SLED DOGS

AND

SIDECARS

--- and just why tis this sidehack driver standing hatless, with iced over beard and mustaches, in the middle of the woods, twelve miles from civilization, with temperatures hovering around 15 below zero??? Could it be as some neer-do-wells have suggested that he is (much) dumber than he looks????

http://tinyurl.com/38kc93 

that were significant factors in saving me from myself. That is, eight years ago with my return to motorcycledom I found myself crawling around the garage floor to work on the bike, crawling because it was too painful to get up and down as a result of shortness of breath, obesity, poor physical shape, sore joints and general aches and pains. Realization suddenly dawned, with apologies to Kipling, like the sun coming up like thunder, that this was the way I was doomed to spend retirement  unless I did something different - have known too many colleagues who retired and died a year or two later for lack of self care -I had too much to do and death or even worse, incapacitation, would simply be inconvenient and interfere with retirement plans. Thus, among other things, I joined the gym and have been sweating, straining, grunting and groaning ever since, under the supervision of people like Leslie, but with positive results, .

 http://www.dogmushing.com/index.html

Arrangements were made for me and loving wife, Ruby, to journey to Grand Marias, MN for a 3 day getaway. Despite many travels around and about Lake Superior I had never visited it in the winter and have always wished to do so. This was a perfect opportunity and we could also devote one day to going to the dogs. Since the depths of winter (frigid January with the Alberta Clippers howling around the eves and dark, grum days of February, made even darker this year by my missing our 20th anniversary by one day) had passed is seemed that early March, the month of the solstice, would provide a nice balance of winter but yet warming weather.

This, dear reader, as will be seen, was not to be the case.

Thursday, March 6 found us heading toward Grand Marais, truck heater on full blast, pondering the 10 below temperatures outside and the 15 below predictions for the morrow, the day of the dogs.

We had read Arleigh's list of suggested clothing both for riders, Ruby was going to ride and for drivers as I hoped to learn the rudiments of "mushing". Let's see, from inside out: silk underwear top and bottom (black) which with a balaclava resulted in the appearance of a fearsome terrorist; turtle neck; insulated shirt; insulated vest; fleece red and black checked "lumberjack" jacket and: Aerostich Yeeesh Yellow Darien jacket. Insulated jeans, Darien Pants: 2 layers of heavy wool socks and Aerostich Combat Lite Touring Boots. As the reader may discern, it seemed to make sense to wear my motorcycle gear as it has proven itself over thousands of miles to be water and wind resistant and was "armored", not that I could possibly road rash when driving a dog sled. (Or so he thought!)

http://www.aerostich.com/catalog/US/index.html

Also included was a "lumberjack" hat, long woolen scarf, silk under gloves (black, as usual) and insulated elk skin gauntlets, Aerostich, of course.

Not worn was an additional fleece sweater and insulated shirt - I looked enough like the Michelin Man even without them, besides they wouldn't fit and were not needed.

However, despite the preparation a major error was made in the selection of clothing, an error not discovered until 10 miles or so "on the runners" as we seasoned mushers call riding the sled.

;-)

The "Well Appointed Musher" (Poser)

SLEDS, DOGS AND REAL MUSHERS

Dog Yard with about 100 working dogs. Their metabolism so high that most sleep outside their shelter. Fed a quart and a half of ground (whole) chicken, bones and all plus kibble and water once a day. When the dogs become too old to work Arleigh "retires" them to an area around his home where they can run free and enjoy a well earned retirement and bask in the sun while watching the world go by.

The harnesses for the day were laid out, There tis an "X: and an "H" type of harness of differing sizes. Each dog is matched to the appropriate type and size of harness. I'm not sure why an "X" harness may be chosen over an "H" harness, all of my harnessing was with the "X" type. First, the handler holds the potentially chosen harness along side the dog to check for appropriate length; then straddles the dog, holding its hindquarters firmly between your legs, place a couple of straps over the head, clear collar, carefully lift each front paw through leg loops and pull snug down the back. The dogs stand quietly, lifting paws to help and are anxious to get going and do what they love to do - run.

A couple of snaps, one front and one rear to attach the harness to the tug line and on to the next dog.

