In December of 2005, I had the chance to take a 40-mile overnight dog sledding trip. Since this is related to the topic, I have posted a trip report that I wrote of my experience. While most of the equipment I used was more advanced than its 1920s counterparts, the method is the same. That method would be dogs in double-file pulling a sled via a tow line. Also, the dogs on my team were Alaskan Huskies, which did not exist in the 1920s.
Without futher ado, my report:
Dog Sledding Adventure
Nature’s Kennel
McMillan, MI
December 26th – 28th, 2005
Day 1: December 26th, 2005
On the morning of December 26th, 2005 I woke up around 6:30 AM. I tried to go back to sleep until 8:00 AM but was too excited. After packing my car up for the trip, I left the house at 9:15 AM. This left me with nearly 8 hours to make the 6 hour drive get to Nature’s Kennel (NK). The drive itself was uneventful. I did notice, though, that there were many trucks pulling snowmobile trailers on the highway. I stopped for lunch at Wendy’s in Gaylord, MI and found the place to be packed with people heading north.
The highlight of the drive up was crossing the Mackinac Bridge. Since the sky was clear, the views off the bridge were spectacular. I could see for miles in all directions. I could not take any pictures since I was driving.
I arrived at NK shortly after 4:00 PM and met Michelle, whom I had met when I was at NK the pervious May. After unloading my gear and changing into winter gear; I met Ed Stielstra (I have known Ed and his wife, Tasha, since April 2004). He told me that my team would consist of 5 dogs that all had been in at least 1 Iditarod. I immediately saw the novice musher/experienced race team mismatch and thought that this trip would be very interesting. He also told me that my guide would be Brandon. The other 4 members of the group were Jim, Jared, Joe, and Abby. They are from the Grand Rapids, MI area.
I met Brandon soon after that. We went over to the part of the kennel where 38 Alaskan Huskies were trying out for Ed’s 2006 Iditarod team. For those that do not know, the Alaskan Husky is not a purebred breed. Rather, it is a mixed-breed dog bred for performance. I would have to choose 5 dogs for my dog sledding adventure. I could not decide right away and put it off till the next morning.
After that, we had dinner. Then we went out and fed the dogs. Each dog got one large ladleful of a mix of kibble, raw beef, and water. After everyone was fed, we went back inside the house and had dessert. We spent the rest of the evening going over the itinerary for the next 2 days and getting to know everyone. We were also informed of the top three rules of dog sledding. Those rules are as follows: 1. Never let go of the sled! 2. Never let go of the sled! 3. Never let go of the sled!
Overnight, we slept in a “tabin” (tent + cabin) that is heated by a woodstove. It was very warm in the tabin and I was actually hot. Sometime during the night we were serenaded by the dog’s chorus howling. What a treat! I could not sleep for much longer than a half-hour at a time since I was too excited about the events of the following day. I also tend to not sleep very well during the first night away from home (with the exception of overnight stays in hotels).
Day 2: December 27th, 2005
I got up around 7:00 AM and proceeded to get dressed. After a cup of hot chocolate, I went to help feed the puppies while everyone else fed the rest of the dogs. There were 2 7 week-old litters in NK. The puppies are absolutely adorable at that age.
We ate breakfast which consisted on blueberry pancakes and sausage. Afterwards, we practiced harnessing and putting booties on Mohawk (aka Mo-mo). Mohawk is a retired 9 year-old female and is easy to harness since she knows the routine.
The main event for the morning was a 2 mile test run with 3 dogs. I still had not decided on which dogs to use for my team, so Brandon picked Goose (6 year-old male, dark brown and tan fur, also has a white “sock” on left foreleg), Tops ( 5 year-old male, dark brown and tan fur), and Harry (2 year-old male, golden fur) for the run. We secured the sled to a pole via a snub line and quick release. This is to ensure that the sled stays put while the dogs are being hooked up to the tow line (gang line). Starting with the leaders, we harnessed up each of the dogs and hooked them to their positions on the gang line. Brandon gave me some pointers and then we were off.
I managed to hang on for a whopping 100 feet before falling off. To exit the kennel, one must do a right turn and then an immediate left turn. I negotiated the right turn but fell off when the dogs and sled turned left. The error that I made is that I was not pushing down on the drag pad (a piece of snowmobile track used to slow the team down by increasing resistance). That, combined with the fact that the dogs are all bursting with energy for the first mile, is why I fell off. The rest of the two mile run was much better. I learned really quick how to use the drag pad with one foot on the left runner and the right foot partly on the right runner and partly on drag pad.
Since Brandon and I were the first group out, I had time to take photos of the other teams leaving the kennel. I also took photos of 2 Siberian Huskies that Casey, one of the guides, and brought with her. That consumed the rest of the morning. We then had lunch and made “hobo dinners”, which I love to eat on campouts. I packed up my gear for the overnight trip and then we were ready for the 20 mile adventure.
