Dogsleds Provide Adventurous Mountain Tours
Speed through the woods, pulled by a team of Siberian and Alaskan huskies.
BRECKENRIDGE, Colo., Jan. 18, 2010 — -- When I signed up to go dog sledding on a recent trip to Colorado, I expected a leisurely ride through the woods as my guide steered the sled through the White River National Forest.
That picturesque, relaxing image was shattered the moment I met my guide, Blake Hand, and he suggested that I drive the sled. Needless to say, I was a bit nervous.
Here were eight Siberian and Alaskan huskies jumping, barking and even running in place. I knew that once the tether was released they would be off and they surely didn't look like they wanted a leisurely ride through the woods. These dogs were ready to explode like eight little sticks of dynamite.
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"These guys love to run," Hand assured one of my friends who was asking about the ethics of being pulled around by dog.
Great, I thought, tell my family I love them.
But my fears were soon put to rest. Hand explained how the brake works -- never, never take your foot off it while parked because the dogs will run with or without you -- and told me to lean into my turns to navigate the sled around the trees.
I was introduced to the dogs, including Nickel, a Siberian husky with one blue eye and one brown eye.
"He's one of these kind of goofy dogs," Hand explained. "Sometimes he feels like pulling real hard; other times he just feels like going along for the ride. We'll see what he feels like doing out there."
There was a quick lesson in hand signals so I could communicate with Hand, who would be leading the dogs in a snowmobile a few yards in front of me. And then next thing I know, we were off.
