Training Trip
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Miles traveled
7
High Temperature
11
Low Temperature
-10
Lard eaten by dogs today
1.5 lbs.
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Lesson
Plans
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Tent
Talk
Listen
to today's audio update
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Daily
Dilemma
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We have been trying
to figure out where the best place for us
to camp is, and we would like your help. Yesterday
we camped on a lake near the shore. Tonight
we are camped in the woods about 40 feet from
the lake. Where do you think we should try
to camp during the adventure? On lakes, or
in the woods? Please explain your answer.
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I used to think dogsledding meant riding on a sled
while being pulled by dogs. Today we traveled from Cherokee
Lake to Frost Lake--a mere 7 miles--and I found out
this is not always the case. Subzero temperatures, heavy
snowfall, and harsh winds kept our progress limited.
And no one got to ride on the sled.
Left: Adam sneaking a short ride on the sled
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In the best conditions, either Dave or I will ski out
ahead of the dogs and the other will ride on the sled.
If the snow is too deep for skiing, usually one of us
will snowshoe in front of the dogs instead of skiing.
If snow conditions are very poor, we will both snowshoe
ahead of the dogs to give them the best possible trail
for pulling the sled.
Right: Adam blazes the trail for the eager dogs.
Heavy snows made travel very hard for the past few days.
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Click Image To Enlarge
Adam turns the sled over to scrape the slush and
ice buildup on the sled. If the sled has any slush on
the runners, it becomes too difficult for the dogs to
pull. |
But some days (like today, for example)
the snow is too deep and fresh for the dogs to pull the
sled on their own. In these cases, one or both of us has
to push the sled to keep it moving. We got by most of
the day today with only one of us pushing the sled. This
was fortunate, since one of us was able to snowshoe out
in front and check for slush and thin ice with an ice
chisel. |
| We only got stuck in the slush once today,
but it took nearly 30 minutes to chip all the ice (frozen
slush) off the bottom of the sled and the runners. You
might think having ice on the bottom of our sled would
make it faster; it actually cements our heavy sled to
the snow in a matter of seconds. Yesterday, Dave and I
both fell though the ice on a river. This could have been
a catastrophe, but the water was only a few feet deep.
Falling through the ice must be avoided at all costs.
The potential onset of hypothermia is life-threatening
if not treated quickly and effectively. We promise to
do our best not to fall though again (at least for a while). |
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Even though we only traveled 7 miles today, it still
felt like a long, hard day of work. But the hard days
make the easy days easy. That, and riding on the back
of the sled, shouting, "On Munchkin! On Thistle!
On Daisy! On Fennel! Keep up the good work!"
Left: A close up of the otter's trail. Since we've
left on our training trip, we've gotten lots and lots
of snow, making animal tracks very visible. Why do you
think that too much snow might make it difficult to
travel across the lakes?
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