We enjoyed a spectacular morning as a family today. A sled dog ride to commemorate our unit study of the Arctic and the Iditarod. It was truly a wonderful experience and one we will never forget.
The kids had been a little nervous on the drive up to the mountain. They weren’t sure what to expect and didn’t want to be scared. I assured them it wouldn’t be scary…. that it would be similar to me pushing them in the jogging stroller only they would be pulled by dogs instead. This seemed to alleviate their concerns.
We arrived a little early so that we would have an opportunity to get to know the dogs and help with the feeding. When we arrived at the site, the dogs were tied to stakes awaiting their turn to pull the sled. They run anywhere from 1-6 tour runs a day – alternating dog teams for each. There were two teams out pulling sleds and we waited from them to return before they harnessed the dogs for the next two sleds (one for us and one for another family). The dogs were very amicable and enjoyed our caresses. One dog even put his front right paw around another woman’s leg in what resembled a hug as she was petting him.
When the dogs were brought to the tow line, they were lifted up onto their back legs and walked on two legs to the line. I asked the mushers why they did this and they explained that the dogs are strong and anxious… it is one of the first things they are taught when they start working with the dogs. It essentially takes them out of ‘4 wheel drive’ and helps assure the musher isn’t overpowered and so the dog doesn’t take off.
Twelve dogs pulled our sled… I didn’t catch the names of the Team Dogs but the others were as follows:
Lead Dogs: Pepper & Ripples
Swing Dogs: Pele & Echo
Wheel Dogs: Yoda & Joe
It was amazing to see how their personalities and experience had a huge impact on the sled. Both Pele and Echo were essentially puppies (18 and 12 months). Occasionally, Echo would get distracted and would look over his shoulder or get a little tangled in the line.
These are the same dogs that Rachael Scdoris trains with and it was great to essentially meet ‘her family’. Mushing is certainly a lifestyle – but it was nice to take a peak into that way of life, even if just for a couple of hours.Along the trail, Sweetie even asked, “Can we do this again?”
Like all organized tours, they even had a photographer to take our picture. I can’t wait to see them! 🙂
Check out my Squidoo lens The Iditarod: A Homeschool Unit Study for resources and activities to bring this historic race to life for your family.
5 comments
Keri
March 10, 2008 at 1:17 pm
This looks like great fun!
It would be good to follow up with’Call of the Wild.’
Sarah
March 10, 2008 at 5:26 pm
How cool was that! Thanks for sharing your great adventure.
Mom2Amara
March 10, 2008 at 11:46 pm
The dogs are gorgeous! And it looks like you had a fab time. That’s the kind of outdoor stuff I think we’d enjoy!
School for Us
March 11, 2008 at 2:33 am
What a neat adventure!!! And, it looks like you have done an incredible job studying dog sled racing. 🙂
Robin
March 14, 2008 at 1:45 pm
We really enjoyed our sled dog ride, too! But I’m so envious that you guys get the snow!
That is the bad thing about Virginia, no matter how you see it portrayed in movies, the truth is – we hardly EVER get any snow.
Your adventure looked a lot like ours. It was absolutely the highlight of our Winter. And GB has been intensely focused on his studies ever since. I guess they need some great little trips like this to keep them interested in learning. I know I do.
Comments are closed.