I was born and raised in Canada and one thing I had never had the opportunity to do was to go dog sledding. We grew up thinking dog sledding was only for the Inuit People up in the Arctic. When Bonnie and I were at the Wells Gray Guest Ranch we found out that the owner Mike Mueller and his wife Regina raise Huskies and in the winter, they run dog sledding trips. Bonnie and I agreed that it would be a once in a lifetime experience to go to the ranch in February and give it a go. We had visions of the two of us sitting in a sled wrapped in furs and drinking hot beverages while someone mushed us through the snow. WRONG!
We arrived and got settled in at the Blue Grouse Mountain Inn which is a 41/2 star B&B that Mike and Regina built about a mile down the road from their Wells Gray Guest Ranch. Mike informed us over dinner that in the morning we were going down to the ranch where they would fix Bonnie and me up with a sled and four dogs apiece. I was confused by this and asked who was going to mush the sleds. Mike's answer, "You are of course!"
Next morning we got up, had breakfast, and then it was time to bundle up in our winter clothes and head for dog country. Mike and Joe had already loaded the dogs into their special kennel truck and driven them down to the ranch where they were waiting for us when we arrived. We assumed that Mike's helper Joe was a hired employee but it turns out he is a paying guest who loves the dogs so much he comes from Germany every year to spend his vacation working with them. The dogs live in a sort of Husky hotel where they have individual little 'condos'. There are probably forty dogs who, when not working, can be seen lounging around and on top of their houses. We were given a crash course in mushing before we were turned loose. We were told to say "Hike" when we wanted the dogs to go and "Whoa" when we wanted them to stop. We were instructed on how to apply the foot brake to bring the sled to a halt. It was explained to us that there is a long rope dragging behind the sled and if we fell off we were to grab the rope and pull ourselves back up onto the sled. Apparently if you don't grab the rope and stop the dogs they will just keep running until they drop or reach Alaska.
It was now time for us to head out onto the open fields. Joe led us with a snowmobile to cut a trail in the deep snow so as to make it easier on the dogs. Bonnie followed Joe and I was behind her. What a thrill! It's something you only dream about. Here we were sliding through the snow with these beautiful Husky dogs pulling away while wagging their tails. The dogs definitely seem happiest when they are working. It's almost as if they're smiling. There were several times where Bonnie's sled almost capsized while cornering through huge snow banks but we both managed to make it back, pretty frozen, but really elated.
When we were finished our run the dogs pulled us back to the ranch where there were bonfires burning for warmth and barbequed Bratwurst sausages and hot wine for lunch. We found out later that the dogs Mike and Regina breed are genuine Eskimo Wolf Huskies. When people found they could cross breed and develop larger and faster dogs the original Eskimo Husky was on the brink of extinction. Mike and Regina played a big part in bringing the breed back from the brink.
Thanks Mike, Regina, Joe and the wonderful dogs for an experience we will never forget.
