Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Chemult Sled Dog Races

On Sunday we went to the sled dog races in Chemult, OR, about 2.5 hrs from Lakeview. We were wondering if there'd be sufficient snow since there isn't any in Lakeview, but it was about knee-high when we got there. It was warm and they even had a warming shack and outdoor fire! Dommy enjoyed the snow and all the dogs, and the trainers let him pet a couple, too. We learned the term "dog in a basket" to refer to a wounded dog that rides back in the sled, then got to see one live! Turns out many of the mushers come from all over Oregon, and that one of the famous ladies who did the Iditarod (Karen someone-or-other) lives locally and breeds siberians and alaskan malamutes.

Here's a video of one of the dog sled starts, I think it was a 6-dog team.

Here's a sled finishing and heading back to the parking lot.

This is a video of skijoring, which is one or two sled dogs pulling a driver who's on X-country skis. A gal told me this is really taking your life in your hands, and I believe her. These two-dog teams went on a 2.5-mile course full of hills--crazy.

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