โI would love to try driving the sled,โ I said before my trip to Quebecโs Outaouais region. But now the dogs are barking, barking, barking in this frenetic symphony and it makes the back of my neck feel all tingly and I look at the sled and wonder what in the world I have gotten myself into. I say, “Maybe I'll just ride.”
But the sleds are already positioned according to our weight and height. There are four huskies wild with excitement at the prospect of yanking me through the white expanse of the Canadian wilderness.
One of the mushers says, โReally? Youโll be fine. Children do this.โ
Another journalist says, โI did this in the Yukon recently. Itโs no big deal. The dogs know what theyโre doing. Youโre just along for the ride.โ
I had pictured riding asย one of manyย passengers with an experienced musher. He would teachย us allย how to maneuver the sled. I would eventually gain confidence and lead the dogs for a minute or two. Then the trainer would take over again. Thatโs what I meant when I said I would love to try it.
I glance at the howling dogs, at this wooden contraption of a sled and I know dog-sledding is beyond me. โOkay,โ I say.
Musher/Trainerย Sรฉbastien Ruiz gives me instructions. He has a strong French accent. I listen with all my pores.
โThis pad is the soft brake, step on it to slow down. Say, ‘ho,' to stop and ‘ha' to go faster. This is the hard brake. If you want to stop, give a warning with the soft brake first. Donโt step on the hard brake all of a sudden when you are running flat.ย When riding, keep your feet here on the runners. Help the dogs on the way up the hill. Get off and push with one foot. Put both feet on the hard brakeย at the top of hills. Keep tension in the ropes. There shouldn't be slack. Watch to make sure your dogsโ legs donโt get tangled in the ropes or they could break a leg. If this happens, yell to me right away. Lean into the turns like youโre Alpine skiing. Do you Alpine ski?โ
โI have skied, but Iโm not very good.โ
โKeep both hands on the bar at all times. Whatever you do — never, ever let go of your sled. Got it?โ
โUm, yeah.โ
It takes a long time to get our group of six journalists allย tacked up and ready to set off. Twoย opt toย sit in sleighs, pulled by teams of nine or 10 dogs. The other four of us are driving our own sleds solo, with somewhere between four to seven dogs each.
The energy and noise of the barking and howling, along with the dogsโ leaping and pulling at harnesses, is intense. Itโs a lot of energy to take in.
The first team takes off. Then two more. Then itโs my turn. I put one foot on each runner and my team bursts forth across the snow.
I thought we would run across open expanses of white terrain. Before I know it, though, I am racing through a forest of pine trees. I am terrified and elated at once.
Dog-sledding through a forest in Quebec's Outaouais (Photo from Chiens-Traineaux.com)
The journalist in front of me, the one who said it would be easy, is going too slow for my dogs. I have to keep pressing my soft brake to keep the ropes taut. My dogs and I want to go faster.
I am the alpha. At least that is what I tell myself. I need to believe this or my dogs will be in charge.
As a former English-style equestrian, I am reminded of horse shows, jumping giant beautiful beasts over too-tall fences, and becoming one with time.
I cannot look around or think about anything else. I am sure the scenery is gorgeous but my stare remains intense on my dogs. My hands tingle from gripping my sled so tightly. My breath is hot on my face, trapped by my scarf. It fogs my sunglasses and I strain to see my pack.
My journalist friend ahead of me turns sharply around the trailโs corner and her body falls. She is lying flat, holding tight to her sled and being dragged uphill. Sรฉbastien appears from the other side of the hill and uprights her sled and straightens her team's ropes. He tells her to wait until he says to go. Then he disappears over the hill.
We wait. And wait. The dogs are crazy with energy to keep running. They bark and howl. I use my deepest voice to yell to the larger female dog at the front of theย team, โArtic, no!โ I want her to quit biting atย the smaller girl dog,ย Mika.
Articย stops and looks back at me, nonplussed. She jumps into the snow for a quick roll, biting up pieces of the powdery white to quench her thirst. Thenย she is back to the front jumping and pulling with the rest of my dogs, trying to force free the hard brake, on which both my feet are planted.
I am nervous to round the corner withย my huskiesย in their increasingly frenzied state. โI think you should go,โ I shout ahead to my fellow journalist.
โBut he said to wait,โ she says.
I turn to the trainer behind me, โCan we go?โ I ask.
