangers, choosing the right gear, etiquette, trail commands, and more. . I have a chapter outline due soon and would love your input. . What chapter topics would you absolutely want to see in such a book? . Let me know in the comments below!
I've started to make some plans for Sitka and me for 2020. It's hard to make exact goals, since I'm not sure where I'll be when, but here are a few I've got on our list: 🐾 Run the 20-mile Peterson Ridge Rumble 🐾 Send Sitka to @flashdogtraining 🐾 Do a solo overnight backpacking trip (or 2 or 3) 🐾 Paddle camp 🐾 Visit a new state 🐾 Organize or participate in a trash clean up with @keepnaturewild 🐾Do a bike to beer ride (or 2 or 3 or 4) . Don't forget to enter my contest (two posts back) and check out my stories for even more ideas and inspiration!
I have really fallen for this sweet boy. . Sometimes, I catch myself asking him who the best dog in the world is. And I stop myself mid sentence, feeling a bit guilty. . Because that's Sora, you see. . So Sitka, he's the goodest boy in the world.
On this first day of 2020, I wanted to do something small to encourage everyone to get outside with their dogs this year with a small giveaway. . PRIZE: A copy of @sup_with_pup book My Dog and Me Bucket List. . This journal is filled with adventure ideas and space to write about your experience with your dog. . HOW TO ENTER: 1. follow @sup_with_pup and @longhaultrekkers. 2. Like this post. 3. Tell me one adventure goal you have planned for you and your dog in 2020 in the comments below. . That's it! Content ends Monday, Jan 6 at midnight and is in not endorsed by Instagram.
If I think about 2019, I might say that it wasn't my favorite year. However, when I really ponder all of the experiences I had, I'm not so sure I can make that statement. . In grad school, we'd play a sort of game on the three-hour drive home back to Portland called High, Low, Sleeper. The aim was to reflect on our weekend. I did the same for 2019 and was surprised with what I came up with. . Sleeper, for those who don't know, means the unexpected moments, "good" or "bad." . High 🐾 Adopting Sitka 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Visiting Scotland this summer and getting to meet @roman.around.scotland 🇮🇹 Spending a week in the Italian Dolomites with @myadventuresacrosstheworld 👭 Reuniting with one of my favorites, @youdidwhatwithyourwiener 💰 Raising $2000 in honor of Sora for @thebrodiefund 👩‍💻 Being accepted to Mediavine, an ad network for bloggers 🥾 Meeting @5280colorado dogs in Colorado for a winter hike 🏃‍♀️ Finishing the @trail2heaven 25k feeling strong, confident, and most importantly, with a smile on my face. 🎿 Backcountry skiing for the first time in Andorra. . Low 💔 Getting divorced . Sleeper 🇱🇸 Moving back to the PNW - I'm not exactly where I want to be right now, but I'll get there. 🇫🇷 Meeting my parents for a few days in Paris 🏔️ Spending a month in Bend, meeting some wonderful new friends and spending quality time with some old ones. . So, how does your year actually look when you reflect back? . If you like, I'd love for you to share a high, low, and sleeper from 2019 in the comments.
52 Week Adventure Checklist

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