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Published: October 4th 2007
If you are ever in Alaska, on a cruise for example that takes you up the Inside Passage coast to Skagway, then try to do yourself a favor and book a tour to go dog sledding that day! Worth the expensive trip (as they take you on helicopter atop a glacier) and choose to do the snow dog sledding instead of one on wheels in a dirt road. That is how (I am told) the Alaskan huskies train during the Summer (both on snow or on dirt) so that their owners can take them later in March to the Iditarod race out of Anchorage. So, the dogs are used to entertain tourists during the Summer for top dollar. This particular day of September (end of season), the helicopter left on a very windy day out of Skagway to the top of some nearby glacier. It wasnt fun riding the helicopter in the wind, I must admit, but the view was just gorgeous. Earlier in the day they had cancelled that same flight due to heavy fog, but a few hours later we were in the air as the fog had moved out of the dog camp. We had to land far from the dog camp due to that fog, but a snow cat mobile brought us to the camp. There were about 300 dogs, all had a small box-like house with their name on it and were tied, laying next to it. The mushers/ people working the camp gave us a few instructions of how to dog sled, the do's and dont's - and we all got to wear bright fluorescent vests just in case we got lost there it would be easy to spot us, I guess. It was very foggy, not dense or thick, but enough to turn the whole place white, so you couldn't tell where the snow on the ground ended and where the sky began, nor could you see further than some feet ahead of you. And it was very cold, so if you ever go one day ask about the weather up there, specially at the end of the season, cause its going to get colder when you start sledding as the wind will come straight to hit you! The musher ties two sleds one after the other, and ties the dogs (about 10 of them) to the front sled. All the dogs start barking with anxiety and so do the other 290 that are left tied by their huts. The noise is tremendous and it won't end until the sleds leave. Two visitors go one on each sled and then the musher drives one and another person (me in this cse) "drives" the one in the back. All you have to do is hold on to dear life and brake the sled often so as not to crash against the one in the front. Once the dogs get the call to start, the musher lifts the anchor hook that keeps us in place in the snow and off we go at a relatively good speed, pulled by barking dogs which soon stop barking and just work hard up the hill, tongues hanging out. At first you feel sorry for them, doing all this effort dragging these 4 adults up the hill, but the dogs are thrilled and this is all they care for, really. They live to pull sleds and you can see it after a few minutes behind them that this is all they want to do. It is some hard exercise to hold on standing on each of those very narrow ends of sled and keep a posture that won't end up in a hell of a cramp. More like an isometric exercise to keep that posture.... The sleds took a loop ride around the camp, at times you couldn't see a thing due to the fog, but obviously the musher knew exactly were we were going, as he probably had done that same run a zillion times that Summer. But to one that goes there for the first time, and has never dog sled before, it all feels like the first time, and it is such a pleasant experience. Makes you want to do more of it, maybe at some other point in life.
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Bjorn Erik
non-member comment
It's for real
Rosita and I worked together on ships many years ago - and I always was impressed by her fantastic joy for life and for people. I have done the Dog Sledge tour in Skagway several times over the last 10 years - and it never stops amazing me : how magnificant this and life on planet earth can be. I can just support Rosita and say - don't take our word for it - try it yourself - you won't regret it and you'll never forget it. BEJ - on a cruise ship bound for Dublin - Ireland, Oct 5. 2007.