August 6, 2007

SUMMER AND SNOW—MICHIGAN SLED DOGS SPEND SUMMER SLEDDING IN ALASKA

    

Juneau, Alaska--Sled dogs generally spend the summer basking in the sunshine and dreaming of winter.  This summer, there is no need for the sled dogs of Nature’s Kennel to dream of snow; they are spending their summer living and working on the Mendenhall Glacier near Juneau, Alaska. 

    Ed and Tasha Stielstra, owners of Nature’s Kennel Sled Dog Racing and Adventures, located in the Eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan, have always contemplated ways to keep their dogs conditioned and trained in the summer.  Michigan summers are simply too hot for training sled dogs.  The cool Alaskan summers and the opportunity to exercise the dogs during the hottest months of year seemed like great options for the Stielstra’s dogs. 

    In early May, Ed and Tasha, along with two mushers from their kennel, Jake Berkowitz and Krister Rosach, loaded their 82 Alaskan Huskies into a large truck and trailer.  The crew drove over 3000 miles in four days to Skagway, where they boarded a ferry for a four hour trip to Juneau. 

    The dogs and mushers were then loaded into helicopters for their final destination—the Mendenhall Glacier.  The glacier is home to Alaska Icefield Expeditions, where over three hundred dogs and twenty five mushers and handlers guide tourists on sled dog adventures.  The scenery is amazing, the ice is pack hundreds of feet deep, and the climate is great for summer sledding. 

    Guests arrive by helicopter seven days a week, with up to ten tours arriving at “dog camp” each day.  The camp is comprised of three hundred dog houses, twelve shared sleeping tents for staff, a mess hall, communications hut, and kitchen.  Prior to the start of the season, over seventy five helicopter loads deliver everything from snowmobiles, to dog houses, to tents.  As long as the weather permits, food and supplies arrive on a daily basis.  At the end of the season, all the gear is removed and the glacier returned to its original state. 

    Glacier living can be challenging for both dogs and mushers.  The elevation of dog camp is 4200 feet.  The sun is very intense and reflects off the snow, requiring extra care for the dogs’ eyes and lots of sunscreen for the mushers.  On bad weather days, when the fog sets in and the snow and rain falls, helicopters cannot access the camp to re-supply gear or transport staff into Juneau for their highly anticipated days off.  With no transportation, no tours, and poor weather, mushers must find creative ways to keep their “sanity”.  This has included such things as camp sled dog races, disco parties, and baseball tournaments. 

    Overall, the Stiesltras’ have found the glacier experience to be very beneficial to their dogs.  “The dogs are in the best physical condition they have ever been in during the summer. They have really built up their muscle mass, and will be more than ready for fall training when we return to Michigan in late September,” reports Ed.  Both Ed and Jake will be training teams for the 2008 Iditarod.  The Stielstras will also continue to operate their winter touring business from their kennel location in McMillan.  Their dogs may not be dreaming of winter, but they may be dreaming of grass.  By the end of September, they will have spent almost nine months of the year on snow.  That’s truly a sled dog’s dream! 

To follow more of Ed and Tasha’s experiences in Alaska, visit www.natureskennel.com.

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Prepared by Tasha Stielstra