Something different this time, since the way 2020 is going, it’s going to be a long time before I go travelling again… This is mainly going to be a photo entry, as I realised that I still haven’t gone back and migrated all of my old blog entries from previous websites to this one. One day… (The main reason I started my own site is that I’ve had 3 separate blog sites shut down on me so far, and I was getting sick of it!)
Anyway, back in 2012 at the start of my big around the world trip, I spent a couple of days in Anchorage, Alaska, before heading North to spend almost a week dogsledding in Denali National Park, just outside Fairbanks. The trip was run by Jon from Earthsong Lodge and Denali Dogsled Expeditions, along with his friend Tom. I realise now that this was the first of quite a few times that I would end up being the only guest on a tour! (Although I don’t think I’ll ever top being the sole guest on a 21 day Intrepid tour on the Trans-Mongolian Railway…)
The first day was basically just training runs, both riding as a passenger in the sled and in ‘control’ on the back (the dogs knew the route so there wasn’t much to do other than hold on!). After that we packed up and headed out for 6 days of sledding and exploring. I had my own sled and team of six dogs: Starbuck, Freddie, Dax, Sisko, Sam and Romulus, who were all lovely and always ready to get out there and run.
The dogs that Jon uses are known as ‘Alaskan Huskies’ and are basically bred for their ability to haul loads over long distances instead of speed (like for the ‘Iditarod’ race from Anchorage to Nome). As well as guided tours of the Park, Jon also hauls mountaineering gear out to Denali, the tallest peak in North America at 6,190m, so the extra strength of the dogs is put to good use!
As far as my trip goes, we spent two days sledding out to a cabin near the Toklat River, then two day trips, one up river to the junction with the East Fork and one down river. Amazing scenery all around, and the dogs were fantastic. Then it was time to head homewards, with another two days of sledding to get back to the Lodge. Was a bit sore by the end of it, as holding on to the sled uses more muscles than you’d expect, and I was sorely in need of a shower and a shave by then, as there’s no running water in the wilderness in winter!
It was definitely the trip of a lifetime, and even now it’s the one I think of first whenever I’m asked where my favourite place to visit was. Huge thanks to Jon and Tom for making it a trip to remember!
And now, enjoy the photos!
