Mushing "Up North" by Dog Sled

Location Coordinates:
47°54'8"N, 91°51'21"W
Ely, Minnesota

Chrys meeting one of the team

A few weeks ago, before the madness of the move to our new house began, and before winter weariness kicked into high gear (as it has now - enough with the snow already!), Chrys and I traveled north with friends for a weekend of high adventure in the pristine north woods around Ely, Minnesota - the gateway to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. The main event of the weekend was the opportunity to head out into the wilderness on a dog sled. It is not every day that you get to drive a team of highly trained canine through forests of pine and white bark birch trees over a thick snowpack on a sled. So with great excitement, and just a bit of anxiety, we found our way to Chilly Dogs, a family-ran dog sledding outfitter just south of Ely.
 
I knew immediately upon arrival that we were in for the time of our lives. Our host, Jeff, greeted us with a big smile and an easy-going welcome that put me at ease right away. Jeff escorted us to a lodge-like room where he introduced us to his wife, Donna, as well as staff members Jake, Ben, Josh and Jessica. After all the other members of our sled party had arrived, we were taken out to the kennel area where we had a meet-and-greet session with the dogs. The whole party spread out as we attempted to meet each of the ninety-three dogs that are part of the Chilly Dogs team. Each dog had their own distinct personality, but all of the dogs were extremely excited to see us as they knew this new batch of strangers meant they were going to get a chance to go out on another run. Their frenzied barks and howls became nearly deafening, but that just added to the building level of anticipation for dog and human both.

The "Greet-and Meet" with the dogs

After mingling with the dogs for about thirty minutes we received our sled driving and safety instructions and were divided up into our assigned sleds. As the staff began the process of choosing the dogs and harnessing them as teams, the barking and howling reached a fever pitch. At this point I will admit to being pretty nervous. I began wondering if I had made a huge mistake in assuming this was going to be fun. I had no idea how to drive a dog sled. What if I tipped the sled, or ran it into a ravine or a tree? What the heck am I doing?? Luckily for me, I was assigned to Ben, one of the experienced staff, as the second man of my two-man team, so I was able to start off in the riding position inside the sled.

With a command of "hike" our seven-dog sled blasted off. After just a few moments, my anxieties disappeared and I knew I was going to love dog sledding. We were scheduled for a three-hour expedition, with the two-person teams switching driver and rider after the first ninety minutes. Fortunately for me, my sled mate Ben sensed my anticipation and let me switch to driver mode after just a few minutes. So I was able to drive for nearly the full three hours.

Snow sculpture in downtown Ely

We wound our way through beautiful wooded areas as well as over frozen lakes. The scenery was magnificent. Driving the sled was much easier than I had anticipated, but I won't kid myself into thinking I was in control as the expertly trained dogs really needed little assistance from me. It reminded me a bit of skiing, but in slow motion. I found it very relaxing, and it put me into a serene state of mind. I've never experienced anything quite like it, and it was definitely the most fun I've ever had on snow.


 Before I knew it our three hours had elapsed and we found our way back to the lodge. I thanked each of the dogs on my team individually for a great ride and for not pulling me off a cliff or into a tree. Then it was back into the lodge for hot chocolate and homemade cookies by a roaring fire where all participants got to hold three-day-old puppies (future dog team members) as we compared stories of our journey. My only regret is that I got so wrapped up in the thrill of driving the sled that I completely forgot to take any photographs to record my dog team or while sledding out in the woods. Oh well. Guess I'll just have to go back and do it again. And that is not a problem.

Snow sculpture in downtown Ely

If you ever get the chance to go dog sledding, I highly recommend Chilly Dogs in Ely. So go! I can guarantee you will have a great adventure.