LATEST

Dogs Are Gearheads, Too

Dog hgpb3p

One Word: Doggles

They protect canine eyes from sun, especially when hiking on snow, and wind. Oh, and they’re adorable. QUMY dog sunglasses, $8, amazon.com

Pack Animals

Pups pull their own weight on the trail these days, and Ruffwear redesigned its slimmest pack for ultralight outings. Singletrak pack, $90, ruffwear.com

Leashes with Cred

Launched by a Seattle sailor with a penchant for upcycling, Metamorphic Gear repurposes old climbing ropes into leashes. Climbing rope dog leash, $22, metamorphicgear.com

The Poo Stands Alone

Stow full bags in an odor-reducing roll-top bag; leaving them on trail is shitty karma. Turdlebag, $20, turdlebag.com

A Light Touch

Keep track of roving Rovers with LED-lined kerchiefs, a rave-ready accessory from Healers. Spotlite LED bandanna $30, healerspetcare.com

Just-in-Case Booties

At Vancouver’s Healers, a former Nike shoe designer created everyday and medical dog booties to protect overhiked paws. Urban walkers, $34, medical booties, $32, healerspetcare.com

Bowled Over

Until our furry friends learn to take delicate sips from a Nalgene, we’ll pack a collapsible bowl; Seattle Sports makes a 1.8-ounce version. Pocket bowl, $20, seattlesportsco.com

Flexible Attachment

Though SoDo’s Tom Bihn is known for burly luggage, the company branched out for a springy leash to keep pooches from jerking you around. Bungee leash, $25, tombihn.com


Dscf2144  2  iuuncz

Cat Walk

Dogs are no longer the only pets gone wild. Jean-Luc Piccat (Instagram: @jeanlucpiccat), a one-year-old snow Bengal cat in Ballard, has hiked everything from Mailbox Peak to (some of) the Grand Canyon. “At four miles he comes down with a strong case of the lazies and usually rides on my shoulders or in a backpack,” says his human Mark Kempton.

Published in the 25 Amazing Hikes issue of Seattle Met.











Allison Williams
Allison Williams
Since joining Seattle Met in 2011, Allison Williams has overseen the magazine’s travel and outdoor coverage, including deep dives into Olympic National Park, the Columbia River, and a Burger King drive-thru in Canada. She edits the travel-focused blog Tripster and contributes service, news, interview, and narrative pieces to the magazine, including long-form features about mountain mysteries and puppies in prison. She’s earned awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and been nominated for a City and Regional Magazine award.  Allison was raised here in Olympia and studied writing at Duke University, Oxford University, Columbia Journalism School, and University of Alaska. She began her career in New York City in the newsrooms of Metro newspaper and Time Out New York, then hightailed it back to her native habitat so she could write guidebooks and climb mountains.