the copperdog 150
this past weekend, my hometown hosted a sled-dog race, the copperdog 150, so the keweenaw peninsula was full of mushers and their pups.
my sister and i were crossing guards on friday night.
she had wanted to be a timer or a dog handler, but i thought that sounded like too much responsibility so i signed us up for the crossing guard shift.
i thought we’d be stopping cars, easy peasy. when i learned that we didn’t have the authority to stop cars – we’d be stopping sleds + dogs if necessary – i was so nervous. i felt like the life of 200+ dogs had been placed in my very sweaty hands. plus, i had just spent a week at death’s door (by which i mean the world’s most miserable cold) so i was not at peak strength.
fortunately, when our shift started, it was late at night and below zero and a quiet road, so we just turned our arms and legs into a silent blockade and watched forty-some teams of sled-dogs race by under a starry sky.
on sunday, i went to watch the finish.
i wanted to see the pups in the light of day and take some pictures.
i left the house later than planned and was worried i wouldn’t get a clear photo spot. imagine my surprise to find an empty street when i arrived. apparently when it’s ten degrees below zero, people aren’t in a rush to stand outside.
i was glad i went; the dogs exuded glee.
do you see the pup in the red sled? i’m so disappointed i didn’t notice him/her until the sled was right next to me – i was focused on the running dogs – because it was pretty much the cutest thing ever.
totally worth my frozen fingers and toes. wouldn’t you agree?
Those are a bunch of happy dogs. You would never know they just covered 150 miles.
WOW !!!!
on all counts!
dogs sledders
YOU and HELEN
out there in the cold!
WOW !!!
great pics!
xo ♥
Jerry: I KNOW! They are amazing.
Tammy: It wasn’t bad! On Friday night, my dad gave us these magical packets of heat. I put some in my mittens, and then in my boots when my toes got cold, and I was toasty warm. On Sunday, the cold was my own fault; I took my mittens off because I wanted to take a few iPhone photos and my hands never warmed up.
WOW, is right… And the dogs do look pretty happy doing their job! Oh, but you can feel the cold too…bbbrrr… LOL… Thank you for sharing the fun, Elizabeth! Was Atlas along? :o) ((HUGS))
Looks like they and you had fun!
Tracy: He was not. Sled-dogs live + work as a team, so other dogs are a distraction. Plus, it was MUCH TOO COLD for my thinly-coated pup.
Amy: We did!
Cold is nice if there is no wind. One of the most beautiful days I can remember was on the North Slope of Alaska with the sun shining, no wind, and a -50F air temperature. The snow looked like diamonds. Everything was shimmering.
It sounds so beautiful.