Winter dog Heaven!

This is S writing - so leave comments :) Today Daddy took me dog-sledding, which was my Christmas present from Mama and Daddy. This morning we had to wake up at 6 so we could get there on time. To get there we had to take a really long gondola ride that went almost straight up. I thought Mama would dislike it a lot, but when we got home she said she's already taken it with the littles. 

At the top of the mountain we had to ask about ten different people for directions. Finally we found it with time for hot chocolate and croissants beforehand. When we went back outside there was a crowd of people in our class, the teachers, and a truck with all the dogs. We waited at the bottom of the hill for the dogs to come down so we could link then to chains on the ground. Then the teachers gave us a lesson on how to harness the dogs. It was in German, but Daddy and I understood pretty well. On the right is a picture of one of my favorite dogs, Jane. I liked her a lot because I waited with her when Daddy was having his turn riding the sled. She was also very sweet. One time when we were waiting she poked her head under my arm and snuggled me.

Here I am putting the harness on the dog.

You have to hold the dog in between your legs, like when your file a sheep's nails, to put on the dog's harness. The dogs were pretty cooperative.

Next we practiced braking and slowing down the sled.

Finally it was time to hook up the dogs and get going.

I was right behind the teacher leading the group, so I didn't have much trouble with the dogs.

In this picture, I'm at the front of the pack.

It was amazing. The path was nice and smooth, so you hardly had to do anything, you just trusted the dogs. It was fast in some parts, and slow in others. I only had to use my brake once or twice. It was a lot of fun!

Daddy managed to take a picture of the dog sled experience.

 While Daddy had his turn, I spent time with the rest of the dogs. They were all very excited and full of energy, but then they calmed down and took a rest.

This is a picture of Jane howling. It really shows how dogs are related to wolves.

All the dogs were very beautiful and strong.

This shows again how well trained the dogs were. All the teachers had to do was pat the truck and the dogs would jump right into their crates. The ones one the top shelf had to use a step ladder.

 

It was a fantastic day and I learned something new that I love to do.

I hope I'll be able to dogsled again someday!