Misha - Chapter 3

The Story of a Sled Dog

Sleep comes quickly and, as always, my dream begins with snow. My musher is putting me in my harness and I know it’s almost time to do what I love the most. The thing I was born to do; the thing that gives me purpose. I let out a yip of glee as I am finally hooked to the line. My teams mates answer in a cacophony of howls and yips. We sound just this side of wild as the ancient desire top pull stirs in our blood.

Most of us are jumping when we get hooked to the line. We can’t wait to get going. I’m placed third from the front next to Asha. In this position we are the “team dogs”. We help pull the sled but we also help maintain the speed of the line.

Directly ahead of Asha and me are Cricket and Chuck. They are the swing dogs for this trip. Their job is to ensure that the team follows the turns initiated by the lead dogs.

Bahloo and Sasha are our lead dogs. They listen to our musher, they set the pace and they make sure we are going in the right direction. It’s a very important job and one that I want to do someday…..someday.

Behind Asha and me are the wheel dogs Hank and Bruce. They play the crucial role of pulling and steering the sled.

Our musher, David, is an experienced musher who always smells of leather, wood and something like Old Spice. His face is weather beaten with a tinge of red which makes him appear older than he actually is. He doesn’t care, though, because he loves mushing as much as we do.

Finally, the line is set. I am so excited and am literally jumping up and down, anxious to start into the trail.

The snow is perfect for us today. The ground is deeply covered so there are no rocks or branches to step on and there is no ice on the trail. That means no booties today!

Our basket contains equipment that we have to take into the wilderness for a researcher. Gas powered vehicles are not allowed in designated wilderness areas, so it’s up to us to get the supplies to the researcher. We are the only way in or out.

David bellows “Line out!”, which is the command for Bahloo and Sahsa to tighten the line and pull the team out straight. This helps avoid tangles and injuries. Once the line is taut, David commands “Hike!” and off we go!

We have 20 miles to travel. Bahloo and Sasha know the way because we have traveled this trail many times.

As we come to a curve in the trail, David says “Haw!” which means “go left”. To go right, David must say “Gee!’. There words were used back when humans tried to use horses up here to pull sleds, but that didn’t work out so well. The horses left this snowy world, but the commands remained because the same humans who trained the horses turned themselves into mushers and dog trainers. Even the very first harness used on dogs came from the horse world. Made of leather, these harnesses put most of the pressure on the shoulders and neck, which is great if you’re a horse, but not so much if you’re a dog.

Over time, the harnesses were fashioned to be more comfortable for us. Now our harnesses are custom made out of nylon. My harness is bright yellow and fits snuggly around my body. The gang line is attached at the back of my harness so I don’t trip over it. My harness even has my name embroidered on it. All of the dogs on this particular team have their own custom made harnesses with their names on them.

We round the corner to the left with ease.

Because it’s a beautiful day, David lets us trot along without asking us to go any faster. Bahloo and Sasha have set a comfortable pace for us and we are enjoying our work.

As Alaskan Huskies, mushing is in our blood. We love to do it. We are built to do it…like lungs are built to breath. I can’t imagine any other way of life.

In my sleep, I heave a contented sigh and fall further into sleep as my dream continues.

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