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chores done, load up the truck and get on our way. It’s a cold morning probably the
coldest day we have seen all winter. It makes going out side doing chores this early
pretty hard. Of coarse the plan is to leave by 0600 but the reality of that is......its not
going to happen. As we load up the dogs we notice that it might be a good idea to add
another dead bolt to the bottom of the doors. So this means we need to head to
Walmart and pick up some hardware.
After a rocky start to the day we are finally on the road heading for Bayfield WI at
approx 0800. The eastern part of the state had a bad snow storm the day before so to
make things a little more interesting the roads were in pretty poor condition. As we
are making our way towards Grand forks I am pondering in my head when would be a
good time to stop and let the dogs out for the first time. Keeping in mind I haven’t
tried out the new tie out system yet I decide to do it about 20 minutes outside Grand
Forks. With the exception of a few adjustments the tie out system has worked out
pretty good. So back on the road again we go.
Its about 1500 hrs and still have a long ways to go. Its starting to really bug me that we
haven’t let the dogs out since noon but we also realize that we absolutely have to be
in Bayfield by 1900 or we will be disqualified from entering the race. So we decide to
push ahead strong to insure we make the pre-race meeting.
Talk about cutting it close....We arrived at the Bayfield town hall at 1855 hrs.
Phewww!!!!!! One of my concerns has always been us not knowing anyone and kind of
being left out to dry. Those concerns were addressed as soon as I closed my truck
door to make the walk to the town hall. That is when I met Paul Nelson from the UP of
MI. Super nice guy and helped us out a hole bunch. He’s been racing Siberian
Huskies for 13 years. And also owns the same sled that I will be using this weekend.
Man talk about hitting the jackpot.
The alarm clock awakens all of us up at 0400 in the morning again. Now my nerves have kicked in and I am
just sick to my stomach with nervousness. We head out and wake up the dogs who are wondering what
the heck is going on. We feed them and stuff them back on the box. We need to be at the gravel pit witch
is where the race will start no later then 0800 for vet checks. After a good hardy breakfast were off to the
races.
We arrive at the gravel pit just before 0800 to see a field full of trucks surrounded by dogs. Pretty much
the coolest thing I have ever seen. There were 97 teams there with over 700 dogs present. It is now
when I realize just how big this sport really is. I guess living in Northern ND Im out of touch with the core
that forms this sport.
The dogs are all out and ready to be inspected by the vet. About a half our before the race starts the vet
shows up. He inspects the dogs and checks over the paper work. All is fine and now its time to get ready
for the race.
The race starts right on time 1000 hrs. With the #1 bib musher. My number is 96 so I wont leave until after
1130. We head up to the starting line to watch the other teams take off out of the shoot. Now remember I
have never stepped a foot on a sled before so Im paying real close attention. It was pretty cool seeing
team after team take off out of the shoot. As I am standing there watching Im thinking to myself that there
is no way my guys will do that. I mean there were tons of people standing around cheering on the teams. I
figured my guys would be to distracted to focus on running out of the shoot. Man was I wrong. As my
starting time quickly approaches and my stomach just turning in knots I decide I better make a trip to the
port a potty. It’s a good thing I did otherwise my trip in the woods could of been pretty streaky if you know
what I mean.
We hooked the team up to the sled. The volunteers show up in full force and they guide me and the team
up to the starting shoot. Up on the line I seen that the dogs weren’t going to have any problem leaving
the gate. They were all jumping and raring to go. The starting official is there waiting for me and tells me I
have 20 seconds and then Im off. I told the guys helping out that this was my first time on a sled and asked
him if he could just throw the snow hook in the sled for me when its time to go. Next I here 5 4 3 2 1 and
instincts kick in as I yell HIKE!! And me and the team were off and running.
The start is pretty blurry to me as I was so darn nervous that I don’t really remember much of it. The first
turn we had to make was a sharp 90 degree turn to the right. This is where I almost fell of the sled. I went
to stand on the breaks and instead of hitting the breaks I touched the ground and almost lost my balance.
Luckily I quickly regrouped and pushed on. Next there was a sharp left hand turn. This went well and now
its just follow the trail until we make it to the finish line.
The snow is falling heavy at this point. There is hill after hill. The dogs are working really hard and
running really well. The trail has about an inch of soft snow on it. We must of gone at least 7 or 8 miles
when I ran into about 7 other teams heading towards me. This quickly put a big knot in my throat. I just
know nothing good can come out of this. It turns out it was the other people in my class. They all felt we
were going the wrong way. And turned around to head back the same way we came. I really didn’t want to
because I just knew we were almost there. But I decided to turn around anywaise. That was a cluster let
me tell you. I only had one snow hook and there was no way it was going to hold back my team. So after
about 15 minutes I finally get them turned around and headed back to the starting line.
As we approach the 14 mile mark my guys slowed down a lot. This allowed me to take note my
surroundings and just kind of take in what it was that I was doing. Im glad I had the moment because it
made it all worth it. All the training, time spent with the dogs and money spent came full circle at that
moment. I have found something that I really enjoy doing with no regrets.
1:22:05 minutes after I left, we crossed the finish line. What a great feeling. We did it! I am so proud of my
team. They might not be the fastest but there is no handler more proud of there team then me right now.
When I get back to the truck we unhook the team. Its kind of funny they are actually tired and lay down
witch is something I never see them do. Now Im hooked for sure. As I give each dog there well deserved
lovings I know there is no doubt I will be back again next year.
One thing I learned is that four wheeler training just doesn’t cut it. I have to figure out a way to either do
sled or cart training. And it would help out a lot if I could find some hills to climb also. Overall a great
experience and I cant wait to make my next race.