   THE SLED

The sled, front to back: A needed bumper because YOU WILL hit trees; anchors because the dogs have only 2 speeds, dead stop and full ahead and THEY LIKE TO RUN !!!  If you are not driving/moving the musher needs to have a foot firmly on one of the two brakes or the sled firmly tied/anchored. Not to do so results in "consequences" as will be seen. The "anchor" on this side is obvious, a rope to tie to something, preferably something quite heavy or firmly planted. The starboard anchor is interesting in concept and may, upon occasion, function as intended. ;-(

 It is essentially a length of rope with an iron, double pronged hook so that if one stops in the middle of a snow field where there are no heavy or fixed objects, one simply throws the anchor overboard to embed itself in the snow.

It may also serve as another function on the trail. If one falls off the sled and the sled turns over, it MAY come loose and stop the sled, thus preventing the dogs who like to run (have I mentioned how much the dogs like to run) from disappearing into the distance with the empty sled bouncing along behind. It didn't work for me the seven times I fell off, while in the processes of learning how much "riding the runners" is like "flying the chair", although with a sled you deal with BOTH sides.

Brakes, both "hard" and "soft". The "hard brake"  consists of a pivoting  bar which when pressed drives what are essentially 2 ice picks into the trail. Either foot is used, the choice being where you are currently distributing your weight (think leaning or hanging off) and stopping power is, of course "pressure dependent", i.e. the harder you press the deeper the brake points dig into the trail. The "soft brake"  essentially consists of a piece of studded snowmobile tread trailing the sled between the runners. When one steps on it, it creates increased drag and slows the sled "a bit". Again the choice tis which foot to use, which in turn depends upon how you are shifting your weight, turning to the right or left,  going up or down hill, barometric pressure, phase of the moon and other factors which proved to be beyond me. (Remember, I fell off 7 times <BIG GRIN>)

The "handlebar" tis interesting. It is a plain, ol' ordinary hunk of metal tubing with no attachments or accouterments. Why then, did, even after several hours and 30 or so miles, was I continuing to reach for a handful of brakes with my right hand? Old habits die hard, I guess and it tis kinda nice to know that instincts take over when wanting to suddenly slow. Heavens, that even happens in the truck when I'm not sure if some turkey is going to pull out in front of me or not.

 First one learns about the dogs. They are smart, they like to run, they will be judging me and deciding how much of their attention I earn/deserve. When beginning training he first works with them to enjoy what they do best, that is run. Once they have learned to run and learned to ENJOY learning, then and only then does he begin teaching the dog and team skills necessary to pull a sled. To do otherwise, he feels destroys their excitement in learning and learning becomes a chore.

DAMN, why ain't this man a superintendent of schools somewhere, or even holding a cabinet position??  Personally have always maintained and taught that first you teach kids the enjoyment of learning and then and only then do you worry about spelling. After all school is an artificial environment and one wonders if the purpose of school to to have the child "fit in" to third grade or to prepare them for the many more years of adult life beyond school?

Speak to the dogs, give commands quietly - they have good ears, no need to shout. Two basic commands are "Hut" and" Whoa".  Can use Gee and Haw, but not necessary as will be following Arleigh and well defined trail.

Then driving. ALWAYS keep the tug line tight so the dogs have to pull against it - even going down hill, keep it tight so dogs have to pull. This is one of the reasons there are brakes on the sled. With a tight line the dogs know where the sled is, a loose line indicates that they may be about to be run over by the sled carrying a somewhat overweight driver. Don't know about you but I would certainly be concerned about my hinder in similar circumstances. ;-(

Ok, so far so good - use brakes, keep line tight.

Now turns - shades of my Motorcycle Safety Foundation classes. Arleigh draws in the snow, discusses the apex, brake/slow before turn and increase speed in turn letting dogs pull you around - just like driving those ungainly, lopsided 3 wheeled contraptions we know as sidecar rigs. Kinda fun driving interstates (as much fun as slab driving can be) with handle bars fixed and negotiating   each turn by velocity changes only. When the sled is at the apex the dogs are beyond, so a tap of the brake causes the dogs to pull the sled around the pivot point created at the brake and one makes the turn quite smoothly -  in theory ;-).

As I constantly maintain: " I can read a book on how to build a house, but you wouldn't want to live in one I built." There is simply no way book larnin' can substitute for experience.

Now, simultaneously with deciding which foot to use on which brake, one also needs to decide upon which runner one tis going to put most weight on whilst also "swiveling" one's hips so as to further counterbalance by shifting one's not inconsiderable weight. Of course if one lifts the right foot for braking it becomes impossible to shift weight to the right foot for steering. As hath oft been said:         

"PLAn ahead"

De je vue, flash back to the first (only?) Minnesota Sidecar/Trike Safety Class where Uptown-e Al, as an instructor in training screamed, spewing fire, smoke and brimstone, HANG OFF, GUST, HANG YOUR FAT A-- OFF!!!"

