Man vs. Dog

Trust is built on food and playing.

New Daily Tasks

Kasilof has received over a foot of snow since I’ve arrived, and the dogs are huge fans. With around seven and a half hours of sunlight per day (two and a half hours less than New York City for reference) my tasks are fairly set. Mornings consist of prepping and feeding breakfast for the dogs, picking up poop, backfilling their straw, letting each dog off leash to get some energy out, and filling any holes they dug overnight (one of their favorite activities). Before similar tasks are completed for dinner, I normally help Katie with the horses. Both horses are in their later years, so care for them is a little more detailed. Food, water, and cleaning their stalls are consistent, though.

In between, there are several odd jobs to be done just like up in Trapper Creek. There is always wood to be bucked and split, prepping the beehives for overwintering, getting the last greenhouse produce picked and broken down, shoveling footpaths, and using the skidoo to pack down future mushing trails. The last of those has been very fun.

Prepping for Runs

Several times a week, John gets runs in with different team combinations of the 20 dogs. Typically, a team will have 4-8 dogs in it. Depending on who is in the lead position, which dogs are next to each other, and how many pairs/singles he lines up changes the speed, quality, and difficulty of the ride. John pulls out one of his sleds while I grab the harnesses. He makes his own sleds and breeds his own dogs. This current pack and equipment are the product of over 30 years of mushing in Alaska, with countless races (including two Iditarod runs) to show for it. It’s always been a fun hobby for John, so if mushing ever starts to feel like a chore he knows to slow down.

Before he can go on a run, however, the trails he cleared in the early 90s on his and the surrounding public land need to be groomed. Shorter trails can be walked to start off, with or without snowshoes. Keeping an eye out for low-hanging branches, logs blocking the path, or hazards that can jut out from the show while the coverage isn’t too deep are noted and either dealt with or avoided. Later we run the snowmachine over these trails to pack the snow down further. This creates an easy-to-distinguish trail for the dogs that lets them spend less energy planting each step through fluffy snow, and instead land on a firmer surface to continue pulling.

The harness is invaluable for that reason. While they are hooked to the sled line from their collars, that mainly just keeps them in formation. The tug line is where the power is stored, which connects to a loop on the back of their harness, just above their hips. Once John has the starting lineup written down, and the sled secured between two posts, we can start harnessing up dogs and clipping them onto the sled line. This is much easier said than done.

Some dogs, when you walk up to them holding their harness, sit down immediately — they know that if they cooperate, they start running sooner. Some have not gotten that memo and instead try to see how flexible you are while wrestling a dog that wants to do anything but sit still.

It’s hard to blame them, though. This is their favorite part of the day. Better than getting new straw, or food even. When they see the sled being pulled out, or their harness plucked from the pile, the excitement goes through the roof. It is incredible to see how each dog reacts to the build-up. Barking, jumping, howling, and running around in circles are common. Interestingly enough, just like in humans, this enthusiasm can manifest differently for each dog. Mita, for example, goes from a happy-go-lucky dog to a nervous wreck once the equipment is presented. She retreats to a curled-up position near the entrance of her doghouse and remains there, head low, until the team leaves or she is harnessed. As soon as she is clipped into the sled line, however, her personality floods back and she is just as energetic as the rest of the team. It’s just that in-between time where her brain gets the best of her.

Mita is truly one of the most gorgeous dogs to watch run. As John put it “you could place a glass of water on her back while she is pulling full force and it wouldn’t spill,” referring to her technique, taut tug line, and body positioning being perfect. With these, you see all the movement happening below her body: each leg a flurry of snow, paws, and fur while her slightly arched back is completely stabilized. She is a star performer that looks quite the opposite while waiting to be harnessed.

Getting the harnesses on is straightforward: put the head through the holes, pull the collar through the neck hole, and slip each leg into each leg hole. These few steps can take any time between 30 seconds and five minutes depending on who you’re harnessing, and sometimes you end up on the ground. In those cases, hopefully I did a good job picking up poop earlier.

Eventually, the dogs are properly harnessed, in formation on the sled line, and the front securing line is detached. At this point the dogs cannot contain their desire to run; they leap as high and hard as they can trying to make the sled budge, landing on top of each other, over the lines, and generally all over the place. Until John pulls the two snow hooks from behind the sled, their efforts won’t get them anywhere. Final adjustments are made and then it is time to go. As soon as the hooks are released, the dogs go silent as they can do what they were born to do: pull.

R&R

John and Katie are big on work hard, play hard. Around three in the afternoon on my first full day, John said “We should fire up the hot tub tonight.” I did not know they had a hot tub and was picturing a typical plastic-lined jacuzzi complete with bubbles. Only after we started loading up a sled with wood did the gears begin to turn. What I was met with off their back porch was a wood-fired cedar hot tub. Certainly a bonus. After a few short hours of tending to the fire, the water was piping hot and ready for a soak.

So, I was able to enjoy the clear sky full of stars (with my hair slowly freezing) from the comfort of the tub. The walk back to my room was a tad cold, but well worth it. Coming up: more dogs, more harnesses, and more snow. Talk soon!

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The flag of the day is: Uganda

The song of the day is: Oysters in My Pocket by Royel Otis

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