Dogsledding

So, when you come to Alaska to see the start of the Iditarod  (more on that later), what is the one thing you absolutely, positively, must do? DOGSLEDDING.

Let the tour begin with another 2 hour drive from Anchorage. Oh! Look a Moose!

Jane and I were part of tour of about 20 people. Run by the lovely folks at Salmon Berry tours (same people that did the Glacier tour FYI). The long bus ride took us to Willow and the home of Dallas Seavey, lifelong musher, youngest person ever to compete in the iditarod and three time Iditarod champion.

Once we got there we were welcomed by roughly 90 dogs barking their pleasure at our arrival.

Each dog sat with their own little house, feeder and yard. We all gathered at a patio over looking the kennel. The organization was, honestly, minimal but after a little shuffling we were split into groups. My group headed down the hill over to a frozen lake. The entire lake was frozen and covered in snow. It was frozen so thick it was possible to drive a snowmobile across it. Wow, seriously wow.

After a little coxing the bonfire was lit and we had some time to make s'mores. There was also a bucket of snowshoes for anyone who wanted to trek across the lake. Of course I've never been snowshoeing before so I had to try it. As it turns out, I am not very good at snowshoeing or even putting snowshoes on. But, been there, done that. Standing on the lake in direct sunlight and full snow gear was beginning to make me sweat. Jane was over heating too. So what do you do when you are overheating and surrounded by snow? Find a fresh patch of snow, firmly plant your feet shoulders width apart, stick your arms strait out to the side, put on your hood and falllllllll back. Snow angel!

All of these shinanagins were great but what we were really doing was killing time until it was our turn for a dogsled ride. Our time finally came.

Jane sat down in the front and I stood in the back and our delightful guide Sam stood between us. Trust me, it doesn't look as weird as it sounds.

After standing in the sun the crisp cold air felt amazing. The dogs were quiet and happy running along the trail. They were a team of pups who were still in training.

We cruised around the edge of the lake and disappeared into the treeline. We sailed through the birch and pine trees following a winding trail though the snow.

Standing on the back of a dog sled, surrounded by snow, with cold air numbing your nose, your fingers grasping the sled, your looking off into the distance and seeing Denali Mountain, it's one of those moments when reality changes. Take a deep breath, soak it in because your world will never again be the same.

Would I do it again? Yes. Should you? Yes.

Sincerely yours, Lady of Adventure

Glacier

When the tour company told us the tour was a "Glacier Walk" I imagined a worn out trail that would get us close to the glacier. Maybe we would get to walk on it but even then it would just be flat and  boring.

I was wrong.

Coming to Alaska during a warm winter with little snow looking out over the sparkling white glacier was amazing (I'm going to try not to use this word a lot but it will be hard.)

We drove from Anchorage, about 2 hours, and were now inching our way down a long, winding, snow covered drive that would take us to the Matanuska Glacier.

We made a quick pit stop to buy tickets and sign our life away on a liability waiver. Everyone jumped back into the bus to drive just a little bit further to a small building overlooking the Glacier where we would meet our guide.

After a few safety tips, like stay on the trail, and a few fun facts, like how glaciers form, we were fitted with micro cleats to keep us from slipping in the snow. We started out on the trail. Yes, the trail was well worn but that worked in our favor. The first 15 minutes were delightful. We walked along the trail ooing and aweing at the beautiful snow we were being deprived of on the other part of our trip. We walked across little rolling hills of snow that brought us closer to the glacier.

Soon the guide stopped us in front of one of the little hills that looked like one side had been cut off. The bare side revealed solid ice. This where our guide informed us we had been walking on the Glacier for several hundred feet now.

Over the next hour and a half we visited breathtaking examples of mother nature's ice sculpting skills. Small caves fortified by icicles, giant spikes of ice reaching into the sky and crevasses carved deep into the ice.

We climbed more little hills that got higher and steeper as we went. We were rewarded for our efforts on our return trip by getting to slide down the hills. Let that sink in for a minute, we got to slide down a snow covered ice hill, on a glacier. Wow.

The views were otherworldly and the colors were beautiful, white, baby blue, deep blue, turquoise and grey all running through the ice. Placing your hand on the ice it felt like nothing, it was bearly cold and the heat from your hand wasn't enough to melt the ice unless you held it there for several seconds.

Amazing, just amazing. It defied my expectations and expanded my imagination  (and I have a pretty good imagination). I would do it again in a second and drag along anyone that would be willing.

Sincerely yours, Lady of Adventure