SNOWDOGS

Canada Continued …

Now with my travel plans settled onto Canada, I just had to find the right people to sled with. My thoughts towards this experience were - I didn’t want to just do a 3 hour day tour but an expedition through the great white north wilderness. But let’s be honest I am no Iditarod competitor, let alone facing the coldest temperatures I’ve ever experienced for the first time ever. So to the internet to research I went, and the company that ticked all the boxes, Snowforest Adventures.

Based out of Algonquin Provincial park, Ontario, about an hour or so out of Toronto Snowforest Adventures believes in the magic of dogsledding, kind to their dogs and dedication to the sport, along with their own trails and campsites throughout the Algonquin Provincial Park. From day one and the very first email, everything was beyond smooth and an exceptional experience. Snowforest Adventures offer a range of camping packages from 1 night to 4, over the winter season. From Banff I took a flight to Toronto and then onto a bus to Huntsville the closest town to stay at from the park. I got in a night earlier and had taken Snowforest adventures up on their offer to get picked up from accomodation in town to the expedition starting point. Along with the pick up, The guys at Snowforest also included gear for me to borrow, boots, parker and pants. Once again these guys are amazing. At the starting point, the dogs were being unloaded and set up into their teams, here I met Devon, our guide and the pair of fella’s also coming long for the ride, Brian & Jordan, two friends from the US. 

With Snowforest you also get the choice of riding with your own team of dogs or string a sled with a guide. I chose to share with the guide for monetary purposes and ease of experience. From the get go we were in the thick of it. Riders are expected to participate in every aspect of dog-sledding and camping experience, from prepping the dogs in their teams, feeding, setting up camp and the dogs each night, let alone driving the teams on runs. First thing was first, getting the dogs harnessed and leading them from the chain to the gangline one by one. The energy levels in the air rose exponentially with the dogs excitement mounting with the knowledge they were about to run. Their literal howls of excitement were deafening, but beautiful echoes that filled the air.

Once the teams were set, Devon gave us dogsledding 101 on driving the dog teams, from vocal commands to controlling the sled. ‘Haw’ - left , ‘Gee’ - Right , ‘Woah’ - Stop and pull up on the bars to put pressure on the sled and slow down the pack. And we were on our first run, out into the snow and forest. With such might and strength the dogs were pulling us along the trails.

And so there was my first taste to driving a dog sled, my dream coming true, holding onto dear life on the handle bar with the tree’s and snow passing us and the wind brushing past our face. 

The teams were so strong, I could hardly keep up with them on up hill runs. To help the dogs out riders have to run along the sled whilst pushing it forward to keep the momentum. The camps were more than expected. Set up prospector tents. When calling it a day first thing was settling the dogs on the chain. Including laying down a pile of saw dust for the dogs to sleep on. Preparing their food, a mix of kibble and meat stew. And most of all showing the dogs some love for their hard work. And then onto the humans, we feasted pretty well with each meal. Considering the full length days of physical exertion there was more than enough food to keep the energy levels up. Once the sun fell it was pitch black at night. I was scared the nights would be tough, but 1. I was exhausted at the end of each night and 2. the tents had wood stoves that were stoked through the night. There was one moment where the air in the tent got thick, like big booty thick, I woke in the middle of the night because it got hard to breathe. The camps had outdoor drop toilets, I didn’t shower for 3 days, but the deodorant held up well considering. 

With each day we rose with the sun, and we got moving as quickly as the tea and coffee combination started to hit the veins. We were out on the trails again. It was unseasonably warm that February, I lucked out. It was definitely still cold but the sunshine did help. And when running up hill along side the dogs I was working up a sweat. Without a doubt it was a struggle in all the gear, but I always struggle on an incline. The trails were solid with the snow nicely compacted but 1 step off to the side it was powdery soft and your leg would sink a good 50cm down with each mister. A nice reminder 50cm is like my entire leg length, so they were shovelling me out each time. Each day my bond with the dogs grew stronger, but is it a surprise how easily it was to fall in love with each of the dogs. Our teams was made up of Sitka, Phoenix, Radio, Scoby, Islo and Lwanda.

The humans were great too, Devon was a great guide. This guy knows what he’s doing, not too mention is heaps informative and fun to hang with. Not to mention my fellow travellers Brian & Jordan. These guys were sweethearts. I loved listening to the guys talk about the outdoors, their tales of kayaking and swapping adventure stories or yarning on about outdoor kits and gear. 

With every run came another amazing moment, with the white Canadian landscape falling away as we mush past. 

Toilet. With amenities bag. Visible amenities bag means vacant toilet, otherwise a non-visible bag means occupied.

Then came the last day, the coldest of them all. For our last run I decided to sit in the sled. It brought about the most magical feeling of all, It began to snow just as we started the run, with the white flecks of snow falling all around, we mushed into a new area of the park. when all of a sudden ‘Are you ready’ a few seconds later we entered a tunnel of trees that fell away as we glided onto a frozen lake and everything became white all around. Without the crunching of snow, it was silence on the ice, just me gasping every few seconds in awe of the moment. M A G I C . 

When all of a sudden we were on a familiar trail, and before knowing it the carpark emerged again. Back to where it began.

Saying goodbye to the dogs was hard. I’m beyond thankful I was able to experience this adventure with Snowforest Adventures, and got to ride along with Devon, Brian and Jordan, not to mention all the dogs that were a part of our teams.

If you’re ever thinking of a dogsledding experience I highly recommend the guys at Snowforest Adventures, these guys are with you from day 1 even before you leave home and will have you sorted for the entire time you’re with them. They’ll show you a great time and the experience really makes Canada come alive.

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