"Sometimes necessity makes you do crazy things."
That would probably be an entertaining general discussion topic for QJ  :D
I have shoved my canoe up into the crotch of a tree or a sturdy bush to get it higher, never have tried doing it on the packs.  I'll keep it in mind.  :)
Blue is definitely getting his own food pack to carry; at 3-4 cups of dry food a day x 10 days, that is a full pack for him IMO.  I thought about sewing a pack for him, but found a big one with a detachable harness set-up on e-bay for $37.00 which included shipping. It looks just like some much more expensive models for a far more reasonable price, so I'll try it.