Yesterday our cruise ship docked in Juneau, Alaska. My husband and I signed up to visit a dog sled camp. We rode a bus up the mountain, a route that took us along the water where our ship, the Carnival Legend, was docked.
I'd been warned that the dogs would be a shock, and they were. Instead of the fluffy Huskies I had imagined, these dogs were scrawny. They looked liked mixed breeds, and in a way, I guess they are because from what the musher told us they've bred the dogs from several breeds in and out of the dog line to get the right combination of intelligence and strength.
The musher had lined up sixteen dogs, pulling a sleigh made expressly for running on the ground. David and I hopped into the first two seats. In all, there were eight people on the conveyance, and it weighs 600 pounds. The musher yelled, and the dogs took off. He controls them with voice commands. "Ha" means left and "gee" means go right. He also told them to go straight ahead. At their fastest, the dogs will go 25 miles per hour.
These animals are very hardy. Most of them live well into their teens. There's a dog in the camp that's actually 20 years old! One of the dogs on our team, Nicholas, has competed in the Iditarod twice. The first Iditarod took 20 days to complete the 1,1000 mile journey. The most recent took only eight days. The weather can be as cold as 60 degrees below zero. The dogs wear neoprene sweaters and a coat for warmth, and on their feet they wear booties. Over the course of the race, the dogs will use from 1,000 to 3,000 pairs of booties.
The dogs are examined by vets along the way. If a musher loses his vet exam book, he is disqualified.
I'd love to show you the video I took in the sleigh, but I can't get it to load. I'm still on the ship and the Internet is spotty. But when I get home, I'll put it up so you can hear me giggle. It was a lot of fun to sit behind the dogs and pretend to be part of the great Iditarod race.
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3 comments:
I've read a couple of books (mysteries) that take place during the Iditerod. I'll try to remember titles for you.
Visiting a dog sled camp was one of my favorite things on an Alaskan cruise. I still wear the T-shirt I bought then. I loved watching the show they provided for visitors, as well as the introduction to some puppies.
I really enjoyed this portion of our trip--and I'd like to read more about the Iditarod. The dogs were such characters. I can't imagine what it would be like to race in 60 below zero weather.
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