Mushing in Alaska

Mushing in Alaska
Mar 17th 2008
wolfmoonsleddog
Alaska
Location: Ester, AK
Time - 10:38am
Temperature: 7 degrees F
Conditions: Mostly clear, cold.
Forecast: Partly cloudy today and tomorrow. Low of -5, highs in the teens

I just had a glorious run! I hooked up four dogs - Raven and Vegas in lead, Helen and Xena in wheel. There will be more on the dogs at Northern Sky soon. The run was perfect. I don’t see how it could possibly have been any better. It was clear and cold, just above zero. All of the dogs ran perfectly and I am getting better and handling the sled. I like the sled I use, you can really feel the trail and it handles curves wonderfully. I am learning to take the curves - I just squat down on the runners, put my heels on the brake pad and slide through the turn. Before being here, I had never used a brake pad, just a regular brake. I like the pad, it makes things a lot easier even though it takes a little getting used to at first. There is still a traditional claw brake on the sled but we only use it for stopping here.

But getting back to my run today…I didn’t wipe out or even come close, which made me very happy. Running by myself is different. With no team or snowmachine in front, the dogs aren’t quite as crazy and don’t run *quite* as fast, which is a little easier on the musher. These huskies are not race dogs either and they aren’t quite as powerful as the Seppalas from Deer Creek. I like these Alaskan huskies though, they are sweet and friendly, even if some of them aren’t the smartest pups on the planet. Yesterday one husky gave me a bit of a scare when I saw blood. Turns out he bit his tongue while eating snow!

The trail is hard and fast and there is a crust on the snow. The runners crunch as they slide along. Sledding in Alaska is wonderful when everything goes well. Being out there on a cold Winter (actually it’s more towards Spring in the interior) morning flying through the woods, across the open country on a sled behind dogs…In my opinion there is nothing better in the world. No place I would ever rather be. The only bad thing about my run this morning was that it did not last long enough. That feeling of being alone with delighted huskies is like nothing else. That’s what we try to share with people who come on tours. The costumers (most of which have never mushed in their life) get to experience something beyond what the tourist traps and cruises spit out. They discover something deeper, wilder and more significant.

That, is real magic.