Mushing!

That first ride…….. Exhilarating!

Let me quote directly from Websters for this: “Ex∙hil∙a∙rat∙ing – making one feel very happy, animated or elated: thrilling”.

I have been thinking about how to explain the experience and it’s many layers. Let’s start with the physical. There are two distinct parts: the lead up to take off…and then the ride. The lead up is no indication of the joy to come. It’s raucus and chaotic. You are bundled in layers of clothes which means bumbling around, sweating from any exertion and fumbling with lines and hooks due to the oversize mitts. All the while the dogs are barking and yipping in excitement. The volume grows each time you add a dog to the line until it’s reached a fevered pitch and you are yelling for the other humans to hear a word you say. The energy is palpable. Dogs are trembling with excitement, some of them jumping in the air pitching their bodies against the gangline, others straining against their tug line desperate to go. It’s visceral…. You are wondering what the hell you are in for and hoping to god the snow hooks are in solid and your tie down line holds until take off.

Once all the dogs are hooked in and you have everything secured on your sled – you give the command “OK, Hike” and suddenly …… it’s silent. Yes, every ounce of energy those dogs had is focused into one single thing: to pull. It’s incredible. This chaos just transformed to a working machine. Even the most stubborn of them has shifted into the team, their bodies working in unison, fur moves over rippling muscles as paws dig into the snow. The sounds now are the swish of a sled on snow, twigs breaking and panting breath. I feel my elevated heartbeat, from the rush of taking off at break neck speed. The loudest sound now is the squeal of glee I make as we take a fast turn and I keep the sled up right.

Now it’s time to look around at the colors in the sky, the scenery and sparkling snow. The ride on the runners is loosely a cross between wind surfing and waterskiing. Your body is in constant motion, finding balance as the sled moves around… at the same time you are using your body weight to maneuver the sled and keep it upright when whipping around corners and going over berms.  Just getting the dogs and sled to stop can be a full body activity depending on the number of dogs. If I run 6 or more dogs my 120 pounds is barely capable of stopping the sled in soft snow. I need someone else with me to help brake! Remember this is how people traditionally traveled and moved things around. There is a lot of power in a dog team.

Here is a slide show of different mushing pictures. I’ve put some captions and information in….. but generally it is HARD to take photos when you mush. I can’t let go of the sled handle because that will be the moment a moose shows up or the dogs run out of line…. or I’ll drop the camera while moving…… or my hand will freeze trying to use the camera. So I have very FEW photos of actual mushing, but many will give you the flavor.

Click here to see the magic: Google photo Album Dog Mushing