Reay Jespersen

Yesterday Jackie and I finally got a chance to get in our snowed-out dogsledding from a couple of weeks back. We had a really good time. It’s no small amount of driving - three hours, give or take, northeast - and ain’t cheap, but if you like dogs and want to try something different as far as winter activities go, I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Dogsledding 101
- The driver should hang on and stay hanging on.
- To get the dogs moving, the driver (the only one to command the dogs) says (doesn’t yell) “Hike”, or combines it with a lead dog’s name. Only say it once.
- To get the dogs to stop, the driver says “Whoa”, or combines it with a lead dog’s name, and ease onto the brake (a springed pedal with spikes on it) to bring them to a stop. Only say it once.
- If a lead dog is distracted by something (other than a call of nature) on the trail, the driver says the dog’s name and “on by”. Try it twice if need be. Failing that, the driver stays on the brake to keep the dogs from going anywhere, and the rider in the sled gets out and walks the lead dog past the distraction so the team can get moving again.
- Keep the connecting guide line taut to prevent dogs getting tangled or injured.
- Ensure you brake enough to stay as far back as possible from the rear dogs. Hitting dogs with sleds is bad.

These are some of the many pics we got with the digital camera. Jackie got some great pics with her 35mm as well that I’ll try to scan and upload soon.

Jackie with Junior, and up-and-comer who’s not a big hit with the other dogs, so tends to run solo.

Sled-height on the trail. For those curious, yes, having your nose at dog butt height has its downsides. At times, we had to deal with doggie biodiesel fumes. Meanwhile, someone’s huge feet in huge boots, not surprisingly, got in the shot.

During our one lengthy break, Jackie and I played with the dogs extensively. Here, she pulls double-duty, simultaneously doling out the love to Light (foreground) and Ariel (the suck getting belly rubs).

About half way through the tour, we did a small loop on a lake to head back the way we’d come in.

As we did the loop, the lady on the team ahead of us dropped a mitt. Always happy to chew, Junior dutifully grabbed it in passing and held onto it until the break. The guide had to get it away from him as Junior no doubt felt that since he’d found it, it was by all rights his to keep.

During the same break, Chinook, a dog from the team behind us, amused one and all by proceeding to dig into the trail-side snow until she was completely in-ground. Hunting a mouse? She kept the reasons to herself.

Jackie, not surprisingly, was a huge hit with the dogs. Here, she gets one of numerous kisses from lead dog Jewel.

Me with lead dogs Jewel (foreground) and Comet. Reay: still not a hat person.

This was taken by our guide, Kyle. From front of the team to driver: Jewel (foreground) and Comet, Junior, Light (left) and Ariel, Jackie in the sled, and some hunky dude driving.

We also got a couple of video clips of the experience if you’d care to get an in-sled view:

The dogs generally set a slow jogging pace, though have to be helped up inclines at times by the driver.

The end of one of our early brief stops, ensuring everyone from the tour was together. As soon as they see the team ahead of us take off, the dogs stop playing in the snow and are anxious to get going again.

And one quick video that Jackie took once we were back at the base camp:

All the dogs from the tour knew when the treats were due, and made no small amount of noise about it.