One of the first activities in Fairbanks was to go to the North American Dog Sled races. The day was actually more than just dog sledding. We learned about caring for the dogs, training them, and what it takes to make a good race dog. Then the competition began with ski joering, which in Alaska involves a person skiing, being pulled by dogs. Some skiers have one dog pull them; some have up to three. And the dogs are fast . . . very fast . . . so the skier must like speed. The skiers went about 4 miles in thirteen minutes or so . . .
Then we watched the dog sledding. First was the four-dog race and then the six-dog race. Again, they went about 4 miles. The Iditarod dogs trot about four miles an hour; these guys go about 12 miles an hour. And they can't wait to run!
When we were at Chena Hot Springs, Don and I decided we needed to go dog sledding. Although the course was very short, we got to see what it was like, how they train the dogs, and what it was like riding in a dog sled. Here we are below in a 12-dog sled. Fun experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment