Beautiful and Strong

Spent the weekend on the Gunflint Trail and experienced something new.  Sled dogs.  You can buy a ride on the sled at the lodge where I stayed.  Sled dogs were the form of transportation on the Gunflint Trail before modern vehicles.  I didn't go for a ride but spent some time observing them.  They were amazing to watch...they cried and begged to run, as the musher would hook them up to their harnesses and sled.  Visitors to the lodge have heard them crying in excitement from their yard in the distance and reported this to the lodge, saying that dogs were being beaten.  Here's how they sound--once you know it's a sound of excitement, it's pretty cute:

Here is a great video of them getting all ready to go.  I love how they are barking and crying, dying to get going, looking around.  And then at second 16, without warning, you hear the command of the musher to go...and in a split second they are off, running in perfect sync.  And almost completely quiet.  It's an amazing display of the pack behavior.  Another story told by lodge staff was about how the wolves, abundant in the area, will venture into the sled dog yard but will not disrupt them or try to take their food.  The wolf pack views the sled dogs as a pack and leaves them alone.

The musher, Adam, makes all his sled dog equipment except the dogs' harnesses.

Adam has been working with his sled dogs for 11 years and all his dogs are mutts.  His fastest and strongest dog is 14 years old.

Dog House

After the cold weather the lake was frozen and ready to go for a run across it.

Getting them hooked up

While they wait they are bouncing around, begging to get hooked up.  

As soon as Adam would approach they would be on their best behavior.

For a minute there Chula was planning on getting trained and fitted for a harness...

Just kidding, Mom