Learning to be a musher

Posted: 02.16.2011 at 4:18 PM

SANDS TOWNSHIP -- In the year-and-a-half that I've lived in the Upper Peninsula, I had yet to try any winter sports.  So naturally, it would only make sense that my first foray would be to run a team of four sled dogs.

Probably not my brightest idea ever.

I ventured to Snowy Plains Kennels in Sands Township where I would learn the ropes of running a team from owners Jim and Jackie Winkowski. I began to get a little uneasy when Jim asked me if I'd ever done a sport that required balance.

I hadn't...right, we already covered that.

He emphasized to me the importance of staying low and moving with the sled. I hopped on and was surprised to realize that there was a brake. How cool is that? It was comforting to know that I had a stopping mechanism. But I was still concerned that I would hurt the dogs by pressing on it. I later learned that they are pretty resilient.

After getting the feel of the brake and the sled, we went over the harnesses. I learned by putting the harness on one of the dogs on my team, and we soon hooked them up to one another.

Four sled dogs, a wooden dog sled, and...me. Everyone was pretty encouraging, but that didn't make it any less intimidating.

Jim would be leading the way in a snowmobile so I wouldn't be flying completely blind.  He seemed confident in me taking off out of the chute completely...by...myself. Well, I made it about two feet before losing my balance...and my team.

It's one of those things that is definitely not as easy as it looks. And so, because of my initial ineptitude, I had someone riding on the sled with me for the beginning of the approximately two-mile trail.

Very similar to when my mom first taught me to ride a bike when I was in elementary school, my helper also eased me into the nuances of running a team of sled dogs. First holding on with both hands, then just one, and finally letting go completely.   It was now just me that was in charge of the team.

What can I say about it when I was finally on my own? It was exhilarating! I found myself leaning into the curves and following the lead of the dogs. Soon we were moving as one unit, and I discovered why mushers are so passionate about this activity.

I was only riding for about fifteen minutes, however, in that short time, I finally felt a little bit like a ‘Yooper.’