by Josh Snyder - Josh is a writing major with concentrations in creative writing and journalism at Northern Michigan University. He is a native of the Upper Peninsula and a frequent contributor to Northern Michigan University’s student newspaper, The North Wind.
Mike Bestgen’s days are anything but typical. They start early so he can make the 45-minute commute to Miller Chevrolet in Rogers, Minn., where he spends nearly 55 hours a week selling cars. After working long hours, sometimes as many as 12 in one day, he makes the long drive home.
But when most are settling in for the evening, his day is far from over.
“It’s just a burning desire to compete,” Bestgen said. “This is a passion that works for me.”
Like Bestgen, Darlene Walch, who is the Dean of Academic Information Services at Northern Michigan University, works long hours, yet still finds the time to race. For her, the motivation comes from her dogs.
“My motivation was awe and love of the dogs,” Darlene said. “I witnessed the first U.P. 200 start and was very impressed with what I saw. I've always been interested in dogs, so this was a good fit.”
But her dogs are not the only thing that drives her to keep mushing.
“I also like being outside, camping, canoeing, and other outdoor activities,” she said. “Being outside with a dog team, cruising along over the snow is a fun way to get around.”
Passion and motivation is necessary for mushers. The cost of the sport -- in time as well as money – is often high. The cost of raising and caring for sled dogs includes everything from vaccines to food, and training and maintaining a team adds long hours to each day, especially during the racing season. Yet many need to work, so they can continue to do what they love.
“I do this so I have the money to dog sled race,” Bestgen said. “I work these hours so I can support my habit.
Along with monetary and time commitments, the sport itself can be grueling. Bestgen recently completed the 411-mile John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon near Duluth, Minn. for the fifth time. The race started out with 30 teams, but after a storm with 40 mph wind gusts dropped the temperature from 40 degrees to 20 below, 17 of the 30 competitors dropped out. But Bestgen finished in 11 th place, a feat he is proud of.
Fellow musher Bill Johnston knows what it’s like to have long, tiring days. Johnston runs a bakery in Indian River that sees him to work as early as 4 am. He works until 1 pm and then makes the commute to Newberry to run his team, which can go as late as 8 pm.
“You’re taking up a lot of your day when you’re doing that,” Johnston said. On these training days he runs dogs anywhere from 25 to 60 miles, on top of a full day’s work in the bakery.
Of course, things don’t always go as planned. A training session planned for a few hours can sometimes take longer.
“I’ve gone right off the trail into work before,” Johnston said.
Few mushers race for a living, despite the fact that mushing is their life. Many race not for money, but for love of the sport. According to Johnston, much of the motivation to race comes from the dogs themselves.
“The dogs are the engine for our whole team,” Johnston said. “They come first. We take care of them and they take care of us.”