After the few days of a literacy conference and a late night trip out and back to Anchorage to pick up Mom from the airport, it was time to get the Spring Break activities underway! We sure weren't going to waste any time. There was a lot to do and we didn't want to miss any of it. First on the list, a dog sled ride!
Chugach Express is a wonderful place to go through if you are in Girdwood. Dario and his team not only provide a great experience, but his expertise and knowledge allow for good discussions about his life with his animals. He answers questions, takes you on a great ride and brings you down to his kennel to show and explain to you what it's like to be a musher. In addition to our ride and many others just like us, his big project right now is getting out into the schools to provide an opportunity to reach the youth and provide them with an experience to bond with animals, develop skills, and feel the sense of responsibility you get when someone depends on you. *of course, this sits very well with Mom and I!
When we arrived at the pick up spot, all you see is a field of snow. Tell-tale tracks in the snow show that there's probably been a sled through here at some point in time, you can't see them anywhere though. So much snow has fallen that it's easily knee deep and very soft. We waited a bit, looked around and wondered about how our ride would be. Listening to the silence was peaceful and pretty soon you heard some calls and whistles. Around the corner comes Dario with his team and the riders just before us. Dogs pulling tight, they come along the tracks they've made previously in the day to where our trail meets theirs. Of course this is our guy, he's got a sled made for riding, his riders have a camera, and he greets us right away.

The ride around the meadow was amazing. We were told a few of the dog's names before we started. Ryan was one of them. We found that out real quick because he is a young dog and needs a lot of correcting. (Sounds oddly familiar for some reason.) As they pulled together as a team you could tell they were in it for the workout and they loved what they were doing. The whistles and the calls of "Gee" and "Ha" were familiar as I had used them several times before with Ciqu. I thought back to rollerblading with him and it was comforting, and then a little memory escaped out the side of my eye.
Sled ride in Girdwood, AK |
Dorothy and Dario with the dogs |
Mom and Dorothy with the sled and dogs |