The Sheep Mountain 150

Last weekend we competed in our first race of the season, the Sheep Mountain 150 (Allen, Aliy, and Bridgett raced. I handled). After months of training and preparation, the racing season has finally arrived. This is what we’ve been waiting for. The many hours on the back of a sled in below zero temperatures, the shovel full after shovel full of dog poop, the sorting and resorting of gear, the frustration of nothing working at forty below--- has all come down to this: Racing. Some folks might ask, “Why do you enjoy racing sled dogs?” But this is a question best left unanalyzed. No good will come of pondering why you paid money to drive a dog team at 3:00 in the morning after sleeping two hours when it’s -20 degrees and you can’t feel you fingers. The fact is we race because we want to. I’ll admit I don’t enjoy every second of a race, but something about working with dogs and overcoming the challenges Mother Nature can dish out makes racing surprisingly rewarding. And with maybe five people waiting at the finish line, it better not be for the glory.

At this particular race, I was handling for Allen, Aliy, and Bridgett. For those unfamiliar with sled dog racing, a handler is a person who assists the musher during a race by taking dropped dogs and helping manage run/rest times. Ironically, the term ‘handler’ could not be farther from the truth in a race setting. I do no ‘handling.’ I can’t even touch the dogs. I’m like a pit crew at Talladega that can’t touch the car, but instead says, “Hey Dale, it looks like you need to change your tires. You might want to do that.” The inactivity can be slightly frustrating when all I want to do is start rubbing down the dogs or help booty the team. Rather than “handler,” I should be called an “observer.”

Even as an “observer” I thoroughly enjoyed the Sheep Mountain 150. I had the chance to watch 40 dog teams in action and compare the checkpoint routines of some of the top distance mushers. Combine that with the breathtaking beauty of the surrounding mountains, and the Sheep Mountain 150 is one of the best.

I put together a short video of the race: