I got to go dog sledding today! Not with my dogs but it was sure fun. I got up early this morning and drove just over a half hour to get to Salmo, where I wandered into Spirit of the North Kennels and met a wonderful musher named Al Magaw. Al and I have been emailing back and forth for quite a while, but this was the first time I managed to get out there to help him out. I sure am glad I did!
I brought Maui and Nick with me and they hung out in one of Al's pens while Al, Christina (another eager helper) chatted over a cup of coffee. Soon enough, we headed out and proceeded to hook up the first team. Christina and I helped Al lay out the ganglines and he then proceeded to direct us to which dogs to grab and where to put them on the hook up chains. Once all the dogs were chained, we harnessed them all up and hooked them up to the gangline. Then off we went!
I got to ride along on the first trip, this time with a team of mostly younger dogs. Since the dogs were pulling two adults and a quad through a few inches of snow they got short runs today of only 4km. Once we got back we unharnessed and put the first team back then grabbed a fresh team, harnessed and hooked them up as well. The second run Christina got to ride along and I stayed home and cuddled dogs and chatted with Al's daughter and son-in-law who had driven in from Alberta for a visit. The second team was mostly older dogs, and was lead by a beautiful sweet dog named Only who just turned 14 years old, can you believe it? What a dog!
After running the dogs we went back inside to warm up, chat, and have a cup of coffee. The damp cold really gives you a bit of a chill but a wood stove will fix that! I went out for a wander on the trails with Maui, Nick, and Xena, one of Al's golden's who tagged along for the fun. I then departed home but stopped in for a sandwich and some tea at an old family friend's place in Salmo first. What a great way to spend a day!
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