The same process happened for the 20 mile run. However, my team expanded to 5 dogs. I added Lips (2 year-old male, black and white fur) and Sisu (2 year-old male, white fur with black patches) and put them in the wheel positions. My team and their positions are as follows:
Left Lead: Tops
Right Lead: Goose
Left or Right Swing: Harry (with booties)
Left wheel: Sisu
Right wheel: Lips (with booties)
I took photos of my team while Brandon was getting his team ready. This used up the rest of my first roll of film. I loaded in the second cartridge just before we left and gave my camera to Brandon.
The run began the same way the pervious one had gone. I fell off the sled at the same spot, except that this time I was pushing down on the drag pad. This is the last time I fell off the sled for the rest of trip. However, that fall and the ensuing mile really dropped my confidence level. However, once the dogs tapered off to their normal cruising speed, the trip got much easier. There were 4 or 5 times where my feet came completely of the runners and I successfully got back on.
One of those situations occurred when the route took a right turn onto a plowed back road. There was an embankment created by the plowed snow. The sled went into the inside of the turn as it went over the embankment and I lost my footing on the runners. I successful got my feet back on the runners and the drag pad. When I looked to my left, Ed was sitting on a bright yellow snowmobile and said something to the effect of “You’re an Iditarod musher now”. This really boosted my confidence
Another of those situations occurred at a sharp left turn, my feet came off the runners and sled tipped up on one runner. When I got back on the runners, this gave me a huge confidence boost. By the end of the run I was confident enough to not use the drag pad on straight sections of the trail.
After being on the trail for about 2 hours and 45 minutes, we arrived at overnight campsite around 4:00 PM or so. We un-harnessed the dogs, put them on a picket line (metal cable with 1 foot extensions hanging every 5 feet or so. Each dog is clipped to the end of an extension), gave each of one them straw for bedding, and then fed them. Then we ate dinner and talked around a campfire. Ed came over for a little while. We talked until about 10:00 PM before going to sleep. I was half-tempted to sleep outside with Brandon and my team but slept in the tent with the rest of the group.
Day 3: December 28th, 2005
I managed to sleep till 2:00 AM when I got cold and woke up. I put on my hat and the slept till 4:00 AM. After that I could not get back asleep. I thought about the return run and worked up the courage to take some photos while on the runners and on straight sections of the trail.
I woke up around 7:00 AM the next morning. Then I helped feed the dogs, ate breakfast, and then talked with group. Ed came over again and caused a bit of a ruckus when he walked through the dogs. Then it was time to prepare for the second run.
Brandon and I harnessed and booted up our teams. Like the day before, we would be the lead group. After Brandon got somewhat ahead, I pulled the quick release and we were off! The first mile was a wild ride! I lost my footing on the runners 3 or 4 times as we went around the curves. I managed to get my left foot on the left runner and my right foot on both the 2-pronged brake and the drag pad every time. Luckily, Brandon’s team had to stop 3 times so I got a break.
My goal for the 2nd 20 mile run was to go around the turns without cutting through the inside corner. This was accomplished by slowing the team just before the turn and then going through the turn at a constant speed. In this way, the sled would follow the arc created by the team through the turn. By the end of the 20 miles, I was able to negotiate most of turns without cutting through the inside corner.
I did manage to take several photos of my team while on the runners. I took some on the plowed road on the way out. I also took some on a straight section just before a curve. At one point, Brandon and I waited for the other groups to get past a y-split in the trail. I took photos of those groups as they went past. I took two or three more shots back on the plowed road.
My confidence level increased during that run. I did not let go of the sled during run. Anytime that I lost my footing I managed to get back on the runners. By the end of the run I was using the “On-by” command (used to keep the team moving past obstacles). I learned to be a natural extension of the sled. These meant that I worked with the sled and not fight against it.
As I returned to the kennel, I did not want the trip to end. I would have liked to have gone another day or two. Once in the kennel, we gave the dogs water. I unhooked each dog from the gang line. Then I un-harnessed each dog and put the dog on its chain. This worked for all of the dogs with the exception of Tops. After I had unhooked Goose’s neck and tug lines, Tops, now the only dog left attached to the gang line, immediately went to his doghouse. It took me a few seconds to realize that he had gone to his doghouse.
I watched as the other 4 group members came in. Then we took group photos with our guides. We were allowed to bring one dog for the photo. I chose Goose since I bonded with him over the last 2 days. After the photo shoot, it was time to go. I cleaned myself up for the drive home.
Tops and Goose:
Mr. Lips and Sisu:
Harry:
What a musher sees:
Photo of my team and I taken by my guide:
In front of the Nature's Kennel Sign with my hosts and Goose (I am on the right holding Goose):
Edit: Fixed URL to Harry's image.
I'm going to go on something similar to this, it will be nice to hear what it might be like 
