Monday, April 9, 2007

Dog sledding in Alaska (Mushing 101)


Heather, who took care of the dogs (and us) has a broken finger and nearly chopped off another with an axe. I'm smiling, but I have three cracked ribs. What a great trip! It was awesome.


Nugget anxious to go mushing.


Abe, the howler.




Sockeye, one of our team "leaders".


Clem is not a sled dog, but was our loveable mascot. He did run most of the way with us, wearing his little red booties. The landscape of Alaska is littered with them. He never returned to camp with all four. He also loves to play fetch every second of every day. If you don't play with him, he keeps bringing you larger sticks. Eventually he was fetching tree branches.


Our first campsite.


"Pup" and James work on the wood for our stoves.


"Pup" drives her dogs.


Clem leads us around an iceflow.


James and his team.


Jessica and her team.


Leslie, the owner of Paws for Adventure, and Ivan "the terrible" (who spent as much time in her sled as he did pulling it).






The Snowy trails.


Our tent and our sleds.


"Pup" desperately tries to start a fire in our tent oven as its ten degrees below zero...


When all else fails...


"Pup" and a very happy Fallon.


Fallon sleeps it off in our tent


Tommy.


Moritz.


The frozen MacLaren River and the mountains surrounding Denali Highway


Our haunted "Whitey's Cabin" (left) at Maclaren River Lodge and the dogs on the frozen river below.


Haunted....by fellow mushers anyway, who scraped their nails across the walls to scare me (Clem was terrified--I'd downed a bottle of whiskey and an extra strength Motrin)


Our own private air show from the guys at the nearby Air Force base just after we arrived.


The dogs wait for dinner.


Leslie, Clem and Boo relax in the tent.


Cassidy by the cabin heater.


Leslie, the amazing cook, whipping up dinner in our haunted cabin.


Jessica relaxing and howling with the dogs.


The mushers.


Whiskey, smores and a bonfire on the last night in the tents.


Jessica masters a smore.


James and Pup at the end of the trail.


Anxious to get in their hay-filled cubby holes for the ride home.


Dave helps...




Unharnessing.


Clem and Pup asleep on the way home to Fairbanks.


Morrie happy to be home.


The mushers at MacLaren Lodge.


Heather and the tonic that aided us all....


Pup shows off the bicep that broke Heather's finger.


Pup before heading home...

2 comments:

GatorGirl said...

Love the dogs.....looks like a great trip!

Moonpie said...

The dogs were fantastic!