We spent the last day of January in White Hall, Maryland learning about sled dogs. It was a girl scout event that sounded like too much fun to ignore so despite a polar vortex, off we went!
Our start time was 9 am and it was just over an hour drive but I wasn't sure how the traffic would be so we headed out of the house around 7:45. I didn't want to be late but I didn't want to get there too early either since it was so painfully cold outside. It was an easy enough drive up and while there were some moments of really heavy traffic we ended up getting there about 10 minutes early. Perfect!
After taking about 15 minutes to get myself and the two kids layered and bundled to the best of my ability, we headed out to meet the couple who were giving us our "tour" and lessons about the dogs. She collected our paperwork and then gathered everyone around to learn about the team.
(It's a long video but interesting to learn a little about each of them!)
When she finished telling us all about the dogs we were able to pet them and hang out with them a little bit and then were shown how to use the harnesses. Some of the kids wanted to try putting the harnesses on while others were hesitant and didn't want to. Dakota helped with a harness while Harper chose to just watch and then the kids were broken up into groups for the sled rides. The ride was done in a relay style with girls waiting at one of three different stops. So, a child from group A would ride to group B, get off and a group B child would ride to group C etc. Each ride only lasted about 4 minutes but it looked like an awesome 4 minutes!
I was the parent of the group who had to walk the furthest and while I don't really know how far away our stop was, I'd guess close to a mile. Like I mentioned, it was bitterly cold so it was nice to get to walk for awhile and warm up. My group only had two kids, Harper and one of the girls from Dakota's troop. They were terrific sports about the long walk in the cold and never complained. Harper talked the entire way about our surroundings, he's such a nature lover. He couldn't get over how beautiful everything looked covered in snow and he enjoyed admiring the HUGE icicles as well.
It wasn't long after we made it to our post that the dogs came running up the trail. I wasn't able to tell who was on the sled because of all the winter clothing and was surprised when it was Dakota who got off the sled! She LOVED it but was a little sad that it had been such a brief ride. Once Dakota got off, the other little girl Harper and I had walked with had her turn on the sled.
Dakota, Harper and I hung out for about 15 minutes waiting for the dog sled to return. We basically paced up and back trying to keep warm but Harper was captivated by the birds and the water rushing below us. He later told me that he enjoyed the dog sledding but loved the walk down the snowy path even more.
Thanks to our girl scout leader, I have a little video of both kids on their sled ride. Dakota taking off and Harper coming in.
When Harper left our station it was time for Dakota, another one of the girls and I to start making the trek back. The girls also noticed the huge icicles and pulled a few off to "eat" on the way back.
When everyone had finished their turn on the sled the kids were taught a little about the diet the dogs follow and then were able to feed them.
Our final lesson was about the different types of sleds that are used during races and why particular dogs are placed at the beginning, middle or end of the line.
Before wrapping it up for the day the kids were given a snack of brownies and hot chocolate. They all said their goodbye's to the dogs and then we happily got into our cars for the heated hour ride home.
While it was a very cold adventure I think it was one we will remember for a good while. It's not every day you get to meet a real team of sled dogs!
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