Mushing with the BraverMountain Team, Part 2

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Hello! We are back with the second part of our recap of last week’s adventure in the northwoods with our friends and their sled dogs! Day two of our trip was full of adventure and surprises. If you missed part 1, you can find it here.

When we woke up, we put our layers back on to go feed the dogs and scoop poop again. We knew we were going to take the dogs on a longer run that day, so the dogs each received some “meatorade”. In the mushing world, meatorade is a mixture of some sort of meat and water. It’s very hydrating for the dogs.

While we let their stomaches settle from breakfast, Riley and I went on a snowmobile adventure! Riley had driven snowmobiles multiple times in his life. I had driven a snowmobile once, probably 15 years ago. Regardless, we were pumped to explore the snowmobile trails.

Ok - do you see that purple and blue snowsuit I’m wearing? Isn’t it awesome?! Not only did it look cool, it was super warm.

Riding through the forests and trails was so much fun. The scenery was gorgeous. Snow sparkling everywhere and laying on the pine tree branches. We even had a Bald Eagle fly over us!

When we returned from the snowmobile ride, it was time to run the dogs again! This time, we were going to do longer runs with the dogs. We scooped poop again (seems to be a never ending process!), then harnessed the first team. We also packed snacks and water for all dogs and humans.

10 eager sled dogs were hooked to the front of the snowmobile Q was driving. Q’s snowmobile also pulled a large sled (not a dog sled) that had a few supplies and a dog crate in it, in the off chance that a dog would get tired or something and need a break.

Riley and I followed behind on a second snowmobile. While Q was running the dogs, we drove behind him, clipping branches and cutting logs that hang over the trail that so that future runs on the trail have less objects to run over or get smacked in the face by.

We also helped Q and the dogs make safe road crossings. It’s nearly impossible for a musher to see if traffic is coming because they have to stop so far back from the intersection with the dog team. So as the second snowmobile, we went out ahead and signaled when it was safe to cross.

About halfway through the run, we stopped on the trail to give the dogs water and a snack.

Dora and Blizzard led the first team, with Kiwi and Mazzy in swing, the position behind the leaders.

I didn’t get photos of the whole team, but Jelly and Yotam were in wheel, the position closest to the sled.

Most of the run was on groomed trails, but we also went on some ungroomed trails to give the dogs some practice at “breaking trail”, essentially running through higher, fluffier amounts of snow in which the dogs have to work a little harder to get through.

The dogs finished the run strong and loved every minute of it! The humans loved every minute of it too 🙂 ! We grabbed a quick snack, then it was time to take the second team on their run.

We ended up taking a different trail with this group and as luck would have it, we came across an obstacle in our path. Two large trees had fallen across the trail.

Turning around was not an option, and neither was moving the trees. Remember the clippers and mini hand saw we were using to clear the trails earlier? Q took those and cut us a path in the woods to get around the downed trees! I’ve heard of this happening to mushers, and Q knew exactly how to get us out.

We walked the dogs and Q’s snowmobile through the clearing, then brought the sled through, and finally our snowmobile. We were on our way again!

About halfway through the run, we stopped to give the dogs water and a snack. The Great Pepe and Lima led the second team.

Leap was in swing, followed by Zagat and Jules in team, and Tenzing in wheel.

When the run was complete, we scooped poop again, and fed the dogs dinner. After a busy day, we were exhausted. We prepped the dogs’ breakfast and then went to bed.

These runs were by far the longest we have ever been on with any dogs. While we technically didn’t “run” the dogs ourselves, we learned so much about what it takes to take bigger teams out like this. There’s a lot more that goes into the process than just the time we were out on the trail.

From the prep work of making sure dogs are fed/hydrated well in advance of runs to managing the stopped dogs on the trail so they don’t chew lines, the experience we gained was invaluable.

Even picking up on small things like which dogs need to be harnessed and hooked-up last so they don’t chew through anything are very important in the mushing world. It boils down to making sure we control what we can control. Mushers aren’t always able to control trail conditions or if a tree falls down and blocks the path. But they can make sure the entire team (humans and dogs) is set up for success to give them the best chance to navigate any of the uncontrollable circumstances.

We’ve mostly been dryland mushers before this past weekend, only running one to two dogs at a time. But we now have much more confidence in ourselves to be able to handle larger teams, actual mushing on snow, etc. We’re extremely grateful for this opportunity to learn from the best in the business!

I think we will leave today’s newsletter at that. On Tuesday, we will wrap up the trip and talk about our third day up north, where we spend quality time with each of the dogs and go MUSHING ON SLEDS!!!

-Riley, Hannah, Boo, and Pence