So sled driving is similar to side car "Hanging off". Interesting.

Finally, after the instruction Arleigh reassured me that all would come easily/naturally to me and not to be too overwhelmed. Here in the "dog lot" he was talking to my left hemisphere, but once on the trail I would engage in right hemisphere learning and learn comfortably and naturally by doing and "just letting things happen" and not thinking too much.

Ye Gods and Little Fishes!!

Here we are standing amidst 100 or so sled dogs, in the middle of the wilderness at -29f discussing neuropsychological brain-behavior relationships, hypnosis, right hemisphere learning and other stuff I had taught and used for 44+ years. Amazin' the world tis truly a small place and further evidence that Arleigh should be tapped for boss of the American Educational system, which I firmly believe needs serious fixing. Or if not that at least hired by some University to teach teachers how to teach as I have long observed that although one may have a lotta papers, degrees, certificates on the wall they not guarantee an ounce of common sense in the head. Parenthetically, used to have a framed poster on the wall, to wit:

" Going to college does not make you any more educated than going to a barn makes you a horse"

Perhaps that's why I never got along well with Deans and Department Chairs. ;-) 

ON THE TRAIL

Not too many trail pictures as I was generally occupied with not falling off the sled.

Sled untied while I stood on the hard brake and Arleigh began moving. After he seemed ahead a reasonable distance I stood down from the brake, uttered "Hut" and the trip began. Out of the staging area, across the road and down the bank into the woods EXCEPT I didn't use enough brake, tug line loosened closed quickly on the dogs (scared them) and ran into Arleigh. We had traversed a whole 75 feet of what was to be a 30 mile journey. All sorted out and began again. Had been warned that the first quarter mile was quite twisty but managed to hang on, shift weight, swivel hips and use brakes for the next 500  or so feet when I "flew the chair" or the dog sled equivalent thereof. Rather than lifting a side car wheel and riding on the original two wheels of the motorcycle, I strayed off the outside of the trail (the high side), in a turn, the sled runner lifted and I fell off, again much to the dogs displeasure. Back on the sled but the hindmost dog, the one I would run over first if I lost control of the sled, refused to move. Smart dog!

I had begun with a 5 dog team, Arleigh with 10, so he replaced my unmoving dog with one of his. I learned that the extra dogs are kinda like spare tires and are frequently replaced/changed around as travel progresses. Soon the trail straightened, we crossed a beaver pond with no sharp turns to take or trees to hit. Oh, did I mention trees? There are trees in the woods, frequently lining the trail. When the trail turns and the musher does not apply the brake at the apex (you do remember the apex, don't you) and shift weight, the sled lagging behind the dogs as it does tends to go straight, usually glancing off a tree, which bounces it back onto the trail. Here on the pond we stopped, not because I had fallen but rather either Arleigh thought I was developing some skills or because he felt sorrow for the dogs pulling me. I , of course prefer to think the former, but Arleigh does love and take good care of his dogs. At any rate I was upgraded from a 5 dog to a 6 dog team for the remainder of the trip.

From that point on things were mostly uneventful. Arleigh pointed out fresh wolf tracks, the pack traveling ahead of us and an otter slide as the trail alternated between woods and lakes. I had fallen off (high sided) a couple of more times and had discovered that off the trail the snow was hip deep in places. Wolves apparently like to chase deer onto the trail as although the deer can run faster than in the deep snow, the wolves can run even faster. I was glad the wolves were ahead of us, so far.

The day was delightful, cold but delightful. Bright sun, blue sky. I realized how cold whenever I attempted to smile which was often. My beard snapped, crackled and popped as ice chunks, some later to be discovered as pinkie finger size, broke. At trails end, it took a full 12 minutes for all the ice to leave the beard, despite the hot cider. On lake/smooth, straight stretches, quite peaceful, standing ion the runners, listening to the song of the runners. In fact on one such stretch I was feeling quite proud of myself and my newly acquired mushing skills. Have you ever heard the expression, "Pride goeth before a fall?" Can you guess what happened next?

