DOG SLEDDING

Travel by dog sled down a frozen river. Updated June 2022.

During my tour of the Canadian Arctic, I had the following goals:

• See and photograph the Northern Lights
• Go dog sledding
• See the Arctic Ocean
• See and photograph Arctic wildlife.

The Aurora Borealis (aka Northern Lights) put on spectacular displays the week before I arrived in the north. I saw other people’s photos taken just days before I got to Whitehorse. The sky was full of colour and shapes. But it has not put in an appearance since I have been here. I am getting worried that I will not see it. It is too warm and cloudy. The Northern Lights are best on a clear cold night. One month to go before they disappear for the summer. So I have set aside objective number one for the time being and moved on to objective number two.

Dog Sledding

Click photos to enlarge.

The Dogs

I went to a tour company near Whitehorse that does dog sledding tours. The dogs are Alaskan Huskies, meaning they are part Husky and part something else. Purebred Huskies are called Siberian Huskies. I arrived early to visit with the dogs before the ride. They were all very friendly and beautiful dogs.

   Click first photo to enlarge and then scroll to the others.

The Sled

The sled has a long cable coming out from the front centre. Each dog is fitted with a small harness, and the harness is attached to the main cord in two places; one at the dog’s shoulder and one on its back near the rear.

The sled has two runners sticking out at the back. The driver stands on these runners. The inside of the sled can be filled with equipment or a passenger.   Between the two runners is a brake. The brake has large spikes on it. When you step on the brake, the spikes dig into the snow.

My Trip

There were six tourists on this trip; three from England, two from Japan, and me. We were divided up into three groups; two per sled.

As they picked the dogs for the trip, all the dogs began to bark. In a moment, it turned into a loud cacophony of barking. All the dogs were shouting, “Pick Me!” “Pick Me!”

Eventually, they got the dogs all hooked up, six per sled. Three of the people were passengers and got into the sleds. The other three would be the drivers for the first leg of the journey. I was in this group. We were told to stand on the brake until ready to go. The dogs were straining at the ropes. They were excited and anxious to go. Although it is hard work for them, the dogs love it and would rather be pulling than sitting around doing nothing. 

We’re Off!

The guide pulled out on his snowmobile, the first sled, then me on the second one, and then the third. The dogs took off like a rocket when I lifted my foot off the brake. The speed at which the sled moved surprised me. I had expected it to build momentum slowly, but the force they moved from a standing start was shocking. It was like pushing the gas pedal of a car to the floor. The vehicle moves forward so fast that the passengers are thrown backwards. It is fortuitous that I was hanging on. And this was with only six dogs. I can only imagine the speed it would move with 12 or 14 dogs.

Sledding Down the Yukon River

We travelled down the frozen Yukon River. The dogs were reasonably small. Not big ones as I had expected. But the speed that they pulled the sled was amazing. I had to ride the brake a lot to get them to slow down. We were told not to pass other sleds, but my team seemed to be faster than the one in front, and I am sure I could have passed them. When we hit a bump, the sled would even get airborne for a moment.

Driving the sled takes some skill. You must learn when to brake and lean in the curves. When the dogs are working hard, you can help them by keeping just one foot on the sled and pushing with the other, like riding a skateboard.

It can be a bit dangerous too.   One sled tipped over on a curve, and the people were thrown off. If you fall off the sled, the dogs will not stop for you. They keep going.

 

Lunch on the River

After a while, we changed around, and I was the passenger. Then at midday, we stopped for lunch and roasted hamburgers and sausages on an open fire on the side of the trail. We had to give the dogs their lunch also. They had a watery chicken soup and some frozen meat. It was surprising how fast a large chunk of frozen-solid meat would disappear down the dog’s throat. It was a day full of surprises.

 We spent some time petting and playing with the dogs and then carried on. Altogether we travelled about 30 kilometres I think.

Movies

---

It was a fantastic trip.   Something unique. You should do it.

There are many dog sled tour companies in northern Canada and Alaska.   I went with a company called Muktuk Adventures near Whitehorse.