Sat, Jan 24 2004 - Dog Sled Tour with Howling Dog Tours (View Original Event Details)
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I knew this was gonna be an especially cool trip when we awoke to snow. There was a blanket of fresh snow covering Calgary. And it was coming down strong, with big fluffy flakes, my favorite kind! We had some running around to do, so I even got a chance to drive out in it. My compliments to the Alberta Department of Transportation, if there is such a thing. It was much easier to negotiate the highways there, than the last snow I drove in through Western North Carolina last fall.
First of all, let me say that where I live, people would pay just for the view we got to see in the motorcar ride up to Canmore. Rhonda, Wendy, Scott and I took Wendyıs Honda Civic to The Bolo Ranch House, where we met up with Howling Dog Tours' shuttle van. We all paused for more tasty beverages, and put on more layers.
If the ride in Wendyıs Honda was worth money, the shuttle van ride is something I am trying to burn into my memory. I should have been running my video camera. Along the way, we ran upon a large herd of Mountain Sheep. They were in two groups. We never did see the one male that was supposed to be with that herd. Our driver knew all about the sheep, and the roads around the area. There was so much to see along the road, that I found I had in fact missed most of it on the way up, but marvelled at the views on the way back down. The road follows some kind of hydroelectric, pumped storage system. We drove along side man-made canals.
The sheer vertical rise of our journey was more than I had expected. By the time we arrived at the Howling Dog Sled Camp, the snow had changed just a little. It had gone from those big fluffy flakes I love, to slightly smaller, harder ones. It may have had something to do with our outrageously high altitude. We were in the heart of the Canadian Rockies, looking at the BACK of the Three Sisters Mountains.
The dogs were a trip. I have been around a number of different kinds of ³working dogs² but these were among the most hyper while not at work, and yet the most natural and relaxed, but still focused, dogs when working, I have ever seen. It seemed to be pretty important where they put each dog in the line. One of ours kept snapping at the larger dog beside her. That dog just ignored the smaller dog. But our musher, Graham, told us that if the snappy dog was put beside this other dog, it would fight back.
I got to ride on the back of our sled for a while, and so did Wendy, on her and Scottıs sled. After a ride that I wish had lasted much longer, we stopped for hot chocolate, and snacks. The beef jerky was good, but I really dug the big chunks of smoked salmon. They had cheeses and dried fruits also.
While taking the break, we hiked through the woods, down near the lake. It was frozen over, and ice fishermens' huts dotted the smooth white surface. It was another nice view of the BACK of the Three Sisters. That seems to be something that a lot of people familiar with Canmore donıt get to see. We all got an eye full, and made our way back up to the sleds.
After getting our fill of more of the authentic munchies, we loaded our sleds back up. The dogs all stopped their anxious bickering, and got into their grooves again. They all seemed most happy while pulling our sleds. Every now and then, one would scoop up a mouth full of snow, without even breaking stride. Graham, our musher said they do that for water, but mostly to cool themselves off.
I took plenty of digital still pictures, as well as running video for a good while. I wish you could all see at least an MPEG or a QuickTime of part of this. I had never seen or done anything quite like this before. As one of my friends in Georgia, who grew up in Michigan put it ³How many people do you know who have even seen a dog sled?² After some thought, I had to admit, that I probably didnıt know anyone who had seen a real dog sled. I grew up in the Appalachian Mountains, and we had all kinds of sleds. I think we even tried tying our dogs to our sleds a few times. But, Howling Dog Sled Tours is about as real as you can get. The staff was very friendly and professional. Our Musher also did work with animals for movies. Our shuttle van driver, drives shuttle vans in the summer, for white water tours. I think a lot of them do white water tours in the summer. They also race dog sleds. I think that is how they help sponsor, and practice their dog sled racing. I thought the racing involvement was a nice touch. I wonder if they raced our dog named Tron.
After an amazing ride back down the mountain, we went for some dinner. We did the smart thing though. We drove back into Calgary for dinner. That way we didnıt have to drive a snowy, Trans Canada Highway after dark. We all enjoyed stuffing our faces on the fine Ethiopian cuisine at Marathon. I think I slept well that night.
-- Dick Brown