Dog Sled Camp (Not the same as Dogsled Camping)

 Mar 2017

So I tried something new last weekend and invited some astonishingly cool people to Mountain for the first-ever Dogsled Camp...

I LOVE sharing dogsledding with people, and was hopeful, but had no idea if anyone would come. But then they did!!

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The final campers included @andreapitzer @ek_johnston @LFarnsworth @Remember_Sarah @DriverWrites and Sally McGraw of alreadypretty.com

Most of the campers arrived Friday night for pizza, dog cuddling, and prep for the next day. (All pics by marvelous @DriverWrites!)

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It was clear that this was a supremely kind, funny, kick-ass group of women. Plus, we had fresh snow for the next morning's trails (whew!)

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On Saturday morning, we packed up huskies and sleds and headed to some nearby dogsled trails, where we'd be setting up a base camp.

We set up a dropline for the dogs and the campers spread out straw for bedding.  We'd be rotating different dog teams throughout the day.

[PIC COLLAGE]

We also had a lesson on harnessing dogs properly.  Locals @MsBreKArt and taxidermists Owen and Sammi showed up as camp counselors!

Lead dog Pepe broke a 5-mile loop through the fresh snow.  All day long, campers took turns running their own teams through the forest.

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We only have 12 adult dogs in rotation right now, so we ran mini-teams of 3-4 dogs and let them cool down every few miles.

After a long day outside, we grabbed dinner at the Schoolhouse Bar, came home and talked (cuddled dogs) late into the night, aka like 9 pm.

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I almost forgot to mention that @andreapitzer did a very nice job chopping up a frozen otter at the trailhead and the dogs enjoyed eating it

The next morning we had some serious doggo playtime at home on the farm.

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Sally got to achieve her lifelong dream of lying down and getting covered in huskies (I warned her to cover her face - sharp toenails!)

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Boo kept trying to start trouble with his sister Hunter and needed constant supervision.  Thank goodness @LFarnsworth was up for the task

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Meanwhile, the dogs took turns playing Catch Me If You Can with a ribcage they found.

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pretty soon, though, we were all just cuddling

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and petting

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and goofing

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It was one of those short periods of time that feels so rich but passes so quickly

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Thank you for being part of this with me, friends. What a gift so share my favorite thing- all this joy!-with such wonderful people. <3

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This year was an experiment, but I can't wait to make DOGSLED CAMP a tradition.




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