With his approval, finally, I set my dogs free. I keep one foot on the soft brake, but my team's excitement is too much for me to hold. The dogs race around the corner and my sled is ripped from under me. I try to hold onto the sled's handle, remembering Sebastien's instructions to never let go, but it slips from my grasp and I fall forward onto the trail.
Likeย when I used to train “green”ย horses, I jump up from the ground and start running after my bolting animals.ย Sรฉbastienย appears again from over the hill and quickly corrals my dogs.
There are more hills to go, bigger ones. I jump off my sled and push with my heavily booted foot up the hillโฆup the hill. I pant with exhaustion. As soon as I reach the top, I jump with both feet onto the brake and I am sailing down white. I am in love with winter.
I duck my head from branches of trees that whir past my ears as we race.
At the midway point, after her second fall, theย woman who convinced me dog-sledding was a leisurely endeavor, begs off. We were promised hot cocoa but there is none. The trainers are tooย busy rearranging dogs so the journalist can sit the rest of the ride.
We set off once again. I am ecstatic to be in thisย beautiful spot of the world โ tilting my hips into the turns, skimming my foot across the soft brake.
It is heaven. But a heaven too intense for me. And I need to return to earth.
Sled dogs at Chiens-Traineaux Petite Nation (Photo from Chiens-Traineaux.com)
It isย overwhelmingย to exist in such a state of adrenaline and hyper-awareness. I am relieved, when, an hour and a half into our run, I can see our starting point with all of the dogsโ dens in the distance.
When we arrive,ย Sรฉbastien unhooks my team of four. He instructs me to pet my dogs, tell them theyโve done a good job. I speak to them in French, โBons chiens. Bon travail.โ
They eye me nervously, heads down, pulling back slightly, eyes darted upward. They are not pets. I put a hand out to let them sniff and then gently glide my gloved fingers across their thick fur.
Sรฉbastien says, “You are a good musher. You will take my job.”
I beam.
Heย says, “There is a phrase we mushers use. Au jour chien. Toujours chien.”ย One day a dog, always a dog.ย
I am part of the pack.
Children as young as 12 can drive their own dog-sledding team at Chiens-Traineaux Petite-Nation (Photo from Chiens-Traineaux.com)
How to go dog-sledding in Quebec's Outaouais
If you would like to be a part of the pack, check out Chiens-Traineaux Petite-Nationย in the Outaouais region of Quebec in Canada.ย You can sign up for 1- to 3-hour tours. If visiting with children, they can ride in a sleigh driven by an experienced musher. Kids ages 1 to 5 should sit in an adult riderโs lap, while children 6+ can ride alone.ย Older kids can even drive their own sleds (age 12 to 14+ depending on size and athleticism). Children are taken on easier, wide-openย trails rather than through the forest.
Read more about Chiens-Traineaux Petite-Nation on TripAdvisor. Learn more about things to do in winter in Quebec with kids now!
If you went dog-sledding, would you opt to sit or drive? Why? Let us know in the comments!
A Note from The Travel Mama: I experienced dog-sledding in Quebec's Outaouais as part of a press trip hosted by Tourisme Outaouais and Quebec Tourism. All opinions are mine, as always.ย
Very interesting and fun activity especially for the thrill-seekers.
I don’t know if I’m a thrill seeker, but I am glad I tried dog-sledding in Quebec! ๐
I have never gone dog sledding before but I would really like to try it out. This is really cool.
If you’re up for an adventure, you’d love it!
We had a friend who did this recently and posted their video. It looks like so much fun! Tiring, but fun!
I wish I’d had a GoPro back when I went on my dog-sledding adventure. Then again, I had enough to worry about, just trying to stay on my sled!
I would love to give dog-sledding a try. It sounds like so much fun. I would want to sit for my first run. Once I know what to expect I would try driving.
That might be a smart way to go!
Oh my gosh, what an experience. I can see how it would be an adrenaline rush. The experts must have to train endlessly!
Yes, I think they keep very busy with the dogs year-round.
Oh I bet it’s not for wimps at all. You gotta be tough for things like this, especially the cold!
It was definitely more adventurous than I thought it would be!
Dog sledding sounds like a lot of fun- but also a lot of work! I’d love to go sometime but I think I’d rather just sit and enjoy the ride ๐
I might opt to ride if I went again, too. Maybe. It depends on who was going with me and how adventurous they are. I can be talked into a lot of things!
