Arctic Adventures: Volume 21 – Dog Sledding

Most of you all know we are cat people. But in Alaska, it’s all about the dogs. 

Alaskan Husky is the unofficial breed of “sled dogs” here (Siberian Husky might be the other breed you’ve heard of), and there are plenty of dog teams all around the area. Dog sledding, also known a “mushing,” is simply put, the practice of using dogs to pull sleds.

You might have heard of something called the Iditarod, the 900+ mile race across Alaska that’s been going on since the 1970s. Jeff King, four-time Iditarod winner, lives in nearby McKinley Village. 

Besides the most celebrated dog sledding race and other popular races, dog sledding has alternative purposes. Denali National Park & Preserve is home to a working sled dog kennel routed in the history of the park. Throughout the winter, rangers travel with dog teams in the name of patrolling, transport and research throughout the millions of acres of the park. Even with airplane travel and the park road, the park still uses dog teams on the basis of tradition and practicality. 

Outside of the park, our community has many dog teams in the area, for fun, but also those that help haul thousands of pounds of gear, food and fuel for climbing teams and ski expeditions. 

So you could say this is a mushing mecca! 

Given that, we knew we had to jump on the bandwagon, or better yet, sled. 

This week, we went out with JJ, a tried and true local musher, complete with his thick beard and arctic outerwear.

It was a bit cold to get good pictures, so JJ let me steal this awesome photo of him.

JJ lives off the grid in Healy and keeps 21 dogs. I use the word “keep” because these dogs require an amazing amount of upkeep. Just learning their names (Carmel, Rex, Pedro, Liger, LaFonda, etc) was a task in itself, let alone feeding them and getting them exercise. I am definitely too lazy to be a sled dog owner. 

Need I tell you how loud the cacophony of 21 dogs barking & howling is when they are hungry, or getting ready to run? They circle around their swivel posts in their individual private spaces yelping every chance they can. Mainly, they are always ready to run and release their energy, truly fulfilling their breed’s purpose and their best life. Some people think dog sledding may be animal cruelty, but they are truly in their element.  

“Hike!” That’s the command for the dogs to move. 

They almost immediately silence once they are running with all their might along the trails, clawing through the snow under their loads, fat tongues hanging loose. Oh, and they poop ON THE GO! Which is an admirable skill, but not cool for the dogs behind them … 

“On by! Good dogs!”

JJ took us on a 9-mile loop through the wilderness on the outskirts of Healy. We started by sitting in the sleds for the bumpy ride along the lopsided snow. But shortly after getting going, he handed over the literal reins to feel the thrill of being a musher and driving a dog sled! 

Justin ended up driving his sled with his 7 dogs for the majority of the trip (with one of JJ’s handlers, Tim). I was more timid. I liked driving my 9 dogs, but I did get colder and was a bit worried about flipping the sled or something!