3:48 PM
| Sunrise at | 6:43 AM | in direction | 71° | East-northeast |  |
| Sunset at | 9:05 PM | in direction | 289° | West-northwest |  |
Today was an eye opening day and a wonderful day, both. Aliy Zirkle of SP Kennel put me up behind a sled and to say it was fabulous borders on understatement. And it also reminded me how much a saavy musher knows about his or her dogs and how closely the dogs are being watched by a good musher at all times.
Although I have followed dog sled races and seen videos, my attitude is until you are on the runners, commanding the team, you really don't know anything. It is like watching others show you a video of how to start a car, engage the gears, and then slowly pull out of the parking lot. You can't teach the subtleties of shifting gears from afar. At some point, the student needs to experience the interplay of gear, clutch pedal, and foot.
So, Aliy demonstrated it all as if I'd never seen or read anything and to me it was like hearing it for the first time. There are five ways to control the dog team's motion:
- Verbal commands
- Snow Hook
- Quick Release
- Drag Pad
- Brake
Allen built a drag pad especially for training so that there is maximum surface for learners to work with controlling the team. Working with the drag pad reminded me of powering my grandmother's trundle sewing machine, or even the gas pedal. The amount of weight you put on the drag pad determines how fast the team can travel. The moment by moment experience of mushing revolves around when to use the drag pad and when to not use it. For example, you don't need it up hill and don't want it around corners because it will affect the pull of your sled as your corner. So, just as in a car you slow to the speed you want for the curve, so too, you slow the team to the speed you want to take the turn and then corner without any sort of braking.
The brake is used to stop the team. You apply the brake at the same time you give them the command, "Whoa". That got me in trouble a few times since my first reaction to some things was "Whoa" for "WOW!" When they have stopped you drop the snow hook, being careful to ensure the hook is lodged downward at the appropriate angle so it can not be pulled loose. Aliy reminded me two or three times that after she leaves the handle bars to tend to the team, she walks back with her hand outstretched in case the snow hook releases and the team takes off. I didn't fully internalize that instruction this lesson - not enough to remember to do it.
The verbal commands are basic, "Gee" pull to the right, "Haw' to the left. "Ready, Go" indicate the hook is pulled and it's time to mush. At the word, "ready" the dogs will face forward and tug lines will be tight. She said a sled dog's purpose and desire is to keep that tug line tight and they will pull until it feels that way which is why sprint teams will race at 27 MPH. You don't want that for long distance teams because they will wear out at the same point a sprint team will - which is why the drag pad and brake are more integral to set the pace for long distance teams. "Whoa" tells the team you intend to stop and she mentioned that one problem combination is "ready, go" because "go" sounds like "whoa" to a dog. She also said that the team is listening all the time, 100% of the time, so attitude of the musher is communicated fully to the team.
I am not sure of the temperature when we left. It had been just above 20F when I arrived. I still needed my hat because my ears were cold and put on gloves because my hands were chilled. Later I put on a neck gator to reduce draft around my neck. We started out with me in the passenger seat. Sitting, I could feel chilled air coming in through the zipper of my jacket, wool pull over, and undershirt - although I was warm everywhere else.
Traveling along for a short distance we had a surprise visitor. Bullet, one of the kennel dogs that is now retired and free to roam on the property decided to join us. Aliy put her on the gang line and we continued on until the fateful moment that Aliy said she was going to have me get on the runners. Rather than switch places, she decided to ride behind me and she is so skilled, she actually could do that by holding onto the rope for the quick release.
She told me to say "ready" and then release the snow hook. I did and we were off. I realized quickly that I had no sense of MPH on the back of a sled. There would be times when I would be off the drag pad and she would remind me that I needed to keep them under 10 MPH. She provided careful instructions throughout, such as when to drag, when not to. She explained why cheering, praise, and an upbeat attitude are positive assets when the dogs are facing hard work. She told me about mushing uphill and when I would need to run with them. She encouraged me when I bent my knees cornering because it helped me flow with the motion of the sled.
I was enjoying it, but not yet at the point of having fun - do you know what I mean? I still did not know completely what to expect of myself. I was wondering how I would progress to the point where I could do this alone - just me and my team. I am still wondering that, but give me time.
As temperatures began to rise, we circled back toward the kennel and Aliy said we needed to stop to give the dogs a break. I don't know what the temperature was, but it had clearly jumped several degrees, probably as much as 10F which it can do quickly in the spring sunshine. I no longer felt any chill and I'd taken my hat off while we stood there because my head was hot, so I imagine it was nearing 30F or more. They all dove into the snow bank, grabbing mouthfuls of snow. Cutter put his whole face into the snow and then both he and Scout stretched out across the snow so their entire flank met the coolness it offered. Both remained in the snow longer than the others and as I watched Cutter, I realized he was panting harder and longer than the others.
Later I asked her how she knew they needed that break. She said all the dogs provide profiles during a run. When Cutter's face turned back toward her, his lips were curled enough she could see his gums and canine tooth. She reminded me that just over a week ago, they had been sleeping outside at -40F above the Arctic Circle. Cutter, along with several others in the kennel, were especially well suited to severe cold as their dame had come from Kotzebue above Nome on the Bering Sea. Aliy said it is rare that the dogs are out on the trail at 30F. As she put snow on Cutter's neck, along his belly, and under his armpits, she told me about encountering temperatures like this along the Yukon River one year. She put T-shirts on the dogs and then packed snow under their arm pits and along their bellies to keep their temperatures balanced. She repacked snow in their t-shirts ever so often.
We got back on the trail, stopped again a little while later and this time Cutter's tail was up and wagging and he did not linger in the snow once he'd had a few mouthfuls of it. When we started again, I began to enjoy myself, calling out to the dogs, being silly, and enjoying the spectacular view from a field near the kennel.
Once back at the kennel, as I helped get dogs out of harnesses, I found myself worrying again about the dogs over heating. I do this when I digest unexpected events and it is a real pain for those around me. Undercurrent to it was the realization that these animals are doing what they were bred for, but when they are serving me, keeping them well, happy, and comfortable is completely and fully my responsibility.
Aliy's story of the snow packed t-shirts reminded me of something Dallas Seavey said during his "Talk of the Nation" NPR interview. The interviewer asked about Scott Janssen who'd given mouth-to-nose resuscitation to his dog; PETA and others used it as an example how running the dogs is cruel. He just as human athletes can experience arrhythmia while racing or training, so can dogs. Yet, due to increased awareness and preventative vet care, the Iditarod has had three years without casualties. But his next comment shed light on dog care expectations among the mushing community, "[Scott] shows the spirit of the mushers, and what it takes to be a musher, to know how to do that ... That's something, as a musher, you need to know how to do. It's like being a life guard that doesn't know how to do CPR. I mean, it's kind of a prerequisite."
Anyone who follows SP Kennel, Allen and Aliy, know that dogs come first. Every aspect of their life is focused on the well-being of their animals. While I understand the care of the animals within my home, taking a step toward mushing means I can not rely on my previous knowledge alone. I will need to increase my understanding and knowledge to include cold weather athletes.
These animals are doing what they were bred for, but when they are serving me, keeping them well, happy, and comfortable is completely and fully my responsibility.
I have photos from today, but they on my camera .. where ever that may be.
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