Back on the runners and the terrain began to change as we began to climb. From smooth and straight it became more twisty and bumpy as the trail crossed hillocks, fallen logs, gullies and the like, all buried under several feet of snow, but still bumpy. In places I was reminded of the way a flat bottom boat porpoises at planing speed over waves. The front of the sled bouncing up and down, bumpty, bump, bump. Now, of course, you dear reader, have a better memory than I - you remember that the PRIME DIRECTIVE is to keep the tug line tight. Thus for each "bump" one has to brake approaching and going down the bump and release brake at the bottom as the dogs pull you back up, all the while, of course, shifting weight, swiveling hips and looking ahead for the next obstacle.

Encountering one gully, a bit larger than the rest I was mildly surprised to note what appeared to be dark marshy ground and quite briefly wondered about a mid winter spring. But the trail, climbing from the gully, turned and my attention turned to staying on the runners. Arleigh, however had stopped ahead and was picking up some stuff from the trail. Apparently we had just run over a fresh wolf kill and he was clearing deer parts from the trail above. Embarrassing as being from Kentucky I should have recognized the "dark and bloody ground".

So we had caught up with the wolverhowlers and, in fact were standing amidst their dinner. Well Arleigh seemed in no hurry and I've dealt with campground bears and skunks (a herd, passel, pack, pod or whatever of real, not sidecar) skunks before - remind me to tell you about it sometime so I wasn't concerned. Well, Arleigh cleared the trail and moved to renew the trip. In the process he stepped off the trail and immediately sunk to his hips in the trailside snow, grabbing a sled runner as he sank and grunting something that must have sounded something like "Hut" to the dogs. Thus they took off with Arleigh holding on to one runner as he was pulled out of the deep snow, grasping with the other hand for the other runner, and being dragged on his tummy, down the trail behind the sled.

So, consider this, your writer tis in the back country, standing on his hard brake,  in the middle of parts of a freshly wolf pack killed deer, watching his leader being drug toward the crest on the next hill where he will disappear. Do I feel a warm breath on the back of my neck? Is that the howling of wolves I hear - or - simply Arleigh hollering "Whoa" to his team.

Later and more tired.

Apparently during our trip I must have been doing some things right. In addition to being promoted to a 6 dog team. Arleigh, at some point decided I was capable of taking the longer loop, for which I be highly appreciative. Arleigh said later he could tell I was tired, I did well on the tough parts of the trail but during the easier parts, concentration waned and errors were made. Errors such as failing to coordinate brake and anchor usage. Thus after throwing the anchor overboard at one stop, when ready to resume I bent over to pick up the anchor without firmly standing on the brake. The dogs took the release of tension by raising the anchor as a signal to follow Arleigh's team, already in motion. Without the brake engaged they simply pulled the sled out from under me. SPLAT again!!!! But after about 4 hours and 30 miles of absolute exuberance we arrived home.

In the warming tent after - can you tell who tis quite happily tired - almost in a daze and who is ready to do the next run with the dogs? As previously said, A Great experience and a really neat guy"!!!

LEARNINGS

2) Read clothing labels. Remember the error I mentioned earlier regarding choice of clothing? Well my turtle neck was cotton which does not wick water. Thus at the end of the trip the first layer (silk) was dry, the second layer (cotton turtle neck) was absolutely soaked and held water- could actually wring it out, while the next layer (fleece insulated shirt) was only mildly damp from contact with cotton. Never thought one could sweat so much at negative Fahrenheit temperatures.

3) The Aerostich Darien tis a wonderful dog sled mushing outfit. Wind/water proof, protects from trail side pine tree rash as well as dog sled "get offs" snow and ice rash. Gauntlets were fine but at one point had to pull left little pinkie into glove as it was starting to create concern.

4) Shifting weight and swiveling hips much like the steering of a sidecar rig in terms of shoulder/arm strength needed and the other similarities between dog sledding and side hacking as were discussed above.

5) Stiff and sore over night and a tinge of frost bite on right ear lobe, but no lasting things to whine about.

6) WILL I do it again? YA SCHURE, YA BETCHA  !!!!

Springtime on the Nort' Shore

Springtime Camping and Frolicking On The Nort' Shore

 Tjhe following tjis a link of other Nort' Shore activates during USCA tjime - Wanna learn tjhe art of "Pleasure Driving Fjord Horses"?

WATCH THIS SJPACE ;-)

http://grubygust.com/Rally%20t0%20Rally/Rally%20to%20Rally_.htm

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