For everyone thinking of this tour, I would definitely recommend it! I enjoyed every moment from start to finish.
I was picked up at 11:45 by Kevin, my driver of 1st Alaska Tours. He was fantastic to chat to on the 30 minute journey to the dog mushing yard, pointing out key sights and giving us some background information on Alaska and its weather conditions. I was the first of two hotel pickups, I total there was 3 of us on the tour.
Once arriving at the yard, we were greeted into the Yurt and given some information about the dogs we were about to meet. A short walk down to the yard and we were led into a puppy enclosure with 7 adorable ‘dogs in training’. Our guides told us how they take the snowmobile out with the puppies chasing behind them to build their muscle up ready to become sled dogs. We also met two tiny pups Turtle and Legend who were only born 9 days apart. Too cute for words comes to mind.
After playing with the pups for ten minutes, we were separated and introduced to our mushers. Only having three of us on the tour definitely enhanced the quality and the opportunity for a more personal experience. My musher, Dylan, was absolutely fantastic! Originally from the east coast then California, she was telling me all about her travel experiences and the opportunities which led her to work for the dog shed company. She had only been living and working out in Fairbanks for two months, yet her control and experience with sled and dogs was professional and made me feel completely safe!
Our sled tour was led by eight ‘teenage’ dogs and I was surprised by how thin they were, however Dylan explained that like human teenagers they were building up muscle before they could build up fat. They seemed very eager to get going and were very obedient for teenagers! I started my tour around the Alaska forest area sitting in the sled with Dylan driving, however once we left the treey area into a more open trail, she let me drive along with her. The feeling at the start is so weird; a mixature of a fear of falling and the excitement of guiding these intelligent dogs. The fear of falling soon goes away after moving my feet around the sled whilst it’s moving. Apparently unintentionally tipping the sled can also be an exciting experience, one I didn’t get to experience, but Dylan did tell me a few funny stories about her experiences.
The ride lasted for approximately one hour before we gathered back into the Yurt for some hot chocolate and to hear more about Alaska and dog sledding as a sport, including the boss of the company embarking on a 300 mile race! We were also able to see the beauty of the sky as the sun began to set.
Unfortunately my phone died due to the cold so I don’t yet have all the photos. Dylan was kind enough to take some of me on her phone which she is going to email across to me.
Overall, this was definitely a once in a lifetime experience and I would definitely recommend this company!