This year we took along our friend Shannon and the girls were eager to share their excitement about the sport. I decided to ride as well this year and paired up with L. while G. rode with Shannon.
This year I brought along my GPS unit because I was curious how fast the dogs pulled the sled. The musher L. and I rode with said his dogs were bred, and conditioned, for endurance rather than speed. When the team races, they typically do the 30-60 mile ones as well as the occasional 100+ mile type. That's some serious mileage for both dog and musher! My legs were a little tired standing behind the sled for our short adventure (a little over 2 1/2 miles).
The dogs' maximum speed, according to my GPS, was a little over 6 miles an hour pulling two adults and a 90-pound child. The dogs were not in racing mode but clearly enjoying themselves. To someone who has never seen a dog sled team in action firsthand, it's a remarkable sight to witness the canine excitement and enthusiasm for pulling a sled. Really. I am certain those dogs were grinning and as happy as they could be out there on the lake with us.
Unlike last year, G. refrained from begging for a dog. She still wants one, for that I have no doubt, but I did hear her explain to Shannon the arguments against getting a dog at our house right now (too many other animals to take care of was included as well as the logistics of what to do when an outdoor adventure was not dog-friendly).
But like last year, there were BIG smiles all around at the lake and we had a mushing good time on a gorgeous winter day.
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