sled-doggin'

     So Sarah's 3rd of 6 surprises was a trip out to a genuine mushing operation near Knik.  Charlie Bejna, who will be running the Iditarod this year, allowed us to come out and socialize with his dogs as well as take a ride or two on the sled and even mush.  In my opinion mushing is as much apart of AK as anything else like salmon, snow, Toyotas, snowmachines, extratuffs, guns, etc. 
     It was a great opportunity to see what it's like without all the hype and commotion of seeing it downtown or during the race itself; an up-close and interactive experience.  The dogs were beautiful and their athleticism was impressive, it was obvious they were running machines.  I could see myself doing this someday on a smaller scale if things were different.  The dogs, winter, nature and the elements are all attractive. 
     It was also tempting to take some of the dogs home who were retiring or didn't make the cut for the race.  Also, I thought it was cool how, despite having 30ish dogs, Charlie knew them all by name and their behaviors/habits and they all knew his voice and responded to his commands.

sled dogging from chugach ress on Vimeo.

best eyes award, no doubt.

small, but I bet he holds his own.

one of my favorites

These people trusted me with their kids and Charlie with his team.