Dogsledding In Rivière-Rouge

Quebec, Canada

Yesterday marked the first day of Winter in the Northern hemisphere. Some people hate the cold and can't stand winter. I personally like the change of season. Winter brings along an array of outdoor activities, from skiing and snowboarding, to sledding and building snowmen. Last winter I got to try something I have never done before. I went on a dog-slegging expedition through the wilderness of Rivière-Rouge, Quebec. It was an unforgettable experience that I will cherish for a lifetime.

My family and I took a trip up to Canada to ski at Mont Tremblant. It was a picture-perfect ski village with plenty of mountain to shred. On the last day of the trip we decided get adventurous. We signed up for a day long dog-sledding excursion just outside of Tremblant.

When we arrived we were greeted by hundreds of happy barking dogs. There were Alaskan Malamutes, Siberian Huskies and even some Chinooks. The dogs were eager to be chosen to go out for a run. Once the guides got us saddled up and ready to go, we went off through the wilderness!

Mushing was much more difficult than I ever expected. The musher has the responsibility to help carry the weight of the sleigh. When going uphill, the musher must peddle kick, just like riding a skateboard to ensure there is not full tension on the reigns. The musher is also responsible for shifting the weight of the sleigh during turns. It's a tough job and you must be in good physical shape in order to successfully mush. I was dripping sweat by the time we got back to the base camp.

This video was taken by my girlfriend (at the time) while she was sitting in the sled. As you can tell by the commentary, she did not have much faith in my mushing ability...

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Thanks For Reading!