Dogsledding

Our favorite event...

Now that we survived ice fishing, we had really dialed in the correct gear. We were confident that we could dress correctly. Which turned out to be great, because we then went on to the highlight of the trip: Dogsledding! Sensing a pattern, we arrived to the outfitters and they produced giant snow suits for us. We were experienced arctic explorers! We knew how to do this. One of the staff said, “No it is really cold this morning.” And here, I thought I would get one day where I wouldn’t constantly worry about our children getting frostbite. But when someone who live in the arctic says it is really cold, I listen. Not only did we get the suits, we got huge oversized ponchos that the kids used as extra blankets!

Our trip turned us into snow suit models

Our kids love dogs, so they were pretty much in heaven from the start. I thought I might feel bad for the dogs, but they were so excited and energetic and friendly. Their enthusiasm was contagious. It is hard not to smile when there are sled dogs around. Our guide informed us that our dogs were mostly Alaskan Huskies that were interbred with some terriers. This helps increase their stamina. They were actually much smaller that I anticipated. Our sled was pulled by a team of twelve dogs. Our oldest Stick named all of them (even though they already had names). Before we set off, the three teams of dogs were all barking and howling. They wanted to run! and then we were off:

The sled pulled us through some lovely scenery and a beautiful sunrise. Then we got to take a break and meet all of our dogs:

Then we set off again for home. The way back included some nice downhill sprints complete with, “Hang on to the kids, there are some big bumps coming!”

Too soon, we were home again, thanking our furry companions. They seemed no worse for the wear and eager to go out again. It was a truly memorable experience and one of the highlights of our trip.

The next day we headed back home. It was an incredibly memorable trip for just three nights! We are very glad to have the arctic experience and we look forward to going again…