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The Experience
Dog sledding with Wilderness Adventures unleashes an innate rush of
adrenaline.
The sport of dog sledding exists as an antithesis to the loud,
need-for-speed, motor-driven forms of recreation that have become so popular
in Lake Tahoe.
Instead, there is a tranquil sense of peace and quiet to be found from the
vantage point a dog sled. It offers a rare and genuine feeling of an
accepting partnership with the elements of nature around you.
It is uncommon to have an opportunity to practice dog sledding in the lower
48 states, but thanks to local couple Brian and Deanne Maas, dog sledding in
Tahoe is a possibility all winter long. The Maas
family started their dog sledding company, Wilderness Adventures, in 1995.
They provide dog sledding tours throughout the North
Lake Tahoe area seven days a week for as long as weather permits
each winter. Tours range in length from one hour to an overnight backcountry
option.
Dog sledding tours with the tight knit and professional
team of Wilderness Adventures mushers offer a glimpse into the rich history
of a long-standing Sierra mountain way of life. The tours present a truly
unique atmosphere in which to experience the natural beauty of the mountains.
“Each tour is different,” said owner Brian Maas. “You have
to know how to read the dogs and how they are feeling, which ones will run
well together for the next part of the day. Between the dogs, the customers
and the trail conditions, it’s a new experience every time.”
Wilderness Adventures runs tours from the Sugar Bowl Ski Area and the Resort
at Squaw Creek. Call (530) 550-8133 or visit their Web site www.tahoedogsledtours.com
for more information.
Wilderness Adventures
Brian and Deanne Maas started Wilderness Adventures together about 12 years
ago after a trip to Alaska
piqued their interest in dog sledding. At first their kennel casually
accommodated just a few dogs. It has grown to 20 acres of property that
provide lodging for more than 90 huskies. In an average winter, between tours
at the Resort at Squaw Creek and Sugar Bowl Ski Area, Wilderness Adventures
leads approximately 2,500 dog sled tours. They estimate each dog runs about
2,000 miles a season.
Brian makes all the sleds himself out of red oak wood and high-density polyethylene
plastic. The sleds vary in length and weight, with shorter, lighter sleds
designed for racing and longer sleds designed for touring.
They keep the dogs energetic and healthy with a specialized high-fat,
high-protein brand of kibble called Eagle Pack. The food has probiotics and
additional essential nutrients such as vitamin E and cilium. The eating
habits of each dog change depending on weather and training conditions, on an
average day in Tahoe each dog digests around 5,000 calories mixed with plenty
of hydrating broth.
The Wilderness Adventures dogs are Alaskan huskies, with other breeds and
bloodlines mixed in for maximum genetic advantage in running. Important
considerations in breeding include size, strong feet and endurance
capabilities. At the Resort at Squaw Creek dogs run in teams of eight to 10
and average speeds of around five to seven miles per hour. Typically there
are four to five mushers running the dogs each day and each musher takes out
between three- and five-hour tours. Longer tours can be customized for
interested clients in a few different backcountry locations around Tahoe.
Dog Bios
Summer
Sex: Female
Age: 12 years
Typical Position: Lead Dog
Origin: Truckee Humane Society. The Maas’ family found Summer about eight years ago
at the Humane Society and suspected that she had at one time been a sled dog.
Suspicions were confirmed the first time Summer saw a sled getting hooked up
at the Maas’ dog kennel. “It was
very obvious she knew what was going on and she wanted to go too” says
owner Brian Maas. Wilderness Adventures started retraining her and she became
one of the strongest lead dogs in the kennel. She has approximately seven
children in the Maas kennel and is
grandmother to around 30 more.
Snow White
Sex: Female
Age: 7 years
Typical Position: Lead Dog
Origin: Truckee Dog Kennel
Otter
Sex: Female
Age: 4 years
Typical Position: Training as a Lead Dog
Origin: Paul Gebhart, second place finisher in the 2007 Iditarod
Solo
Sex: Female
Age: 6 years
Origin: One of Summer’s daughters, born at the Wilderness Adventures
kennel
Typical Position: Anywhere, not typically lead
Griz
Sex: Male
Age: 5 years
Typical Position: Wheel, dog closest to the sled
Origin: Dean Osmar, 1984 Iditarod champion
 Felix
Sex: Male
Age: 4 years
Typical Position: Swing, Anywhere, not typically lead.
Origin: Dean Osmar, 1984 Iditarod champion. Felix competed in the 200 mile
Tustemena race in Alaska
before coming to the Wilderness Adventure kennel.
Lobo
Sex: Male
Age: 4 years
Typical Position: Anywhere, not typically lead
Origin: Dean Osmar, 1984 Iditarod champion. Lobo competed in the 200 mile
Tustemena race in Alaska
before coming to the Wilderness Adventure kennel.
The Basic Mushing Commands
Gee - Turn right
Haw - Turn left
On By - Go forward, ignore a distraction
Hike! - Go!
Dogsled Terminology
(source: www.ultimateiditarod.com)
Runners — the skis that slide along the snow and support the rest of
the sled.
Cargo Bed — the portion of the sled designed for carrying cargo,
usually covered with a sled bag that serves as a “backpack" to
hold and protect equipment and supplies.
Brushbow — the "bumper" on the front of the sled that
deflects trees and brush and takes hits in collisions. Semi-circular or
triangular in shape.
Handle Bar — At the back of the cargo bed, for the musher to hold on.
Footboards — Jutting out from the bottom of the cargo bed, for the
musher to stand on.
Claw Brake — Made of aluminum or steel. Two metal claws hang down from
a U-shaped bar. When the bar is stepped on, the claws dig into the snow to
slow and stop the team.
Track or Drag — a rubber mat that is dragged between the runners. This
is another braking mechanism. The advantage of the drag brake is that the
resistance it supplies is much more uniform than the resistance supplied by a
regular claw brake. Many tracks contain bolts that stick about an inch into
the trail to give them extra "bite."
Gangline — extends from the front of the cargo bed and serves as the
main line for the dogs to hook onto.
The Iditarod
Also called “The Last Great Race on Earth” the Iditarod is
advertised as a 1,049-mile dog sled race from Anchorage
to Nome, Alaska. In reality the distance run is
greater than 1,100 miles but the 1,049 mileage is kept as the official length
to symbolize Alaska’s status as the
49th state in the USA.
The Iditarod celebrates and remembers a dog sled run that raced diphtheria
antitoxin serum from Neanne to Nome,
Alaska in 1925, when an
outbreak of diphtheria threatened thousands in the Alaskan community. The first
official Iditarod was run in 1973. The race has been growing in popularity
ever since, with 96 mushers listed to run this year.
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