Dog Sledding in the Yukon – Part 1

I’ve always dreamed of watching the Yukon Quest, known as the toughest dog sled race in the world.  It doesn’t get all the glory and media coverage like the Iditarod, but it is the real heart and soul of dog sled racing.  Thirteen years ago I nearly walked away from my life to be a dog musher.  If I hadn’t been on track to fulfill my wilderness survival dream, I would have gladly accepted the sled and bought two dogs from a Yukon Quest musher I had met.  I never forgot the fire I felt inside me for dog sledding.

This year my Grandmother and I decided it was time to travel to the Yukon and check off another “Bucket List” adventure.  We both wanted to stand under the northern lights and dog sled in the wilderness of the Great White North.  My Gramma is 91 and an unforgettable inspiration.

I tagged onto our dream seeing the finish line of the Yukon Quest in Whitehorse and I’m quite sure it set in motion a new upcoming chapter in my life.  Since returning, I haven’t stopped dreaming nearly every night about becoming a dog musher, handler for a kennel and somehow participating in the Yukon Quest.  Last night I finished in 9th place!

Dog sledding stirs in me the insatiable passion to push your entire being past known possibilities, comfort levels and realms of awareness.  I feel that inconceivable, compelling force that drives me to find a way to make far-fetched dreams come true.  I’m not leaving Echo Bay or bringing home 16 Alaskan huskies to start training, but I know whenever the illogical starts making more and more sense, when people crinkle up their eyebrows and say, “You’re not serious are you? or I start to feel that indeed I may be going crazy, I know I’m on the right track, destined for another fearless adventure.

Living my biggest, scariest dreams, the ones I sacrifice for, work the hardest at, these are the times I feel most alive, totally free and radiating an indescribable joy.  Big or small, accomplishing dreams makes me a better person and I know the lessons I learn will only enrich my life.  So let’s get mushing…

Click the title above to view the video of our adventure. Part 2 to come…