Sled Dogs!

Sarah is a dog fan and is known to hitch up her stuffed toy dogs with various straps, leashes and strings to create a dog sled team of her own :)



Mush!  Gee!  Haw!

So when I found out about the Mid-Minnesota 150 Dog Sled Race (http://www.brainerd.net/~tmjk/mid_mn150.htm) happens only 30 miles away from us, I knew we should take the opportunity to check it out on Saturday, February 9.

We got to Outing around 1:30 and while we had missed the start of the race, we still had the opportunity to go for a ride thanks to Wolf Moon Kennel (http://www.wolfmoonkennel.com/)  We were happy to pay the $5 fee to see what it was like to ride behind a team of sled dogs for a 10 minute or so trip on the lake.



Settled on the sled with the musher, Charlotte



Getting the team turned around and ready to run....



And away we went!  I shot a video with my camera while we were going for the ride but it is a bit hard to hear the one sided conversation (my voice mostly) over the sound of the wind, so I won't subject you to that example of my very amateur videography skills.



That was fun!



Giving them pets afterward to thank them

Then we decided to head another 20 miles down the road to see if we could be there for the end of the 30-mile race.  We hoped we see a few teams come in and maybe get to pet a few more dogs. 

We made it to Remer around 2 PM, found the end of the trail where the finish line was and ran across one of the aides in Sarah's preschool class, Peg.  She greeted us and told us her daughter was racing but the competitors likely wouldn't be finishing for another hour or so.  Sarah really wanted to stay and there were a number of activities to keep her somewhat busy while we waited around.



A money hunt in the snow - Sarah came away with a one dollar coin!



A bonfire to keep warm by, although temperatures were pretty nice that day,

 and a big snow pile to climb on- that is Sarah on the left at the top :)



Snow angels to make

After 3 PM, the first team arrived.

sorry, wet camera lens for this photo ;(

A few more teams trickled in and then Kelly Sipper, the teacher's daughter, arrived.

Sarah standing by Kelly's team minutes after crossing the finish



Kelly resting with one of her dogs, after what
I can assume is a tiring 30-mile race



Sarah and Peg congratulating the dogs for a well run race!

We found out on Monday that Kelly had placed 4th in the 6 dog recreational class.

It was a lot of fun to watch and I think next year we will try to be there for the start of the race, which the seasoned spectators said is quite fun as all the dogs are hyped up and rearing to go.

All that fresh air and excitement, missing our afternoon rest time, and unfortunately a sickness coming on, resulted in a tired out little girl by supper time.

Who knows, maybe she'll be a competitor in the years to come?