Dogsled Season

Well, it is that time of the year here in the Upper Peninsula. The dogsled season has kicked into high gear in preparation for the big races this weekend. I know I've blogged about this before and my experiences watching the sport of dogsled races since I was a little boy. It's hard to believe the races have been going on for that long. Seems just like yesterday when I'd get all bundled up and take the short walk down the highway up to the fairgrounds where the start of the Midnight Run would take off. That's no longer possible since the race organizers changed the route of the trail. But no matter, I still enjoy the races in my own way.

I've always had a slight bit of ambition to try riding on a dogsled one time. Heck, I bet it would be so fun that I'd like to do it time and time again. But as for building my own team to run in races for a living (or for a hobby), I just don't think I'd be up for that part of it. Taking care of one dog can be hard enough. Imagine eight to 12? You have to buy lots of food, give the dogs proper care and take them to the vet, and train them to be an elite team of dogsleds. I don't know that I'd have that much patience. I've never spent time with a musher just to see what all is involved in the training process, but I have heard plenty of stories. In fact, I work with someone on my crew who's a musher. I lived in a community growing up where dogsled racing became embraced by the individuals who lived there (except when it was feeding time when you could hear the dogs howling from across the valley). No, it's definitely not easy. But when persistence pays off and your team begins to win some races, then it's all worth it.

I remember when the start for the Midnight Run was still in my hometown. They'd plow out a huge area just west of the ball fields for the mushers and their teams to stage until the start of the race. During some years, there wasn't even enough parking for all of the dog teams to rest as they'd cram into every possible plowed space up there. It was always interesting to look at the teams just prior to the start of the race and see what the mushers were doing to care for their dogs. Certain dogs tend to lay around and not get overly excited, while others are just rarin' to get started. I guess it all depends on the breed. I even thought I saw a dogs that looked similar to the breed that my dog was. I always thought what kind of sled dog Spike would make. In his healthiest condition, probably not very good. But alas, that is where the training would come in.

You know, I miss the community spirit that existed when the dogsled races was in my hometown. During the very early years of the event, we'd help decorate grocery bags with dogsled themes and those bags would get distributed to the customers at the local grocery stores. It was an attempt to get the rest of the community in the dogsledding spirit. Our school would always "sponsor" a musher to come to our school and talk to us about the sport and the trials and tribulations they experienced during a race. And then on race night, the community was abuzz with activity. I really sensed a large amount of community pride and excitement during the years the races were in town. There'd even be a schedule of events leading up the dogsled races that would allow the kids to have a good time and stay warm. Heck, there even used to be a snow sculpture contest throughout the community; one in which my class participated in one year (although I don't think we won it). During the last few years that the event went through town, it just didn't seem like there was all that much enthusiasm for the event anymore. Less people were showing up and there were less events planned around it. Now, all of that has ceased to exist once the races pulled out of town once and for all. But then again, I can't really blame the race organizers if they can't gather up enough volunteers to help run the races more smoothly in my community.

So the start of the local dogsled races begins this Friday and lasts through Sunday. The start of the 12-dog race takes place right here in Marquette and begins around 7:00 PM. Depending on the weather conditions, I just might head towards downtown to watch a team or two. It might just help to bring back good memories of the races gone-by in my hometown.