Hello and sorry that there hasn't been a post lately. We've been very busy with our other projects and with the school full of kids its been hard to get time in the computer lab to write. We have been doing lots of exciting things lately from going to the GW101 team meetings to hanging out with the local kids. Yesterday Simon was nice enough to let us tag along with him when he took his dogs to stretch their legs. Simon runs a team of 11 dogs using the fan hitch technique.
This means that each dogs has its own line that pulls the sled. Each line has a different length and the lead dog has the center line which is the longest. Simon and Lukie both run their team this way and have also made each dog harness and line out of seal which they have caught. The fan hitch is used in the north because the terrain they run on is mostly ice and if one dog falls through the ice or into a crack in theory the others won't be pulled in. John Stetson and Will Steger's dog teams are run using the tandom hitch method. This is where each dog is connected to one central line. The dogs are put in pairs starting with the closest two to the sled, the wheel dogs. These dogs are normally the bigger and sometimes slower dogs but they are used to control the movement of the sled. These dogs are running behind many sets of middle dogs, with the front pair being the lead dogs. The middle dogs are the work horses of the team and are very important to a strong team. The lead dogs are the ones who the musher can trust to find their way. They lead the team in bright sunny days and in snow storms. These dogs are very smart and are a musher's best friend when they are lost. The two styles work great if you know how to use them. The dogs love to run no matter how they are hooked up and to see them in action is a wonder to see.
From Clyde River on Baffin Island
Dalen and Jeff
2 comments:
Simon must be a very patient as well as wise man to put up with my son! Although I know you said that the Inuit feel differently about thier dogs, I cant imagine not being connected to animals that not only help you survive but are one of the main sources to survival. 11 dogs seem like a lot of dogs to feed and must take a lot of work. If its possible to get a picture of this team, that would be really great. I appreciate everyones kindness, and I hope you are making sure you relay that to them from YOUR main survival person, YOUR MOM! Take care of yourselves guys, you all impress me and Im still very proud of you all, even you boy ;)
and now the other mom. Glad to see a new blog note. I just want you to remember every moment. If it doesn't get in the blog, be sure to journal the old fashioned way, pen and paper. We will be excited to hear the stories of your trip. Jeff, I'm practicing my possible responses!! Stay safe, greet all of your new friends from Minnesota. Say Hi to Shelby for me!! : )
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