This looks like an incredible time. I have never done anything like this but it would be an adventure for sure.
If you like downhill skiing and/or horseback riding, I bet you will like dog-sledding, too!
I would LOVE to drive a tram of sled dogs. I think the experience would be amazing! It’s like one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that you just need to try!
If you ever have the opportunity to try it, I hope you do! Next time I might opt to ride in a sleigh, though. Maybe.
I’ve always wanted to go dog sledding and my daughter was reading this along with me, hoping it meant we were going today! No such luck for today but hope to soon.
Ha! I like your daughter’s style! I hope you both can experience dog-sledding in Quebec someday very soon.
I almost feel like I was there! This would be a bucket list thing for us to do for sure! How awesome and the dogs are beautiful!
You will love it, Reesa! Make sure to go in Quebec, though. I’ve heard the Alaskan dog-sledding excursions are much more tame.
I can feel the wind and the excitement from those great photos. I would love to try those sleds and the dogs look like great guides.
Thank you, Melissa. The dogs really LOVE what they do!
I would love to go dog sledding! It looks like so much fun. Talk about an adventure for your next vacation. That is super cool!
It’s so worth adding to your travel bucket list, Stacie!
Great post. You describe the action brilliantly. I went dog sledding in Greenland last year for 2days. I wasnโt doing the work but with huge hills and the dog going on regardless it is tough work getting in and out of the sled all the time. Still though, I would do it again no bother.
Ross – Wow! I would love to go dog-sledding in Greenland!
How nice. I would love to do this but it does sounds a little scary but very exciting though….
Victoria – If it’s too exciting for you, you could just opt to sit in the sled and have an expert lead your team instead. But it really was quite the thrill to drive the sled myself!
I took Phil’s advice and re-read this blog. Just reading it was exhilarating. Your dad and I were pulled in a cart of sorts by a team of about 8 or 10 dogs at Mitch Seavey’s Seward, Alaska property in August, 2010. He and his dogs won the Iditarod this year (2013). There were about 100 dogs at this property and I was told he had about the same number at another location. Holding the puppies was a fun experience, too.
We got to experience the summer dog cart this summer in Alaska…it was fun but nothing compared to this Quebecois experience of actually driving a sled of dogs in snow. I hope you will get to try this someday; even as a passenger it would be incredible!
I could read this over and over…and I do….
Thank you. ๐ I really hope you can experience “real” dog sledding one day too. Such an incredible experience!
Joan – You are too sweet! Love you too!
Amy Whitley – I hope you get a chance to dog-sled someday! Keep in mind that I have heard from several people who have also tried dog-sledding who said their experience was not nearly as exciting. Often, you are not allowed to drive the sled solo and/or you ride across a big flat surface rather than through a forest & over hills. If you want this experience, I suggest heading to Quebec!
You are an incredible woman and writer! I am so very proud of you! I wish I could shout it from somewhere so all could hear. Your writing is exciting and flows so easily. I wish you would write a book we could all read. Maybe that is down the road sooner than you think. YOU ARE ALSO EITHER VERY BRAVE OR ——————. I am very grateful to know of what you are doing, after the fact. Don’t tell me what’s next. Love ya, your Mother-in-law
How awesome! Would love to do this!
Phil, Mathew & Edie – Many thanks for your kind words! I hope you will get a chance to try dog-sledding someday! ๐
Amanda – I know, right? For days afterwards I was sore in places I didn’t even know I had muscles!
I would want to drive and hustle with the dogs up the hills, and I would love to play with the dogs in the snow!! This was a great piece, Colleen. Way to go!!
Awesome! My heart was pounding just reading it!!
What a great post! I was sad when it was over. AWESOME!
Wow, it sounds so much more athletic than I would have thought! But I’d definitely do it. It’s on my list!
Thanks, ladies! It was terrifying and wonderful all at once. I hope you get a chance to mush someday!
Wow, friend, I am truly impressed! We’ve been dog sledding twice, but never as mushers. You go girl!
I would totally drive! I just watched the video with my dogs in the room with me and they went nuts. I think they want to pull a sled too. The first Bassets ever to accomplish such a task. : ) Sounds so fun!
That sounds so exciting! We went for a dog sled ride in Montebello which was absolutely thrilling but I can’t even begin to imagine what it must have felt like to be the driver and not just a passenger! I think you must be an honourary Canadian now!! ๐