Saw a story about Colorado dog sledding it in Denver Magazine and decided it might be a fun adventure for Clare and I. She digs outdoor winter activities, like snowmobiling, so I thought this might fit the bill. We stayed at small, but clean and reasonable, Wayside Inn off Highway 9 on the way to Breckinridge. The outfitter, Good Times, was at the end of Tiger Road – the same as our Inn. After breakfast at Breck’s Salt Creek – LOVE late Sunday breakfast there – we headed to Good Times.
After gearing up – we brought our own ski pants and parkas - we headed out to the trails where the dogs were. They barked and yelped and whined (in anticipation?). I used to have an Alaskan malamute mix (RIP Kisha), so the Huskys are a breed I’ve always liked. There were eight to a sled. There were about four sleds with dogs, and a snowmobile with a bench-equipped sled where four people could sit. The groups of six were called out to their sleds, after the obligatory pictures with the dogs they could sell you later for $20. One person sits on the sled (where the gear should go, I imagine) and the driver rides behind. There he can put his feet on the rails, or on the brake in the middle, which digs into the snow. Our guide Brendan asked for volunteers for the first shift, and since no one spoke up, I did. Clare was not enthused, especially after he warned that if we didn’t lean in the turns we’d spill over and the dogs would continue on without us.
There’s no whip, obviously, and no “mush” yelling – though I couldn’t resist at several points. The dogs take off after the Brendan-driven snowmobile. He stays to groomed trails that head out to the woods. The thrill of being pulled by the dogs was pretty cool. Heading down hills was a little scary, but I only had to tap on the brakes a couple of times to keep it from running into the back of the dogs. Clare and I traded driver/rider. The ride lasted about 10 minutes for both of us, then we switched out with two of the other four in the larger sled. We had a second shift that was more curvy and hilly. One guy fell off the back of the sled and his wife had to lean on her own, as Branden kept reminding her, lest she’d eat snow, too. The guy finally caught up after we stopped a ways down the trail. On hills, you’d have to either get off and help push the sled, or push it along like a skateboard. I kind of felt sorry for the dogs, but was assured they loved the running/pulling and wouldn’t have it any other way. He said the Iditarod dogs could pull up to 80 miles per day, slowly and with breaks, but wow. These dogs run an hour on, three off, six days a week. On rest breaks, the dogs would plunge their faces into the snow, sit in it or roll around as much as they could while harnessed.
The hour-long ride was over much too quickly - but what a rush. We all rubbed down the dogs and thanked them. The leaders, pure white, were strong bothers. Branden said the last two were the worst of the group and had many bad habits. I could tell when one of them kept trying to mark his territory as his buddies were pulling the rider-loaded sleigh!
It was kind of expensive at $70 each, but we got free hot chocolate at the end. It was worth it, though. Next time I’d like to rent the dogs with just Clare and I and head out for like a 1/2 day. Doubt they do that, however, without an experienced handler nearby. The dogs pull for about seven years, then get put up for adoption. What a life!
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