It's Hard Work!

So… just how hard is mushing? 

Way harder than I thought!  It’s not merely a spectator sport where you stand on the back of a sled and tell the dogs when to start and stop!

First of all, it’s really hard to get them all harnessed up.  They are just so excited to go and have so much energy and strength, it’s unbelievable.

Darla

So, here’s what happened this morning for example.  At 7:30 this morning we went down to do “dog chores.”  The dogs were tethered “on the line” a bit away from our cabin (but close enough that we could still hear them howling at night).  We had to scoop the poop and feed all the dogs.  Then we went back up to our cabin and had breakfast.  When we were ready to get on the trail, we went back down and it was harness time.  Mrs. Rizzuto and I harnessed our five dogs, which wasn’t so hard.  The harness goes over their head and then you have to lift each front paw up and slip it through the leg holes on the harness.  Usually if you say “paw” they help by lifting their feet for you.

Domino

Then comes the hard part….moving them from the line to the sled.  All they want to do at that point is run, run, run!  So you unclip them from the line and put them into “two-wheel drive” to get to the sled.  What you are doing essentially is lifting them up by the harness on their back so they are walking on their back to legs to the sled.  It is NOT an easy task! 

At the sled you need to hook them into two places.  Their harness is attached to the center line behind them.  The harness works so that they are actually pulling the sled by their strong chests and backs. The weight of the sled isn’t attached to their neck at all.  The second place they are attached is by their neck chain very loosely just to keep them facing forward so they don't get all tangled up.

Fennel

Then you are ready to go, but the musher’s work has just begun!  You have to help push the sleds up hills, paddle with your back foot when things get rough, and run beside the sled when you get cold.  You have to put all your weight on the brake to get them to stop.  Then there is the ducking of tree branches, getting the sled unstuck from obstacles, and did I mention the pushing of the sleds uphills?

Belle and Calvin

Our lead dog Darla really likes us to help push the sleds up hill.  In fact, when we get to a hill and it starts to get tough, she looks back at us like “okay two-legged ones, jump off and help push!”

When you stop for lunch, you have to tie the sled off to a tree or something.  When you are ready to go after lunch you have to untangle everyone and sort them out again.  Today when we came back from lunch Calvin and Darla had somehow managed to slip out of their harnesses.  So their harnesses were still attached to the line and the dogs were still attached to the line, but it took some untangling to get them back together again!

At night, you have to reverse the whole thing.  Take the dogs off the sled and put them on the line.  Take the harnesses off.  Feed them.

Bedding Down for the Night

It’s exhausting… but we’re loving every minute.