In early April, '98, just after the snow had melted I was anxious to hit the trails and try out some of my lightweight backpacking ideas. Frontenac Provincial Park offered miles of trails and was a short 2 and a half hour drive away. 

I loaded up Sam, the wolfdog, with his "wolfpack", and a hip pack for myself. Sam carried my TNF Tourlight 3D sleeping bag (27oz), tarp, and some food--beef jerky, peanuts, and granola bars. 

The reason I go to the backcountry is to enjoy and get closer to nature.  To that end I am trying to strip away all but the basic essentials. 
Sam and pack
 
Our camp site Traveling light allows you to be a "stealth" camper. Not using a tent means you only need a small spot of grass to lay down on. Not making a fire means you leave no trace. Camping anywhere is an option. You are not tied down to "official" camp sites. I chose this magical spot about 15 miles up the trail, overlooking a beaver pond.

Unfortunately for Sam, a porcupine made his home not far away.

Around 430 AM I heard Sam barking--Huskies normally don't bark--they howl. He sounded upset.
As the last vestiges of gray dissipated in the early morning light, Sam dejectedly came into view--shaking his muzzle of painful quills. They were everywhere! From his paws, to his neck, to his nose.

I tried to pull as many out as I could, but Sam would not allow me to get them all. It was a long trek back to the car, so we set out as quickly as I could break camp.

 Our camp site
A tangle of fallen birch trees left over from the winter ice storm blocked our path at one point, and I had to take off Sam's leash. We continued on for a ways after that before I realized Sam was not around anymore. I backtracked to where I had last seen him (about a mile!) calling him all the way. Finally I heard a plaintive howl way in the distance. He was crying! After I called louder he finally came skulking up the trail. Apparently his sniffer wasn't working very well and he had lost track of me. Back to the leash he went for the duration.

After 5 hours of trail and over 2 hours in the car we were finally home. I asked Debbie to pull the quills while I held him down. She insisted Sam had to go to the vet. $250 later... Next time we will remove any quills!

This was Sam's second encounter with a porcupine. The first was in Gatineau National Park in Quebec. He was just a puppy and there were only about 9 or 10 quills. I pulled them all out on the spot. More recently while in Killarney Provincial Park, Ontario, when I had him on the leash, we spotted a porcupine lumbering up the trail unaware of our presence. Sam at first hesitated and then pulled vigorously attempting to attack the porcupine. As the porcupine skillfully scaled a tree I realized Sam had not learned anything from his encounter.  I have since spoken with an outfitter in Quebec (Jim of Radisson Expeditions, Wakefield, Quebec) who owns 50 huskies. Whenever one of his pack runs into a porcupine he wrestles with the dog until it "gives up" and then removes the quills one by one. Jim maintains that is the only way they will remember the experience. (Not to mention that is the only way Jim avoids financial ruin!)

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