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Mushing Around the World
by Murray Lundberg
Also see Historic Mushing Photos
Click on the images below to enlarge them
Mary Shields used to give wonderful mushing presentations at Chena Village near Fairbanks. This was taken in September 1991. If you haven't read her
books Small Wonders: Year-Round Alaska, and Sled Dog Trails, give yourself a treat - her sensitivity to
the world around her make them a real pleasure to read.
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The start of the Southern Lakes Classic at
Carcross, Yukon, with the temperature at minus 35°, plus a wind.
No problem with crowds, though! January 24, 1993.
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Iditarod veteran Dewey Halverson's class act at Denali Park, Alaska in 1991. A gift shop, but also an excellent interpretive center set in the forest.
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The National Park Service Rangers at Denali Park
have an immaculate kennel full of happy dogs who love to put on a show! The booklet
Sled Dogs of Denali tells the story of the part the dogs have played in the park.
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Sorting freight for Yukon Quest mushers is a huge job. Here, at dusk, with the temperature at 30° below zero (and falling rapidly), I've just arrived in Fairbanks with a
3-ton load from Whitehorse prior to the 1993 race.
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Mushing isn't all hard work and brute strength - here, Dr. Hannelore Cramer from Grunwald, Germany perfects her high-speed cornering technique in the British Columbia Rockies.
YeeHaw!! (That's a very powerful 6-dog team - 2 are hidden in a dip)
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Mushing in the Blaeberry Valley, near Golden, British Columbia. Unless you're the lead dog, the scenery never changes! This trip with Doug Hannah of Kingmik Expeditions was the
start of my passion for huskies and mushing.
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Mushing in the Blaeberry Valley, near Golden, British Columbia. The Canadian Rockies at their finest.
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As you can clearly see, sled dogs love every minute of the time they're in harness!
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After getting used to seeing sled dog teams being hauled in rusted-out Ford pickups in the Yukon and Alaska, it's quite a shock to see
custom-built Mercedes haulers in the Austrian Alps.
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For my friends at Sleddog-L, here's the racing Samoyed photos I promised.
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The Samoyeds that I saw racing in Bavaria weren't the fastest, nor were they great at endurance, but
aren't they gorgeous?
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With Nanook #3 leading, a team of Yukon Quest Nanooks
head out on a training run in the forest near Whitehorse,
getting ready for the 1999 Yukon Quest.
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Last, but certainly not least, a beautiful Siberian does his stuff in the pulk races in Bavaria. Notice the difficulty that side-hills cause
on pulking trails - it's impossible to keep everything in line, and both the dog and skier are always fighting the side pressure.
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All photos are © 1991-2009 by Murray Lundberg, and are not
to be reproduced without permission.
More Mushing Photos
Dog Sled Tours around the World
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